The Walk the Wight event has grown year on year – even with less-than-idea weather last year, over 5,000 turned out – and this year it’s coming around on Sunday 18th May.
Depending on the level of your physical fitness, there’s many different walks …
- Bembridge to Alum Bay (approx 26.5 miles)
- Bembridge to Carisbrooke (approx 12.5 miles)
- Carisbrooke to the Needles at Alum Bay (approx 14 miles)
- *New this year*: The Flat Walk
Southern Vectis are supporting the event by providing free bus travel both to the start point at Bembridge early on the Sunday morning and a Walk the Wight bus service which will operate from the Needles Park to Newport Bus Station during the afternoon.
The Flat Walk
Running at only eight miles and, not surprisingly, on flat land, the Flat Walk will run between Sandown High School, finishing at Thompsons Shide Trees outside Newport, mainly along cycle tracks.
For those who find the full walk a struggle, there’s chances to start from Lower Knighton, Horringford and Blackwater.
Again Southern Vectis are laying on free buses from the end to the start.
Raise money for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice
As well as giving you a jolly good walk, the event is designed to raise sponsorship for Earl Mountbatten Hospice who provide an excellent service of taking care of people during difficult times – in fact, they are the only hospice on the Island, so most worthy of support.
Providing this level of care and attention is an expensive business, with the costs currently at £7,000 per day, so clearly getting money raised is a top priority.
Small groups of people organise themselves into teams so as to maximise the amount of sponsorship that they can raise.
We were speaking to fund-raising team today, when they told us that they’d had a call this morning from someone wanting to arrange a group of people who had had knee surgery (!) to take part in the flat walk.
The Walk is great fun and if you only do one bit of exercise this year, make sure it’s Walk the Wight.
Registration can either be via the Walk the Wight site, or they tell us that’s they’d be happy to send out forms if you call them on 52 8989 (but remember doing it online will save them the stamp, and not use paper).
