Isle of Wight Season Gets Underway

Posted by Mari Nicholson Apr 30, 2007

In the woods and forests near my home, the ground is a deep, deep blue, a result of the exceptional weather which has caused bluebells to carpet the ground in numbers never before seen. This has brought walkers and cyclists out in their hundreds to enoy the sight. Everyone is hoping that th bluebells will last for one more week, for next week-end sees the start of the Annual Walk the Wight and the UK'S largest Walking Festival which runs from 5th – 20th May.

There are walks to suit all ages and levels of fitness. The main Walk the Wight takes place on one day and is composed of 3 walks, the longest being 25.6 miles, the purpose of which is to raise money to help the local Lord Louis Mountbatten Hospice.

It's hardly surprising that the UK's largest walking festival takes place on the Isle of Wight, as the island, home to artists and writers for centuries, contains over 500 miles of well-maintained and signposted footpaths, and around 30 miles of Heritage Coastline. More than half the island is recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Add to this, excellent accommodation from budget to 5*, the fact that the Island is known to have the best weather in the UK, and it is easy to see why walking is so popular here.

A new and successful event last year was the Speed Dating Walk which is being repeated this year. The afternoon was the beginning of something new for at least one couple who met on the walk, fell in love and got married eleven months later. Another couple who met on the walk have since formed a long standing relationship.

Even if most only went on it for amusement value, the fun side of the event kicked in that evening when everyone met up in a pub for a "debriefing”. In addition this year there will be a Walk my Pooch event and a Singles Weekend.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing will be the Chinese Walking Carnival which leads off the parade from Wellington Road in Carisbrooke at 11 a.m. and walks through the streets to St. Thomas’s street in Newport Town Centre for a feast of entertainment. This is to herald the countdown to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is to encourage young and old to adopt a healthier lifestyle by taking up walking. Over 200 children and adults from schools and communities will walk, wearing beautiful handmade costumes, and carrying banners, kites, lanterns and flags.

The start of Walk the Wight could almost be considered the opening of the Island’s tourist season. Next up is the Isle of Wight Music Festival where Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones are due to appear, then the Jazz Festival, and then that yachtfest of yachtfests, Cowes International Regatta. Then the Marinas are filled with the yachts of billionaires crewed by millionaires, the promenades are covered with dazzling white marquees sporting the names of famous champagne houses, and the only blue around is not bluebells, but nautical blue blazers and the odd spot of blue blood