I have finaly got round to sorting out my photographs from our break in Guernsey. We spent the Easter weekend there, the short flight of just over an hour from Manchester, making it worth doing for 3 nights. Guernsey does not attract huge crowds at Easter and with very kind weather, it made for a very relaxing break.

We did a lot of walking along the coastal paths. The north of the island has huge sandy bays where the tide seems to go out for miles. The south of the island has cliffs and little coves. St Peter Port is the only place of any size, the rest of the island has pretty villages, narrow lanes and French sounding place names.

One of our highlights was our boat trip to the tiny island of Herm, where it is possible to walk the entire coastline in a couple of hours. There are no cars on the island, just a couple of tractors to take your luggage to the hotel if you choose to stay on the island. It is also possible to take trips to Sark, another small island which we visited on a previous trip.

As the Channel Islands do not get much of a mention on here, I thought some of you might be interested to see a little of Guernsey.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/329357/index.html

Maria,

I'd always heard that Guernsey was beautiful and now your photos prove exactly so.

A very good friend who I've known for 2 years was born and raised in Guernsey, left in his late teens and has since been living for 35 years in Canada. He's told me all about how life was like there, but has never been back. I'm going to forward your photo link to him - for old times sake.

Thanks for the posting.

Thank you, thank you! What a great promotion for Guernsey and Herm! We've only visited in the fall, so I loved seeing the spring flowers and bright, sunny weather.

Long-time family friends lived at Jerbourg Point (such a beautiful spot) for many years before moving to Alderney. We've visited them on both islands, and I have to say I find Guernsey more to my liking. Perhaps just a bit more to do and see.

We haven't been to Herm in such nice weather or walked much of the coastal paths, and we haven't been to Sark yet. How do they compare?

Thanks again. I want to go back!

Hello Jean - Sark is a little bigger than Herm, 3 miles long and about a mile and a half long and it takes about an hour on the boat from Guernsey. It too is worth a day trip and is fascinating to explore. You can walk, cycle or take a tour in a horse and cart but again there are no cars. There are some gardens to see and a very small village. Somehow Herm seems more magical and remote but we have been fortunate to see it in good weather. It is possible to stay on both islands, it might be nice for a few days if the weather was good but perhaps a little too remote otherwise.

I too prefer Guernsey over Jersey - though Jersey is lovely too. I was surprised at how much rivalry there is between the islands. The bays on Guernsey remind me of the English seaside 50 years ago - clean, sandy beaches, usually a small kiosk or cafe selling ice cream and snacks and clean WCs - ideal bucket and spade destinations with children. The maximum speed limit on the island is 35 miles per hour, 25 in villages and 15 on the little "Ruettes Tranquilles" where pedestrians, horses and cyclists have right of way. They have very civilised road junctions where you must give way in turn. The aiport is small but modern making it easy to arrive and leave and car hire and petrol are relatively cheap. This all makes for a very relaxing place to spend a few days.

Thanks for sharing these photos -- I'm leaving tomorrow from New York to Jersey, and then will visit Alderney, Guernsey, Sark and Herm. Its nice to see some photos of Sark and Herm -- there's not a lot of information available about these two islands.

Michael

Guernsey - I loved it. Trip to Jersey Zoo was awsome and a lovely island hop.
Our day spent on Herm was like the white beaches of any tropical island and sooooooo hot!

Take the bus everywhere - cheap and much more relaxing that car hire.

Best experience for me: Attending the Spring Flower Show and eating the most fab baked potatoe from one of the food marques!

Hi Maria,
Loved your photos. Guernsey and Jersey are on my 'must visit' list (which is getting longer, not shorter!) but I have a feeling I will have to choose between the two.

How would you sum up each island to make it easier for us to choose? We like walking along beaches though are not the types to lie on a beach for more than 5 mins, like pretty scenery, also good inexpensive food , poking around shops and markets, sitting at cafes people watching etc. Is this more one island than the other?

Kay

Jersey is more developed and larger than Guernsey. Guernsey is a bit more exclusive and less crowded (depending on time of year). The beaches are lovely in Jersey too, especially around the north coast and it is possible to walk along the beaches eg St Ouen, Corbiere Lighthouse etc. Jersey also has the German Underground Hospital, built during WWII. There are (or were) some good Portuguese restaurants along the seafront at St Helier.

It takes 15mins to fly from Jersey to Guernsey.

Hi Jean, Both islands are worth a visit. We have only visited Jersey once and realy enjoyed it but somehow Guernsey seems a bit more special. We have now made 3 visits to Guernsey and will definately return.

As Odin said, Jersey is bigger and more developed. It has a couple of castles to explore and Jersey zoo, set up by naturalist Gerald Durrell, is well worth a visit.

Both islands have miles of beautiful coastline. The main shopping areas are in the capitals - St Helier on Jersey being bigger than St Peter Port on Guernsey. Both islands also have a selection of craft centres to explore. The food is often very good (especially the seafood) but not necessarily cheap.

For me the main attraction is the beautiful countryside, coastline and pretty villages. Walking sections of the coastal path was a real pleasure, with reasonably gentle walking and fantasic views - especially beautiful in spring with all the wild flowers. If you do visit Guernsey, don't miss the trip to Herm, which is a real unspoiled gem of an island. If I could gurantee the weather, I'd happily spend a week there to realy get away from it all.

Hi Kay, Both islands are worth a visit. We have only visited Jersey once and realy enjoyed it but somehow Guernsey seems a bit more special. We have now made 3 visits to Guernsey and will definately return.

As Odin said, Jersey is bigger and more developed. It has a couple of castles to explore and Jersey zoo, set up by naturalist Gerald Durrell, is well worth a visit.

Both islands have miles of beautiful coastline. The main shopping areas are in the capitals - St Helier on Jersey being bigger than St Peter Port on Guernsey. Both islands also have a selection of craft centres to explore. The food is often very good (especially the seafood) but not necessarily cheap.

For me the main attraction is the beautiful countryside, coastline and pretty villages. Walking sections of the coastal path was a real pleasure, with reasonably gentle walking and fantasic views - especially beautiful in spring with all the wild flowers. If you do visit Guernsey, don't miss the trip to Herm, which is a real unspoiled gem of an island. If I could gurantee the weather, I'd happily spend a week there to realy get away from it all.

I'd probably opt for Guernsey too.
You can visit Victor Hugo's house which is very interesting and you can walk to Lihou Island at low tide over a causeway.
Herm is lovely and Sark is well worth a visit.