Visit Isle of Wight is thanking the local volunteer walk leaders for the success of this year’s Isle of Wight Walking Festivals which celebrated 25 years in 2024.
These events in Spring and Autumn saw over 200 walks, taking in hundreds of miles of the Isle of Wight’s coastline and countryside.
This year, the multi-award winning Isle of Wight Walking Festival celebrated 25 years of welcoming people to the Island to enjoy the natural environment of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, take part in a themed walk learning about the history, geography, flora and fauna, or to meet with like-minded people and take in the beauty of the Island.
More than 2600 walkers took part in the 2024 Walking Festival, a leap of over 500 from 2023, with a huge increase in walkers from the mainland and overseas heading to the Isle of Wight, making up 71% of those taking part, with 60% staying 5 or more nights, generating an estimated economic impact of £1million for the Island’s economy and raising nearly £1000 for the walk leader’s charities.
Special anniversary walks included a walk from the Isle of Wight Ramblers to unveil a special Isle of Wight Walking Festival accessibility gate whilst the RNLI continued their celebration of 200 years of the founding of this life-saving charity in 2024 with ‘Joey’s Walk’, recreating an epic trek undertaken in 1888 from Bembridge to Atherfield Ledge where local crews were saving lives of those on board a ship that was wrecked there. A popular series of themed walks to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the author Charles Dickens on the Island were also held.
Dates for the Isle of Wight Walking Festivals in 2025 have now been released. The Spring Isle of Wight Walking Festival is 10-18 May and the Autumn Walking Festival takes place 04-12 October.