A lifetime of Islands: Island 91 - Guernsey

Guernsey is only 6 miles by 4 but it manages to pack in a variety of terrains, over 62,000 people and lots of visitor attractions into that small space. Guernsey is a Crown Dependency with its own legislative assembly.

Guernsey has been occupied for at least 7,000 years. There are Neolithic burial chambers on the island. The largest is La Varde Dolmen on L'Ancresse Common. There are also earthworks from the Iron Age and artefacts from the Neolithic, Iron Age and Roman periods have been found on Guernsey. In the 6th century St Sampson founded a church but in the 9th century Guernsey was attacked by the Vikings. In 933 the island was annexed by William Longsword and it became part of the Duchy of Normandy. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 it became part of the English Crown. In 1204 King John lost Normandy but the Channel Islands remained loyal and were awarded self-governing status. During the Napoleonic Wars forts and Martello towers were built e.g. Fort Grey and Fort Le Marchant.

Guernsey was in fact 2 islands from the Middle Ages, when the low lying area between Grande Harve and The Bridge at St Sampson was flooded by the sea, until 1806 when the 300 acres of the Braye du Valle was reclaimed from the sea on the orders of Sir John Doyle, who was worried the French would land there and it would be difficult to defend. The drained area was turned into farmland and Vale Pond is now the only visual indication of its past.

I spent an enjoyable week on Guernsey in May 2009. I stayed in a guesthouse in the main town, St Peter Port. It was good value for money but the landlady was a bit bossy and kept trying to organise my holiday for me and she was a bit put out when I said I had already planned my itinerary meticulously before I arrived!

Unusually for me I left the car at home and travelled by train to Weymouth and then by a Condor Ferry to St Peter Port. I did this mainly because it is exorbitantly expensive to take a car on the ferry. However I was glad I didn’t bring it, as Guernsey’s roads are surprisingly crowded and many people were driving too fast for the mainly narrow roads. The bus service was cheap, very comprehensive and punctual. I picked up a map at the Tourist Information Centre as soon as I arrived, which had all the bus routes marked on it, and a timetable and away I went. I travelled on more buses in a week than I have done in the last decade. Nowhere on the island is more than about half a mile from a bus route. The map turned out to be essential, as it turned out that many of the bus drivers were not local but had recently come over from England for the summer season and didn’t know where many of the places I wanted to visit were. One driver went completely the wrong way until one of the locals pointed this out to him.

I walked 7-10 miles every day and saw parts of the island that most visitors probably don’t visit e.g. St Saviour’s Reservoir and the Talbot and Fauxquests Valleys, which were covered in bluebells. I walked along lots of ruettes (green lanes), ruette tranquilles (quiet lanes) and water lanes – paths with streams running alongside.

The coast path from St Peter Port round the south of the island to Pleinmont is stunningly beautiful and particularly so in May when most of the wild flowers are in bloom. Like most coast paths there is a fair amount of up, down, up, down but the views make the effort worthwhile. The coast path round the rest of the island is mainly along busy roads, so is not so good for walkers. There are lots of great sandy beaches and virtually every cove and beach has a café.

I had a 1970s map of Guernsey, which I took with me. At that time much of the island was covered in glasshouses producing tomatoes and flowers. However since then most of these have been demolished or are unused and in a dilapidated state of disrepair. I was surprised that on such a small and densely populated island that they aren’t using every square inch to grow food. I was disappointed to see very few Guernsey cattle.

It is difficult on Guernsey to avoid reminders of the island’s occupation by the Germans in the Second World War. After I had booked my holiday I realised that I would be there for Liberation Day on 9^th May. It is partly a day for remembrance but is mainly an excuse for an all day party, which isn’t my idea of fun, so I went to Sark for the day to avoid it. I didn’t visit the Occupation Museum, La Vallette Underground Military Museum, Pleinmont Observation Tower, the German Naval Signals HQ or the Underground Military Hospital, as there are only so many museums you would want to visit in a week and only so much you want to know about the Second World War on the island.

However I did visit most of the tourist attractions on the island e.g.

Sausmarez Manor and sub-tropical gardens

Little Chapel – this was built by Brother Déodat, who started work in March 1914. His plan was to create a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. It is decorated with seashells, pebbles and colourful pieces of broken china. It is reputed to be the world’s smallest chapel

Fort Grey – built in 1804 and now a shipwreck museum

Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery

Candie Gardens in St Peter Port

Vale Castle - this was originally an Iron Age fort, then a medieval castle, which was added to in the 18th Century and by the Germans in World War 2.

Guernsey Telephone Museum – this was my favourite, as I love obscure museums. I was very disappointed that the Tomato Museum has closed down but this one made up for it. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable and there several hands-on exhibits.

Clarence Battery - this was built in 1780 as part of Fort George, the island's main fort during the French Revolution.

Victoria Tower - built to commemorate Queen Victoria's visit to Guernsey in 1846.

Saumarez Park and Folk Museum - the largest park on the island

Victor Hugo lived at Hauteville House in St Peter Port from 1855 until 1870 and he wrote Les Miserables during this time. His house and garden are open to the public. There is a statue of Victor Hugo in the Candie Gardens in St Peter Port.