Popular Isle of Wight Spring Walking Festival back next month

The festival is a fantastic opportunity to explore the UK’s largest Island — one of only seven UNESCO biosphere reserves in the country.

With over 70 walks available, the Spring Walking Festival — organised by Visit Isle of Wight — takes place between May 11-19, with many of the walks already fully booked.

Many of the walks are led by volunteers, keen to share their passion for the Isle of Wight — be it the flora and fauna, the beautiful views, or for special historic or cultural interest.

How to get information about all the festival walks

For a full list of walks, please go to the Isle of Wight Walking Festival website

One such example is the daily ‘Walk Through The Heavens’ at Ventnor, where walk leader, Stokey Woodall, brings walkers on a journey through the solar system, to become part of the story, in this interactive 2km trek which represents a trip through space covering 3.66 billion miles.

Working to help the environment is a theme that continues to grow, with a 2.5-mile litter pick walk in Sandown,  from the train station and through Los Altos Park and to the seafront.

Alternatively, visitors can head to the St Helens coast and join Project Seagrass, which supports the work of the Seagrass Ocean Rescue — helping to harvest the plant fragments and assist in the ongoing recovery of seagrass meadows off the Isle of Wight coast, to provide a rich environment for marine life, with huge capacity for reducing CO2 emissions.

The cultural side of the Isle of Wight is reflected with walks such as ‘For the Love of Theatre’, in Bembridge and Shanklin, while the 175th anniversary of Charles Dickens's visit to the Isle of Wight is marked with a walk in Bonchurch.

For those who enjoy a long walk, join the chairman of the Isle of Wight Ramblers in a special 25th anniversary walk, established especially for the Isle of Wight Walking Festival — covering 25km of the Island's south coast.