Walking, hiking or strolling: there will be options for everyone at the Isle of Wight Walking Festival which gets underway on October 8 and runs until October 16. It is organised by Visit Isle of Wight, encouraging people to explore the island in the autumn, when it can be less crowded and offers an array of views that highlight the autumnal colours of the landscape. At the event, there are varying levels of difficulty to choose from: a half-mile walk in a meadow to a 13-mile hike along the route of the Needles Half Marathon.

There are over 60 walks available with the majority free, or requesting a small donation to a charity that reflects the interests or passions of the walk leader. Numbers are limited on many walks, and booking via the Isle of Wight Walking Festival website is a must – nearly 50 per cent of the walks available are fully booked for autumn 2022 as of today, September 30. But there are still many great routes to choose from, the organisers told Falstaff.

Crossing the bar

The Isle of Wight’s New Carnival Company is hosting 16 walks, which are entitled “Crossing the Bar (XTB)”. They are part of a three-year arts and community programme, which links coastal walking with the heritage, environment, and landscapes of the local area. The XTB walks will start and finish at a coastal heritage site, ending with a community artwork or performance inspired by the heritage. Crossing the Bar will end in 2023/24, coinciding with the National Year of the Coast, and the opening of the new national trail – the England Coast Path.

“As the event grows in the post-pandemic recovery, we saw over 1500 people take part in over 50 different walks from volunteer walk leaders,” said Simon Clark of Visit Isle of Wight, talking of the autumn walk in 2021. Earlier this year, the Spring Walking Festival was hailed a success, with more than a thousand people taking part.