< Candie Gardens>

Candie Gardens

Walk R20.   St Peter Port to Belle Greve Bay and back

Time:  1 hr. 40 mins.

A map of the walk can be found here.

This walk is very much a Town walk, and can also encounter a good deal of traffic along some of the way. However I'm including it for completeness, in order to join up the circuit of the island with walk R1. Unlike all the other "round the island" walks, I'm doing the inland section first (unless you can park at "the Halfway") with the coastal section at the end. Apart from the parking issue, this is the better way around.

As with walk R1 parking can be difficult around St Peter Port on week-days. The best parking for this walk is in the North Beach car park. Otherwise you could get a bus into Town, or park at Foote's Lane and take the "park and ride". If you get off the bus at the Town terminus you will need to walk north along the esplanade until you reach the clock tower at "the Weighbridge". Or you may find room along Les Banques in the small car park at the Halfway, and start the walk from there (final paragraph below).

Leave the North Beach car park to the left of the public toilets, the liberation monument and the clock tower, crossing the road at the lights controlled crossing, then walking to the right of the White Hart. Go to the left of the taxi rank, past a post box and straight up the road ahead (Le Truchot). Keep straight on at a cross roads, then the road bends around to the right as it reaches St Julian's Avenue.

Turn left up the avenue, past a little garden where there is a memorial for the South African War, and cross the road at another lights controlled crossing. Start up the road opposite (Candie Road), which heads uphill to the right, and in a few paces go through the gates into the upper garden of Candie Gardens (note that these gates are locked each day at dusk). Optionally walk around the gardens. The upper garden is mainly trees and spring flowering shrubs, and is also the location of the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery (probably worth a visit in its own right rather than as part of this walk). The lower gardens are much more colourful with flowers, especially in spring and summer, but also contain some interesting trees and shrubs.

For the most direct route through the gardens, take the path on the right after the gates (signed "lower garden"). The museum building comes into view, with a statue of Victor Hugo across the grass on the left. Walk down the ramp on the right into the lower gardens, turn right and walk between the goldfish ponds and to the right of a little greenhouse, to exit through a wooden door in the wall (signed "Vauxlaurens"). (This door will probably be open, but if it is locked you will need to walk up though the gardens and exit through a gate above the Museum building, near a statue of Queen Victoria. Turn up the road, with the Priaulx Library on your right, then turn right again, still following the grounds of the library, and then immediately right again into Vauxlaurens. Walk gently downhill then, after a bend in the road, and then a straight stretch, keep left along some railings to find yourself at the top the steps mentioned in the next sentence.)

Assuming you are able to leave the gardens through the door in the wall, walk up the steps heading uphill on the right of the road, and then turn right at the T junction (Beauregard Lane). At the entrance to La Fregate Hotel and Restaurant keep left. The lane bends to the left, then keep straight on, ignoring a footpath going off right, to reach a viewpoint over St Peter Port Harbour, where there is an orientation table. Unfortunately trees growing on the land in front have in recent years obscured some of this view. You can get an improved view by walking a further 20 metres along into Les Cotils.

Leave the viewpoint up the hill heading inland (L'Hyvreuse), with Les Cotils Centre on your right, and Castle Carey (private residence) on your left. When the granite wall of the grounds of Les Cotils Centre curves around to the right, follow it right to find a tarmac path entering Cambridge Park. Follow this path past some public toilets, then continue past a refreshment kiosk (which may be closed). Beau Sejour Leisure Centre is straight ahead, where you can find more (and better) toilets and a café.

Continue along between the children's playground on your right and the flumes of the Leisure Centre on your left. Reach a road and follow this around with the Leisure Centre on your left. Pass what is signed as the "main" entrance (even though nearly everybody uses the entrance at the other side of the building!). Then if you wish you can go right onto a grassy area with views over the north of the island.

Follow along the right hand side of the car park, and when you reach the far end, head slightly left to exit the park at the gateway by a pedestrian crossing. Go across the crossing and turn right down the left hand of the two roads (Guelles Road). After a few paces you can move onto a signed pedestrian walkway. When you reach a road, at a cross roads, turn left with Amherst Primary School on your right (La Rue Maurepas).

At the bottom, follow the road around when it bends to the left along a high granite wall, to reach a T junction (Fosse Andre). Turn right, then after about 75 metres, at the bend, turn right into the narrow metalled lane (Signed "no vehicles or pedal cycles" - watch out for pedal cycles nonetheless!). After a few paces a little stream runs alongside the path.

At a road go straight over (watch out for traffic coming from the slightly blind right hand side), to continue along the stream. This path widens, then after about a further 100 metres turn right downhill (La Neuve Rue). Keep straight down, ignoring all turnings off left. Take care because this is quite a busy traffic lane (especially after a lane comes in at left) and, being one way, the traffic tends to come quickly along here and around the corners.

After some bends, reach a main road at a corner, and keep straight on (not left). After 100 metres or so turn left into La Vrangue. Pass Guernsey Post on your right and then the entrance to Cable and Wireless (Centenary House). The road runs slightly uphill. Ignore a fork off right, to walk gently downhill for about 100 metres where we turn left (Rue Thomas). Behind the houses on your left is the Guernsey College of Further Education. At the T junction at the bottom turn right (Pitronnerie Road). Turn left down a road running between 2e2 on your left and Target Auto Parts on your right, to enter the trading estate.

At the bottom of this road, at a T junction, turn right along the road with the line of mature trees. After 100 metres turn left onto a concrete road running on the left of a low granite wall and on the right of a parking area. Keep straight on when this becomes a partly grassy track running across some fields. A metal gate at the start of this track may be closed, but it can be seen that there is a pedestrian access. The unfortunate - and unusual - quantity of litter on this track indicates that others have passed this way, though I rarely meet anybody along it. The building which appears ahead is The Island Bowl.

Reach the metalled car park of the Bowl and turn right, passing to the right of the building. (1 hr. 5 mins). Turn right up a road (Victoria Avenue - Track Lane), soon passing Belgreve Wanderers Sports Club and the Karting track on your left.

Keep straight down until you reach the coast road, where you will find a pedestrian crossing at left, to cross to a footpath running along the grass at the top of the shore. Turn right. The grass soon ends, the path joins a cycleway and the two run alongside each other and the sea wall back to the car parking. (1 hr. 40 mins.)

A winter panorama over St Peter Port Harbour can be accessed from this link.

(Revised May 2011)