About the Walk

The Itex Around The Island Walk is one of the largest fund rasing events in Jersey. Now in it’s 19th year, the walk has raised over £1,416,578 for local charities and a massive 13,000 walkers have clocked up almost 480,000 miles.

The walk starts at 3am from the Elizabeth Terminal at the Harbour, and hugs the entire coastline of Jersey - a total of 48.1 miles.

In 2009 1308 walkers started from Elizabeth terminal at 3am and a record breaking 779 finished the full 48.1 miles.

A new dimension to the Around the Island Walk in 2007 was the Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge.  This was an opportunity to join His Excellency, the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, Lt. Gen. Andrew Ridgway on a personal challenge to walk around the island in consecutive stages over four years.  Each stage of the Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge is walked in parallel with those walkers attempting the full distance in one go.  The first stage in 2007 started at 0300 from the Elizabeth Ferry Terminal and stopped at the breakfast checkpoint at St Catherine’s, a total of 10.6 miles; over 150 walkers joined the Lieutenant Governor in this new venture, helping boost the funds for local charities. In 2008 the second stage started at 06:00 at St Catherine’s checkpoint and finished at Haute Tombette.  This year the third stage will start at Haute Tombette and finish at Le Braye checkpoint, a distance of 11.1 miles.

The History

The date was Saturday 22 June 1991, the time midnight, the place Rozel Pub Car Park, the fifteen poor souls were:

• Paul Owen
• David Wheeler
• Karen Coster
• Peter Hinds
• Norman Hinds
• Bruce Willis
• Andrew Broadhurst
• Marc Botha
• Andrew Coulter
• Steven Chatfield
• Lisa Le Marquand
• Jennifer Marshal
• Frank Bouchard
• Lorraine Mogford and her boyfriend

In those days the route followed a clockwise direction and ended up back at the Rozel Pub for a pint! Refreshments were provided along the route by Itex staff in a van with a primus stove to make the famous bacon butties at the Gunsite, St Aubin and big containers of water and plenty of plastic cups! No Checkpoints in those days!

1992 saw 30 Walkers take part using the same route as before but in 1993 the numbers swelled to 70 Walkers so the start and finish took place at our offices which were then located on the Esplanade. It was in 1993 that the Checkpoints were introduced, gone were the days when our staff could continue to follow the Walkers around the Island in their van! Eventually in 1996 with 345 Walkers taking part it was decided to move the start to the Elizabeth Ferry Terminal and the finish to on top of the Waterfront Car Park where we start and finish our Walks to this day.

Throughout the last 18 years about 50% of the Walkers finish the whole 48.1 miles and amazingly their ages have ranged from 7 to 74 years. It just goes to show that this event is truly a family affair! First person home usually comes in at about 11.30 with the last at about midnight.

Our Walk is not about finishing all 48.1 miles! It's about each individual reaching their own goal and enjoying the local scenery as they walk long the coast of their Island. Each Walker stops when they reach a Checkpoint and feel that their own goal has also been reached.

Although the vast majority of our Walkers are local we have registered people from as far away as Australia, USA, Canada, Europe and even some from our sister Island, Guernsey!

Over the last 19 years we have supported well over 100 local charities with 11,700 Walkers taking part and have managed to raise a total of £1,416,578!

As the Walk has grown year by year we knew that unless we got some help in organising the event we would not be able to continue. So, in 2001 as luck would have it, those very nice people from Rotary de la Manche came to our rescue. Rotary de la Manche share the organisational roles every year and have brought with them enthusiasm and dedication for which we are eternally grateful.