The Victor Hugo Trails – A celebration of Guernsey, Victor Hugo’s Island of Inspiration

The Victor Hugo Trails have been launched by the Victor Hugo Centre to allow
people to learn more about Hugo and his time in Guernsey.

The two linked trails, sponsored by Moore Stephens, span 8km from the Guernsey
Information Centre to Fermain Bay, via La Vallette.

Islanders and tourists are now able to walk in Hugo’s footsteps, following the route around some of his favourite places, now marked by information boards with QR-linked audio files.

The Victor Hugo Trails are about Hugo and Guernsey, his “island of inspiration”. Like the Centre, the aim of the Victor Hugo Trails is to entertain, inform and inspire, and will be available in French and English.

We hope that the Victor Hugo Trails will introduce Hugo to a new audience in
addition to making his many fans think about his work in a new way.

Victor Hugo wrote some of his most famous works while in Guernsey (1855-1870)
including Les Misérables and Toilers of the Sea, which came during a period of
change and prosperity for the island.

Trail stops include Elizabeth College, Victoria Tower, the Commercial Arcade and
the Market buildings, all newly built during Hugo’s exile.

Hugo was deeply engaged with the political and philosophical changes of his time.
He championed social justice and freedom, ideas still under threat today. In
Guernsey, he found absolute freedom of thought, speech and expression, and now
others can see the island through his eyes.

The project has involved support from both local individuals and organisations with familiar local voices featuring on the audio recordings.

Laura Harrison, Victor Hugo Centre’s Operations Manager said: ‘The trails have
been a team effort. We’re grateful to Moore Stephens and Visit Guernsey for their
support and to the many people who have helped bring this to life from James
Colmer for his artwork to the 16 people who have recorded audio for us. We’ve built
on the work of others including Dr Gregory Stevens Cox, Professor Florence
Naugrette of the Sorbonne, and Dinah Bott, Chair of the Victor Hugo in Guernsey
Society.'

More information at https://vhc.gg/trails