Winter is a time when we can easily become jaded and faded, when the stresses of the festive season sometimes trouble our bodies and minds. Escape to Guernsey this winter, a mere 45 minute flight from London and other UK airports (10 in total) and experience Guernsey’s love affair with Mother Nature.

Consider these four very different walks guaranteed to shift all manner of cobwebs:

Walk 1 – The rural interior
Amble through the quiet, picturesque lanes of inland St Peter’s and St Andrew’s (the only parish in Guernsey that doesn’t touch the sea), through woodlands and patchwork fields. The interior of Guernsey is a delight with priority given to walkers, cyclists and horse-riders on the pretty Ruettes Tranquilles where cars are restricted to 15 mph – it feels like a completely different world.

Walk 2 – Coastal footpath
Stroll along the north and west coastal paths of the island for fabulous views of sweeping sandy bays and wide pearly sand beaches. A gentle, easy walk with plenty of drama without the physical effort required of the steeper cliff paths of the south.

Walk 3 – Lihou Island
Walk across the sea! Lihou Island – the Channel Island’s most westerly point – is separated from Guernsey at high tide (just a 2 hour window when the tide is right). A cobbled causeway literally appears before your eyes, like Guernsey’s very own Yellow Brick Road. Explore the ruins of a priory established by 12th century Benedictine monks or don some binoculars; the island is an important RAMSAR conservation area with abundant bird and marine life.

Walk 4 – Cliff path walk
The cliff paths of the south coast offer more of a challenge for walkers. With panoramic views of the cliffs over to the neighbouring islands of Herm, Sark, Brecquou and Jethou, this is the landscape that so inspired Renoir and where he found his ‘shimmering light’ and painted 15 canvasses of Moulin Huet bay.

Whichever walk you choose there is always a country pub offering hearty local dishes, such as the bean jar, or a traditional tea room serving the fruit loaf gâche (in winter, best served toasted so that the delicious Guernsey butter simply oozes from it).