Don and Heather Evoy, front, walk with friends on the Westsong Walkway near Lime Bay. Don says the capital region could learn a few things from Germany about trail marking.

CREDIT: Ray Smith, Times Colonist

Greater Victoria can lay claim to being the nation's capital for walking but it could take some pointers from European countries.

So says one of the organizers of a three-day festival starting Friday that celebrates the mundane act of putting one foot in front of the other.

The capital city could build on its reputation by installing more directional signage along trails and walkways, said Don Evoy, a founder of the Victoria International Walking Festival.

More than 1,000 people from as far away as Japan, Germany and the Netherlands are expected to participate in the seventh annual version of the festival, the only one of its kind in Canada.

Ramblers and hikers will take part in walks ranging from five to 52 kilometres with routes involving trails like the Galloping Goose and the Westsong Walkway.

But the lack of permanent signage means a team of 100 volunteers will have to erect temporary signs to point the way for the event's various itineraries, with walks covering a total of 160 kilometres.

"We'll have cardboard signs with directional arrows and matching coloured ribbons," Evoy said Saturday.

Temporary signage is not allowed in some park areas like Elk Lake-Beaver so arrows made of sawdust on the ground will have to serve, he said.

Evoy, an Esquimalt resident who spent eight years in Lahr, Germany with the Canadian Armed Forces, said that country has a system of directional signs that could be copied here. Switzerland also has an extensive network of walking trails with signposts at every junction.

"Those marked trails in Europe are just outstanding," Evoy said.

His organization is not directly involved in lobbying for such amenities, but the need for better signage on trails is highlighted by events like the walking festival, he said.

After years of dithering, the Capital Regional District has established a steering committee to install signs on the Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails, said John Luton of the Capital Bike and Walk Society.

"It's a problem all the way through the trail system," said Luton, whose organization is organizing a Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Victoria this September.

Luton said signs will be in place along the trail from Sidney to Victoria in time for the conference. But a more comprehensive network of signs will depend on better co-operation from municipalities, he said.

Luton cited the example of a couple from Chilliwack he met on the ramp leading to Ocean Pointe Resort off the Johnson Street bridge. They were looking for the Galloping Goose Trail. It was just yards away but a visitor would never know it, he said, because of the lack of trail signs from downtown.

Next weekend's walking festival will be centered around Esquimalt's Archie Browning Sports Centre, where all walks start. Routes include "control stands" at regular intervals, with refreshments, first aid facilities and washrooms.

Festival activities include an "expo" with walking-related merchandise on sale and a foot massage service.

A buffet dinner is scheduled for Friday night and a "blister party" for Saturday night. A series of walking seminars will include a talk by Evoy about the International Walking Association, the umbrella group responsible for the festival, along with similar events in 21 other countries.

It is possible to register on any day of the festival with fees ranging from $5 to $40. Information brochures are available at municipal recreation centres, public libraries and at the Frontrunners and NewBalance stores. For further details look on the Web: www.walkvictoria.ca

© Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria)