LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO UNTIL ISLE OF WIGHT SPRING WALKING FESTIVAL RETURNS

There’s less than month to go until the start of the Isle of Wight Spring Walking Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024. The multi-award winning Isle of Wight Spring Walking Festival is a fantastic opportunity to get and explore the UK’s largest Island, and one of only 7 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in the country. With over 70 walks available, the Spring Walking Festival, organised by Visit Isle of Wight, takes place between 11-19 May, and has seen many already fully booked. Many of the walks are led by volunteers, keen to share their passion – be it the flora and fauna, the beautiful views that can be enjoyed at every turn on the Isle of Wight, while some walks reflect a special interest. One such example is the daily ‘Walk Through The Heavens’ at Ventnor, where walk leader Stokey Woodall brings participants on a journey through the solar system, and walkers become part of the story in this interactive trek that is less than 2km, but represents a trip through space that covers 3 666 000 000 miles! Working to help the environment is a theme that continues to grow, with a litter pick walk in Sandown over a distance of 2.5 miles,  from Sandown Train Station and through Los Altos Park and on to Sandown Esplanade. Meanwhile, visitors are being given the chance to head to the coast at St Helens and join Project Seagrass, supporting the work of the Seagrass Ocean Rescue Project by helping to harvest the plant fragments, and assist in the ongoing recovery of seagrass meadows off the coast of the Island, helping to provide a rich environment for marine life and providing huge capacity for carbon capture. The cultural side of the Isle of Wight is reflected with walks ‘For the love of theatre’ in Bembridge and Shanklin, while the 175^th anniversary of Charles Dickens visit to the Isle of Wight is commemorated with a paid walk opportunity in Bonchurch. For those who enjoy a long walk, we’re being invited to join the Chairman of the Isle of Wight Ramblers in a special 25^th anniversary walk especially for the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, covering 25km on the south coast of the Island. For a full list of walks, visit the Isle of Wight Walking Festival at https://isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk/.