“If it wasn’t for Walking Ibiza we would not have returned to Ibiza but would have looked elsewhere for our next holiday!”
– Lyle and Wendy from Canada, two of our keenest walkers!

Tell me a little about yourselves, where you come from, occupation, your connection with Ibiza etc.
We come from the small Village of Plunkett, population about 60, in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Wendy worked as a Medical Office Assistant in a rural hospital and Lyle for a uranium mining company. We are both now happily retired!
We connected with the Island of Ibiza while reading an article in a magazine. It talked about how during the Vietnam War, persons took refuge on the island to avoid being drafted and referred to the hippies who had migrated there and never left. Because it was an island in the Mediterranean it sparked our curiosity as it was an unusual destination and very different from our part of the world where the climate on Ibiza is just beginning to warm up nicely in April, we return home to Canada to
deep snow drifts, snow ploughs and temperatures of minus 20C! What a contrast!

What a great story. After that, how did you find out about Walking Ibiza and do you remember the very first walk you came on?
On the last day of our first visit to the island in 2016 we met a walking group who told us about ‘Walking Ibiza’. When we returned to Canada we googled them and requested to be added to their distribution mailing list, so we would receive the weekly newsletter. We were amazed at the variety of walks and knew we would return to participate in the walks which we did. In fact, if it wasn’t for Walking Ibiza we would not have returned to Ibiza but would have looked elsewhere for our next holiday! Our first walk was from Cala Bassa to Cala Compte.

What three things would you tell someone new about the walks and Walking Ibiza to encourage them to join a walk?
The first one is the diversity of people that you meet on the walks from all over the world. Also all the information that you receive from the guides about the history and flora of the island you are not likely to discover on your own. And the last one is hiking the interior and coastline to places you would never find on your own.

You’ve been on many walks and listened to the guides talking about the history and facts about the island. Tell me 2 things that you have remembered that have captured your imagination.
How Walking Ibiza was formed from an idea after Toby walked around the entire coastline of Ibiza in 2000 with just 1 euro and his dog Cosmo and the fascinating history of the pirate towers.

What is it that you like best about the walks and what is it that makes you get up in the mornings and keeps you coming back?
We love learning about the history of the island, the herbs that grow there naturally and the variety of the terrain on each individual walk. Always looking forward to meeting new people and connecting with ones we have already met.

Do you have a favourite walk and if so which one is it and why?
It’s really hard to select any one. Every walk has offered something spectacular but Wendy’s favorite walk is from Cala Gracio to Punta Galera where the rocky peninsular formation extends out from the island. It’s only when you get right up to it that you see it’s not as narrow and treacherous as it appears from a distance and you can actually walk right up to the top which we do! The variation in the terrain, the pretty beach and the restaurant where weddings take place make it a magic walk.… Lyle’s favorite is Heaven’s Gate for the stunning view from the top.

Would you know the island as well as you do now if you hadn’t joined Walking Ibiza? Has it enhanced your knowledge of the island and helped you discover new places that you didn’t know before? What are your two most memorable places?
We would definitely not know the island as we do now if we had not gone on the walks. It’s the walks that bring us back to the island. They are a great way to tour and discover the island at a reasonable cost. It is not only good for the mind but great for the body! Our two most memorable places are the Crystal Coast Walk & Cala Xarraca with the ancientbee hives and the monument in memory of the forest fire from 2012.

Ibiza, 05/09/2018
by Sheila Falconer