This short walk is designed to connect people with local wildlife. We walk through areas managed and surveyed by the National Trust for Jersey, Jersey Heritage, Jersey Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, the Société Jersiaise Bird Section and local farmers, who all work as partners for wildlife conservation. It’s a moderate walk, about 1.6 miles long that takes 45 minutes, but allow over an hour to appreciate it fully. Enjoy!

Start at La Crete (quarry) car park, click here.

From here, turn left and follow the pavement and narrow footpath taking in the sea views across to Archirondel and St Catherine. On the rocks below, look for little egret roosting, or oystercatcher and herring gull, depending on the time of year. 

The footpath opens up into a wildflower meadow, with bird’s foot trefoil, hairy tare, red clover, meadow brown butterflies. In the summer, house martin and swallow enjoy this open area.

As the meadow ends cross over the road onto Rue des Puchots. It is a steep climb. Can you find the old bath, different types of ferns and the woodpecker holes in the dead tree trunks? Listen for a buzzard ‘mewing’ overhead. 

Don’t forget to stop, and turnaround, because the view is magnificent. A photo opportunity perhaps? Near the top of the hill there’s a pond hidden under the trees. You’ll smell the eucalyptus trees, before you see them.

At the top of the hill, turn left into Rue de Guilleaume et d’Anneville. In the spring the banques are full of pink red campion and herb robert, purple sweet violets and the delicate blossom of the black thorn. By mid-summer you may find hummingbird hawk moths drawn to the warmth of the purplish rhyolite stone wall.

Continue past the architects office on your right, and you will soon reach the junction of Rue des Marettes. Take a sharp right and there is the information board and track to Faldouet Dolmen which is well worth a visit. From this historic site, savor the views across to France, try and imagine the wild and forested landscape of Neolithic times when Jersey and France were connected.

When you are ready to leave this peaceful place, turn left and then a quick right. Follow the lane for about 50 metres, you will return to Rue de Guilleaume et d’Anneville, turn left and then right down Les Charrieres d’Anneport.  

Both sides of this hill have much to offer. Listen to the birds singing, count butterflies and enjoy the rainbow colours of the seasonal wildflowers. Red squirrels relish the pines and there’s a pink-flowered strawberry creeping along the road as you approach the bottom of the hill. 

At the foot of the hill is the main road, ahead is Jeffrey’s Leap and to the left is the picturesque cove known as Anneport. Carefully cross the road and head down the hill to sea level. Here, in the winter you may find a few overwintering brent geese sheltering from the prevailing south westerly. At high tide, on the slipway, as the tide rises and falls listen to the rattling sound of the pink-hued pebbles as they are rolled back and forth by the lapping waves. It is a popular site for sea swimming all year round!

On the uphill return is a small woodland where ivy broomrape grows in summertime. It is an unusual parasitic plant.

Before you leave, do glance up at the cliff face… a kestrel or buzzard maybe sitting there silently watching you.

Neil and Alli from Birding Tours Jersey offer bird-watching for small groups as well as Wildlife and Wellness Walks on a monthly basis through the year. At certain times of year, they offer Dawn Chorus for people to enjoy the ‘magical orchestra of birdsong at daybreak’ and Puffin Watch events to raise awareness of the local specimens.

You can also meet them during Walk in the Park, the Jersey National Parks walking month, happening this May.