Sunday 30th August, 2015 – 32/52 – Pembroke Bay to St Peter Port,

Having just broken my collar bone 3 days before this leg was due earlier in August and therefore unable to tackle it, I took the opportunity of catching up today, with the weather forecast being much more favourable than it has been of late.

I caught the bus into St Peter Port as I had decided to do this leg in reverse and walk to Pembroke Bay, rather than the usual direction, from Pembroke to town. I could not believe how lively town was as I walked through, but there were two huge cruise liners berthed in the Rhodes and their passengers were swarming all over town in the hope of finding some shops open or just taking in the ambience of the capital, as well as it being the Guernsey Marathon today. The sea front was vehicle-free to accommodate the finish, and there was a variety of stalls for visitors and locals to purchase food and an assortment of local goods.

I was heading north out of town and as I walked past Salerie Corner the sun was shining and there was a gentle wind, making conditions excellent for walking. There were plenty of people walking along the route in both directions, taking advantage of the sunshine, which has been somewhat absent of late! The Red Lion corner, which currently has traffic lights controlling the traffic, was quite busy despite it being a Sunday, and men were hard at work pouring cement into the new sewage outfall project.

It was really pleasant walking all the path from here, with superb views across to the other islands and views back at all the nautical comings and goings outside St Peter Port harbour, then on through the Southside of St Sampsons and on to the Northside, where there was plenty of activity in setting up support systems for the Marathon today, and at the Vale Castle, where they were staging the annual Earth Fayre. As I went around the path in the shadow of the Castle there were several people picking blackberries. At least the recent wet and miserable weather seems to have been good for something – because it is still very mild there is an abundance of beautiful blackberries around now!

Bordeaux Kiosk is about the halfway point of this walk and it was great to see again an old work and refereeing colleague of mine, Phil J, who very kindly gave me a donation for my walk today – a welcome bonus. Onwards round Bordeaux harbour, and I could see the marathon runners starting to come through this stage of their race, the marshal very much enjoying the sunny weather as he checked the runners through.

I just love that walk along the coastal path from the car park at the north side of Bordeaux Harbour: there were plenty of bikers, walkers, and dog walkers, and people just sitting enjoying the weather and the views. From here it was on towards Beaucette Marina, which considering the good weather conditions, was relatively quiet, then back onto the coastal path around Fort Doyle. It was so pleasant looking out to sea, with the deep colours and clear skies and the sun shining brightly on the rocks. I thought I might hear some practice firing from the firing range as I approached Fort Le Marchant, it being a Sunday, but like my regular Wednesday walks, I have yet to hear any guns firing whenever I have been in and around this area this year.

Pembroke Bay looked a picture as I approached the area, the tide was very low today and the large expanse of sand and rocky outlets in the sunshine were picture postcard with plenty of families taking advantage of such wonderful conditions.

Sorry, this pic of the bay is an older one – must get more recent photographs!

It was a really pleasant walk today, and now I am back on track with my weekly programme and looking forward to my next leg on Wednesday, 2^nd September.