willit

At very short notice I have booked a couple of days on Jersey. I haven't had a chance to grab a guide book yet, so has anybody any experiences or suggestions about the place that they could share?

PalenQ

They have lovely cows - take a walk around the island and see the mellow-looking cows! Seriously!

Odin

German Underground Hospital
Corbiere lighthouse, esp at sunset
Bonne Nuit Bay
St Brelade's beach, a drink at L'Horizon hotel
Rent a car and drive around the island
Mont Orgueil castle at Gorey
Elizabeth Castle in St Helier
I like St Ouen as well, used to buy seafood from the fisherman in one of the old German fortifications.
Lots to do and see, walking trails etc

PalenQ

St Helier, the 'capital' (of off-shore banking too) is a wonderful old town - plan a whole day there.

Rubicund

Like most places, St Helier has had some modernisation over recent years and I wouldn't call it a wonderful old town. It's OK.

There is a nice vineyard at the northern end of the island: www.lamarewineestate.com that's worth a visit.

Gorey itself is a pleasant place to lunch overlooking the sea. There's Jersey Zoo of course too.

Where are you staying willit?

willit

Thanks for the feedback.
Rubicund - I'm staying in an Apartment in St Helier.

Josser

For heavens sake, admire those "lovely" Jersey cattle from a safe distance. I lived near an AI station once. By far the most dangerous bulls were Channel Island breeds. As well as being nasty tempered, they are light and agile.
Certainly don't try to take a close up of a calf when mum is around. They look like Bambi, so it's tempting.

bilboburgler

The Victorian Fruit and Veg market is pretty good

PalenQ

Like most places, St Helier has had some modernisation over recent years and I wouldn't call it a wonderful old town.>

maybe 'impressive town' with the huge fortress looming overhead.

janisj

There is so much more to Jersey than St Helier -- it is mostly a busy/congested town. And the Fortress doesn't 'loom overhead' - it is on a small island in the bay.

Hopefully Gordon_R will see your thread -- he is an absolute font of information.

Here are a couple of my thread from a couple of years ago w/ my pre-trip research about Jersey and my TR. (The TR is VERY long but the Jersey bits start w/ the posts from June 28.)

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/jersey-help.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-trip-ever.cfm

julia1

There is a lovely beach at St Brelade if you like that sort of thing, accessible by bus if you don't have a car. And you might consider a day trip to Sark, which I liked very much. In summer there is a fast ferry from Jersey to Sark. Other times of the year I believe you connect through Guernsey.

Sark is a charming, small, car-free island, consisting of two parts, Greater Sark and Little Sark, which are connected by a narrow, 300-foot-long isthmus with a dizzying 350-foot drop-off down to the tumbling waves on both sides. Stunning views from La Coupée, as the connecting isthmus is called, and wild orchids in bloom in June when I was there a number of years ago.

I still remember the clip-clop-clip-clop of the small horse-drawn carriages which transport visitors from the ferry landing and around the island. There are also bicycles for hire, and the island is small enough you can see much of interest on foot.

La Seigneurie is a beautiful garden worth a visit. And there are ice cream and chocolate shops. More Sark information and links at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sark

Gordon_R

>>And the Fortress doesn't 'loom overhead' - it is on a small island in the bay.<<

I imagine Palenque is referring to Fort Regent, built on a steep rocky outcrop in the centre of St Helier - now a leisure centre. Anyway, St Helier is a busy congested place and not that attractive in my opinion but fine as a base for a few days trip.

Odin and Rubicund have made good suggestions. I'd add a few more:-

Cliff walk from the ruined Grosnez Castle to Plemont Bay ( a beautiful secluded cove)

Exploring the abandoned German gun batteries around Noirmont

St Aubin - pretty fishing village with many restaurants and pubs

Definitely hire a car to see as much as possible - the island is small but buses are very slow and infrequent. Avis Jersey offers the best rates in my experience.

I know Jersey well as I have family connections there.

Rubicund

Gordon is bang on about public transport and hiring a car. Once you're out of St Helier there's hardly any traffic and it's a pleasure to explore.

Second St Aubin's too. Last time we were there, we ate in a restaurant right on the sea and it was very good. Can't remember the name, but it was right in the centre.(That probably doesn't help too much Gordon?

Gordon_R

Was it The Boathouse?
http://www.theboathousegroup.com/our...he-boat-house/

latedaytraveler

Hi WILLIT,

To get in the mood for your trip, I would suggest viewing the British television series ISLAND AT WAR which focuses on the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII. Excellent story about the travails of three island families during this crisis. With authentic sets, costumes, and fabulous scenery.

Gordon_R

Yes it's a very good series - was on ITV1 a few years ago and when I last checked was still available to buy/rent on-line (Philip Glenister is great BTW as the "good cop / bad cop" German Commandant). However it was filmed on the Isle of Man so the scenery isn't that of the Channel Islands.

willit

Thanks again for all the advice. I really enjoyed our short trip.

I suppose my highlights were the Mont Orgueil Castle at Gorey, the lighthouse and bunkers at. Corbiere, and walking part of the coastal path between the top of St Ouen's bay and Plemont bay.
I will get around to doing a trip report at some stage.

tinyteacup

willit - did you do a trip report?

willit

tinyteacup - no, I had an attack of laziness once I'd returned and never got around to it. I really need to do it, if only to keep my own webpages up to date. I'll look through my photos and see if I can remember enough details to write it up.