Wednesday 20th May 2015 – 20/52 – Pembroke Bay to St Peter Port

It was a beautiful sunny morning for the start of this leg and I was fortunate to have the company of Sue, Clive and Steve with me. Although the tide was in there was calm as the sea hit the shore, very different from my last visit here when the sea was lashing into the concrete apron and sending the sea water up in the air and onto the coastal path. On a good walking day like today the colours always look more vibrant and you really appreciate the striking sea views along the coastal path. Naturally there were plenty of other people out and about on such a wonderful morning.

We quickly came upon Fort Le Marchant which has been a fort of some kind since 1680, but is currently used as a rifle range and walkers need to be aware that if a red flag is flying then the range is being used for that purpose.

This walk is also good for bird watching and keeping your eye out for the many varieties that are in and around this area and on our way to Fort Doyle we saw a little egret and a superb display of hovering by a kestrel some short distance above our heads.

Beaucette Marina, although relatively quiet in terms of movement, looked somewhat resplendent with the sun shining brightly on the array of boats in the pretty marina area. Once into the country lanes off the Marina you quickly realise what a peaceful and picturesque area of the north of Guernsey this is, with some beautiful views and such a variety of different properties on show. I just love walking along the footpath towards Bordeaux Harbour in weather like today as the view across to the other islands is just superb. Where else would you want to be when Guernsey has views like this on offer?

The kiosk at Bordeaux, so popular with the local community, was a welcome sight as we took the opportunity to rest our feet and have a welcome coffee. Having taken the opportunity to use the toilets and have a refreshment break we set off again towards Vale Castle and then inland to the North Side then the South side of St Sampsons and towards the Salerie Corner.

There was plenty of traffic queuing around the new building development on the front, with disgruntled motorists crawling along in the warm sunshine. Plenty of activity also at the re-developing sewage outfall at the Red Lion as they prepare to install new equipment.

All in all, we had very pleasant conditions as we approached the finishing line in St Peter Port at the end of a very enjoyable walk.