Wednesday 8th April 2015  Icart Point to Pleinmont:

It was a glorious sunny morning, and it was forecast to stay that way for most of the day, I was really looking forward to this physically demanding leg from Icart Point to Pleinmont. I was delighted to have 80 year old Alex A along this morning to join Anne S, Clive S and me.

Alex is a very experienced walker and has a depth of knowledge of Guernsey outdoor life and flora, which is a great asset and makes a notable talking point on cliff path walks like this one today.

The sun was bright as we left Icart to commence the walk and the Spring colours were just so vibrant along the cliff faces with the yellow flower of the gorse clearly the most prevalent colour in sight. The glittering on the surface of the sea was also spectacular and I can honestly say there was no where else I would rather have been with such superb conditions as this to walk in. No matter how good the weather is the physical demands of the steep steps do not get any easier, and by the time we were on the upper cliff path heading towards Petit Bot Bay, we were feeling the our leg muscles and breathing much deeper.

I decided to take the alternative cliff path route out of Petit Bot, which takes you to an excellent viewing point immediately above the Bay and then eventually comes out on the road, heading towards the Manor Hotel. Just before the hotel there is a slip path off the road which takes you onto another path that connects up eventually with the very steep cliff path leading directly out of Petit Bot. At this point there is an alternative path directly down to the other Portelet, which, if you have the time, is well worth a visit.

We were now heading towards the Le Gouffre area and with the sun continuing to shine down upon us I had to keep reminding myself that this was still early Spring and not early summer, such were the ideal conditions. Once you descend from the high cliff path and turn around the corner heading towards Le Gouffre, the whole scenery changes completely. We took a toilet break, compliments of the Le Gouffre cafe, although I do buy a small bottle of water always to prevent me feeling guilty!

You now get some respite in walking conditions as the terrain is somewhat less demanding from here until you arrive at the car park at La Corbiere, but seeing Le Prevote tower you know that it will be very much up and down, steep, continuous steps that stretch your physical abilities to the limit, despite the breath-taking views that can be seen. Anne S decided to call it a day at La Corbiere, but she had very much enjoyed her walk so far and it was great to have her with us.

Le Prevote to Les Tielles just does not get any easier, even with the glorious weather, but all three of us just dug in and eventually arrived at the car park somewhat lacking in energy but relieved that we could refresh ourselves here with a sit down, some fluids and refreshments. Clive left us here due to an early afternoon appointment he had to keep, heading inland. It was great to have Clive with us again today: he is such an experienced walker on this particular stretch of cliff path and knows the area like the back of his hand.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, Alex and I set off in the direction of Pleinmont Point, and with the increased wind in this area, a common feature, we were able to maintain a good pace along the coastal path. Mont Herault Watch House is the next significant landmark, and once past there we headed towards the Battery and then cut inland to the road, as we were very conscious of the bus times, and if we had gone around by the Fairy Ring it was likely we would have had an hour to wait for a bus. With the sun still shining brightly it was very pleasant walking through the lanes and eventually down the hill until we reached the Imperial Hotel and the Pleinmont bus shelter.

Alex was delighted to have completed the walk and stated that was the longest walk he had done since last year – at 80 years of age I thought he was  tremendous and a great inspiration to all of us.

Whilst waiting for the bus we met some visitors who were interested in what we had just done and were asking about the laminated notice I always carry on the back of my rucksack asking for donations for Autism Guernsey. They very kindly donated another £7.00 to the ‘pot’, which just goes to show that the more visible you are with t-shirts, sweat shirts, caps or just a laminated notice like I have about your chosen charity, the more likely it is that you will generate additional donations on projects like this.

In conclusion of this blog may I also take the opportunity to thank the Reverend Mike Kierle the Editor of St Martin’s Parish magazine, ‘St Martin’s Cloak’. He has very kindly published an article on both the walking project and the cliff steps cleaning project that both my wife, Angela, and I are doing on behalf of Autism Guernsey this year. The article can be read below.

Autism Guernsey 365 challenge 2015

“The locally registered charity Autism Guernsey (www.autismguernsey.org.gg) has recently launched a charity fund raising initiative for 2015. Autism365 aims to sign on 365 individuals or groups to raise at least £365 in 365 days, and it involves completing a task of their own choosing to do this. Those who have already signed up to this challenge include The Bailiff, Sir Richard Collas, the TV presenter and author, Dawn O’Porter and Mrs. Lynda Walker, wife of the Lieutenant Governor, Peter Walker.

As part of that initiative Eric and Angela Graham, residents of St Martin’s, have decided to take on the task of cleaning 365 cliff path steps in and around Moulin Huet and Saints bay area. The steps become terribly wet and slippery over the winter and safety is greatly improved by having the compacted wet leaves cleared from them. Both Angela and Eric wanted to take on a task that would not only benefit Autism Guernsey but would do something beneficial for the very community they live in, making the task doubly satisfying. St Martin’s is blessed with delightful bays and cliff path walks and is enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike and the couple are looking for any kind of sponsorship that will help them raise a minimum of £365.

Eric, a regular cliff path walker, is also completing another challenge for Autism365 and will be cliff / path walking weekly every Wednesday morning at 10am. Over the year he is hoping to complete around-island walks in sections: St Peter Port to Icart, Icart to Pleinmont, Pleinmont to Pembroke Bay and Pembroke Bay to St Peter Port, completing the whole island circuit 12 times. Eric would be delighted to welcome any parishioners, other islanders and visitors to join him weekly and enjoy a healthy walk and contribute a minimum £1.00 per walk to Autism365. The walking schedule will be published weekly through Twitter @boroeric, Facebook and on www.autism365.org.gg

Should you wish to donate for either of these charity challenges you can either transfer money directly to Fundraising 365, Sort Code 30-93-73, Account No. 28986660 or send a cheque to Autism Guernsey, Unit 3B, Best Complex, Ruette Braye, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1PL, quoting ‘Eric and Angela Graham’s 365 Challenge-NO 71’.”

STEPS!!

Today – Friday 10th  – we finally got started on cleaning the steps, managing 65 in about 1¾ hours! It was a glorious day, and a few people were out walking – we took a breather and just revelled in this glorious view across Moulin Huet Bay to Petit Port.

We also saw quite a few of these starting to appear among the primroses, violets, celandines and “stinky onions”.

Sent from my iPad