An informative walk to The Wetland Centre
This is a somewhat longer walk of around 2 hours that takes you to the new wildlife interpretation centre created in the midst of Jersey’s ‘National Park’ in St Ouen’s Bay. As well as offering a place to view the wildlife on St Ouen’s Pond, it has dedicated touch screens that explain the flora and fauna of the bay.
This walk is wholly off-road, being mostly on St Ouen’s beach.
PLEASE BEWARE OF THE TIDES -
We are said to have the third-largest tides in the world, so please check a tide table before exploring the coastline!
Click here to check the latest Jersey tide times
Mileage: 2.6 miles / 4.2 kilometres to get there
Time: 2 hours
Elevation range: 180 feet / 55 metres
Bus Route: 12 (to St Helier) or 22 (to St Helier) will take you back to the hotel.
Depending on the route that you take, you can expect a mixture of tarmac, cliff path and beach.
Walking Directions
Leave the hotel, and make your way to the main road, Le Mont de la Pulente. Cross over into Parcq de L’Oeilliere and turn right (the road has ‘No Entry’ marked on it). Follow the road through the estate and take the second right.
Walk on beyond the tarmac, soon we are on the headland that separates Petit Port from St Ouen’s Bay and a great panoramic view of the other islands can be seen to your right. Follow the track ahead, the Neolithic dolmen of La Sergenté can be found on the high ground over to the left.
Walking Directions continued...
Return to the main track again and continue on towards the headland. Upon reaching a ‘crossroads’, with paths ahead and to each side, turn right and descend through a wooden barrier towards the broad sandy sweep of St Ouen’s Bay. Look out for a tree about three-quarters of the way down! When the steps reach a gravel path, cross over and follow a narrow path that runs below the road.
Some way along the path, go down the granite steps on the left. When these emerge onto tarmac, turn left and make your way towards the beach. Walk down the slipway onto the beach and turn right to walk towards the far end of the bay (we don’t actually go that far!). The most noticeable feature in the bay is the Jersey Round Tower.
Walking Directions continued...
Walk on towards a granite outcrop ahead, with a Second World War bunker to the right of it. Most of the sea wall in St Ouen’s Bay was constructed as an anti-tank wall during the German Occupation of the islands. The flat sandy beach at St Ouen is ideal as a landing point for invading forces, hence the number of fortifications along its length. The Second World War bunker ahead of us is a good example of such a fortification.
Walking Directions continued...
Continue along the beach for some distance, and aim for the steps at the end of the promenade on the right. The lookout tower of the RNLI lifeguards stands above it.
Climb the steps and walk on along the beachside promenade. After a short distance and before you reach the Watersplash Beach Bar and Diner, look to your right.
Walking Directions continued...
A short distance further, we can see a lone white building ahead. This was the site of the earliest defence ever built to safeguard the bay.
Walking Directions continued...
At the end of the concrete promenade, bear right to make your way around another German defence and almost immediately turn right towards the road. At the roadside, turn left and walk along the narrow gravel path for a few yards; the Wetland Centre is just across the road. The Centre is an exceptionally good interpretation facility for the numerous and varied wildlife species in the bay.
To return to the hotel, you can either retrace your walking route or use one of the following:
Bus Route:
22 (to St Helier)
There is a stop on the same side of the road as the Wetlands Centre to the left of the entrance, ask for The Atlantic Hotel. See times for the buses under Jersey Pearl Click here for the full timetable.
Taxi:
Domino Cabs are based in St Brelade - Telephone: +44 (0) 1534 747047