The National Trust has called for a single body to promote the island's parks and walkways.

The Trust's Communications Committee chairman Dennis Sherwin called for the Government to put them together in what he dubbed `Operation Walk Bermuda' to link up Bermuda's seldom-used natural treasures.

He said the Island was blessed with the Railway Trail but there were other green spaces to which it should be linked.

He later told The Royal Gazette : "The whole thing has to come under one body -- it needs to be marketed by the Tourism Department.

"When people come to Bermuda they don't know the walks that are available -- there are thousands of them.

"It's like having a grocery store and nobody in it. '' Mr. Sherwin said there were maps of the railway trail but adjoining walks were left off.

"They should be seen as part of a whole -- we need to market them and connect them. A single organisation has an impact. In winter tourists have nothing to do but they should go out walking.'' He said having the island's green spaces under one umbrella, organised by Government but with input from others, would avoid confusion.

He said: "The Railway Trail comes under the Ministry of Works and Engineering when you would think it would come under the Ministry of the Environment while parks come under Youth and Sport.'' Earlier he had told Hamilton Rotarians: "Let's connect the whole of our island with a series of trails using the railway road right of way and tribe roads as the string which binds us together.

"This green necklace of walkways and open spaces can serve as a road to sanity in our ever overcrowding world. It gives open space a whole new purpose and it gives our island a way out of the mess we're headed for.'' He said Washington DC gave the island a good example to copy.

"Washington DC is a planned city made beautiful and livable with its many parks and green spaces.

"Washington has made good use of its walking and bicycle trails.

"Bermuda has, right now, the opportunity to create a similar and even better system of trails and walkways -- and with these a way of life that offers us all opportunities of a good lifestyle, health and enjoyment not otherwise possible in the city environment.''