The festival uses qualified local guides in themed walks, with varying difficulty levels to uncover a wide variety of hidden stories of the island’s history and culture – from the Occupation to folklore and ghosts.
On Monday, Guernsey Seaweed’s last tour of the year was undertaken by local guides Dave Bartram, Bryan Pill and Nev Jehan as they led a group of more than a dozen people around a low-tide Port Soif, attracting people from near and far to learn about the countless uses of seaweed.
‘Finding things like these has unlocked the island for us,’ said first-time visitor Carol Wears, a keen mushroom forager.
She and partner Robert Hollands decided to take a chance on the island after a new direct link with their home in Newcastle opened up.
Before the seaweed tour they had already participated in various walks in the festival, such as the Secrets of L’Eree walk and a Lihou tour.
The couple said that Mr Bartram had been a guide on one of their first walks and that he had stayed in touch to invite them to others.
‘We’ve had a great time – we might come again for when this festival happens,’ she said.
The trio of guides all have expertise and unique connections to the topic.
‘I love the variety – talking cider one day, seaweed another. It can be clifftop walks and cream teas or town, castle, Candie Gardens and Victor Hugo.
‘They’re all different subjects and I’m meeting loads of different people,’ said Mr Bartram, a tour guide for the past five years.
Mr Jehan grew up seaweed foraging with his father and today leads tours at Castle Cornet, while Mr Pill is a keen amateur botanist.
The main attraction of the seaweed walk was the practical introduction to the fact that all seaweed is edible.
The guides picked out various types of vraic for the group to sample, from bladder wracks and kelp to sea lettuce.
As the group ate more, the different flavours and textures between them became apparent, compared to what at first most said had mainly tasted of salt.
The highlight was one of the most expensive seaweeds in the world – the surprisingly flavourful sea truffle.
Just a fragment of the seaweed provided a powerful kick to the tastebuds.
This culinary dimension to the tour had attracted the attention of the local Balthazar restaurant’s head chef Callum Pearson. He joined the tour looking to partner with Guernsey Seaweed to create a nutritious three-course tasting menu of seaweed for next year as a finale to its foraging tours.
‘It’s different and it’s a local thing,’ Mr Pearson said.
‘It’s free and it’s all here on our doorstep.’
The festival ends this Sunday. For more information, visit the Guernsey Spring and Autumn Walking Festivals Facebook page.
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