Guernsey Walker
Walk R1. St Peter Port to Fermain and back
Time: 1 hr. 45 mins.
A map of the walk can be found here.
This walk does not venture far from St Peter Port (called by the locals "Town") but offers some pleasant walking, excellent views, and a number of items of historical interest. It's a popular walk, and well worth doing.
If you are using a car, there are problems in finding longer period parking in Town during week days. If so you may prefer to do this walk on a Saturday or Sunday. Alternatively take a bus to Town or park at Foote's Lane and take the "park and ride". Or there is a viewpoint over the harbour near Belvedere House where a limited number of cars may be parked.
Set out by passing Havelet Bay on your left, at which point you have a choice of routes for the first part of the walk.
For the lower route, continue along the road past the "Half Moon Restaurant". You will soon pass the bathing pools at La Vallette. In season there is a refreshment kiosk and toilets at the main pool. In my youth these pools were a very popular summer venue for swimmers, and for competitive water galas, but are much less used since the heated pool became available at Beau Sejour Leisure Centre. On the right you will pass La Vallette Underground Military Museum and the Guernsey Aquarium.
At the end of the road take the steps that lead up from the left of the Aquarium. You will arrive at Clarence Battery, known locally as the "Cow's Horn". This is worth a few minutes of your time. You will find information boards placed in strategic places, and get views back to the Town, St Peter Port Harbour, and Castle Cornet. Take care if you have young children, since there are steep drops on three sides.
For the upper route, start from Havelet Bay up Le Val de Terres road. Before the first bend continue straight along the cliff path (signed "cliff path" on a granite block). Climb up pleasantly through trees to reach the east gate of the old Fort George (Inscribed: V R. Escarp & Postern erected 1845). Do not go through, but continue on the path, passing immediately in front of the light-house that forms one of the leading lights for St Peter Port (without craning your neck you will probably only see the white patches on the wall in front of the light). Continue along the path to join the lower route at the Cow's Horn.
If you parked at Belvedere, go a few paces to the right (south-east) from the car park, then down the steps, through the arch and turn right to find yourself joining the upper route to the Cow's Horn by the lighthouse. (You have just passed through the east gate).
All routes now take the left fork of the path leaving the Cow's Horn, following one of the old walls of the Fort. You soon pass the top of the path that used to lead to Soldiers' Bay. Take note of the danger notice and the fact that the path is wired off. Rock falls have made this path dangerous and unusable.
Fort George was garrisoned by the British Army until the early twentieth century (there is more information about this on a board at the Cow's Horn). Round about the turn of the nineteenth century, one of the soldiers courted and eventually married my local grandmother. When I walk this way I like to think of them strolling around here, and maybe visiting Soldiers Bay (though have no way of knowing if they actually did).
Continue along the path to reach a road. Turn left along the road and you are on the so-called "lower lines" of the Fort ("La Corniche" in Perry's). You can see Soldiers Bay behind and below, and good views to the other islands and Castle Cornet. In the 1960's and 1970's an enterprising local builder developed the land area of Fort George by building a quantity of "open market" houses. Open market houses can be bought by non-locals (as opposed to "local market" which can only be bought by locals) and command correspondingly high prices. You now pass in front of some of these. After the last house (named "Magazine" for I suppose obvious reasons) you get back on the path (signed on a granite block: cliff path to Fermain).
You follow another wall (still part of the old fort) then after half a dozen steps up and a few down, you reach "Bluebell Wood". As the name suggests, at the right time of the spring this will be a carpet of bluebells. Turn left downhill along a wire fence. The path bends to the right, then take the left branch to continue initially downhill. The path bends around to traverse along the cliff through trees. After 100 metres or so the Ozanne Steps zigzag down the cliff to your left, but rather disappointingly only reach a rocky platform mainly used now by anglers.
Carry on along the main path, which rises a little to reach a four way junction signed by granite blocks. You can make an optional detour via "The Moorings" (a boat landing, now little used) by turning left, or you can turn sharp right on a path that eventually reaches Fort Road (bus routes 5, 5A, 6, 6A, 7 and 7A).
We are going to go straight up the steps and then turn left to find ourselves looking down over Fermain Bay. A little further on a path comes up from the left, which is the detour from The Moorings. At the junction after this, turn back sharp left down the winding steps, and again at the next junction just carry on down the steps to reach Fermain Bay (55 mins).
Fermain is quite a popular bathing beach, though a bit pebbly except at low tide. The facilities include refreshments, a cafe/restaurant, and toilets (open in season).
Start up the road, then after about 75 metres turn sharp back right up a roughly metalled path. (If you continued up the road you would reach Fort Road and the bus routes). You will meet your outward path. Ignore the steps on the left signposted "main road". After a short flight of steps on the main path bending round to the left, go straight on (signed: Fermain Road). Pass a house on your left and continue around to the right to reach a road (Becquet Road).
From here you can make an optional detour to the "Pepper Pot" by turning right down the road and then bearing half right along a level path which passes behind the garage of the large house. The Pepper Pot was probably built originally as a coastal defence look-out, but nowadays is maintained mainly as a minor landmark.
Otherwise turn left up the road. After a dip in the road it turns sharp left and soon reaches Fort Road. Turn right along the path which runs parallel to the road across a grassy strip. Soon after passing the radio masts you come to the road which runs above Le Val des Terres road and enters the main west gate of the old fort. Turn right along this road, but just before you reach the fort gate turn left down a rather faint path running downhill near the right edge of the field and quite near the wall. When you reach the trees go half right to enter the woodland on a now more pronounced path. After 25 metres or so do not turn right up the steps that lead through the wall. Bear left down a now much better path with Le Val des Terres winding down below on your left and a wide ditch at right beyond which is the wall.
The path turns sharp right at the north-east corner of the wall, and you soon find yourself back at the east gate. (1 hr. 40 mins.). Turn left to rejoin your outward route (or if you parked at Belvedere turn right through the gate).
A winter panorama over St Peter Port Harbour can be accessed from this link.
(Revised August 2009)