Isle of Wight Walking Festival
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Wight Walking Festival is a walking festival
which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight
, around May spanning two weeks. The event has been running for eleven years, the latest of which finished in May 2009. The 2009 event featured over 300 walks and over 24,500 people taking part, making it the largest currently to date, and the festival as a whole the largest walking festival in the UK. The event finishes with 'Walk the Wight', the largest walk from Bembridge
to The Needles
(One side of the island to the other). For the past six years the event has been sponsored by Ordnance Survey
as part of a contract which ended with the 2009 event. As it has not been renewed a search for a new sponsor has started.
in the east, travelling via Carisbrooke to The Needles
in the western tip of the island. Walk the Wight has been running for 19 years in aid of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and is now the biggest sponsored walk in the South of England. The walk is set into three sections with varying distances for walkers to choose from depending on their ability.
The 'Walk the Wight' event was first started in Spring 1991, when two members of staff from a company on the Island (Morey's which now sponsors the event) called Frank Stevens and Bill Bradley who enjoyed early morning walks arranged for a few friends and family members to walk from one side of the Island to the other. The principal aim of the walk was to encourage other like-minded people to appreciate the scenery of the Island. This developed into the idea that walkers could be sponsored to raise money for charity. It started off raising money for the Island's own MRI scanner as an appeal had been launched. It then raised money both for a new CTI scanner and the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. Once the scanner appeal was complete and because of the large amount of help and support given by staff and friends, it was decided to support the Earl Mountbatten Hospice which it continues to do today.
As the years passed, the numbers of people taking part in the walk increased from about 25 in 1991 to around 12,000 now. As the event grew it became clear the event had to be managed by a larger group, so a committee was formed from within the hospice. Other companies have later come on to support the event such as Red Funnel
and Southern Vectis
who now provide free travel for walkers.
In 2008 a new 'Flat Walk the Wight' was introduced running along the island's cycle network, aimed at those unable to manage the steep hills the traditional walk involves such as those in wheelchairs or with small children. The walk starts from Sandown High School
, finishing at Shide
.
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, around May spanning two weeks. The event has been running for eleven years, the latest of which finished in May 2009. The 2009 event featured over 300 walks and over 24,500 people taking part, making it the largest currently to date, and the festival as a whole the largest walking festival in the UK. The event finishes with 'Walk the Wight', the largest walk from Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
to The Needles
The Needles
The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation...
(One side of the island to the other). For the past six years the event has been sponsored by Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
as part of a contract which ended with the 2009 event. As it has not been renewed a search for a new sponsor has started.
Walk the Wight
Walk the Wight is the largest walk of the festival, and is always the last to occur. The walk covers ground across the island, from BembridgeBembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
in the east, travelling via Carisbrooke to The Needles
The Needles
The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, England, close to Alum Bay. The Needles lighthouse stands at the end of the formation...
in the western tip of the island. Walk the Wight has been running for 19 years in aid of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and is now the biggest sponsored walk in the South of England. The walk is set into three sections with varying distances for walkers to choose from depending on their ability.
- 26.5 miles - Bembridge to The Needles Park (7 – 10 hours)
- 12.5 miles - Bembridge to Carisbrooke (3 – 5 hours)
- 14 miles - Carisbrooke to The Needles Park (4 – 7 hours)
The 'Walk the Wight' event was first started in Spring 1991, when two members of staff from a company on the Island (Morey's which now sponsors the event) called Frank Stevens and Bill Bradley who enjoyed early morning walks arranged for a few friends and family members to walk from one side of the Island to the other. The principal aim of the walk was to encourage other like-minded people to appreciate the scenery of the Island. This developed into the idea that walkers could be sponsored to raise money for charity. It started off raising money for the Island's own MRI scanner as an appeal had been launched. It then raised money both for a new CTI scanner and the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. Once the scanner appeal was complete and because of the large amount of help and support given by staff and friends, it was decided to support the Earl Mountbatten Hospice which it continues to do today.
As the years passed, the numbers of people taking part in the walk increased from about 25 in 1991 to around 12,000 now. As the event grew it became clear the event had to be managed by a larger group, so a committee was formed from within the hospice. Other companies have later come on to support the event such as Red Funnel
Red Funnel
The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...
and Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
who now provide free travel for walkers.
In 2008 a new 'Flat Walk the Wight' was introduced running along the island's cycle network, aimed at those unable to manage the steep hills the traditional walk involves such as those in wheelchairs or with small children. The walk starts from Sandown High School
Sandown High School
Sandown Bay Academy is a academy status secondary school, including sixth form, located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England, previously Sandown High School.-History:...
, finishing at Shide
Shide, Isle of Wight
Shide is a small settlement on the Isle of Wight, some of which is considered to be in the Newport conurbation. Shide Hill House which is the white house near the top of St. George's Lane was the retirement home of Professor John Milne , inventor of the horizontal pendulum seismograph after he...
.
Notable Walks
- Walk the Wight
- Flat Walk the Wight
- Fire walk
- Ghost walks
- Speed dating walks
- Dinosaur walks