Channel Island Jersey, August 2012

St. Brelade's Bay

I spent a week hiking with a travel group on the Channel Island of Jersey; in August 2012. We were 22 women together and got on very well. What I read about Jersey before my holiday was that it's a sunny island with big tide differences and the best milk in the UK, produced by the famous Jersey cows :)
The island has got its own currency - the Jersey pound, to be used only on Jersey and the other Channel Islands, not in the rest of the UK. Based on the changing history,there are two languages, English and French. I heard both spoken a lot.

Jersey gave us a sunny welcome. Our hotel was located in the island's capital of St. Helier. We enjoyed half board with very delicious desserts - apple crumble and toffee pudding to name but a few.

First, we went around the town and tried the Jersey ice cream, which was made with the special milk. It was great!

St. Catherine's Wood

When we reached the beach, I noticed "Elizabeth Castle", which used to defend the town. You can walk there during low tide and during high tide you're taken over with an amphibious vehicle.

The next day we started hiking along the east coast from Rozel to Gorey. We passed St. Catherine's Wood, a really beautiful woodland with lots of ancient trees and wonderful plants.

Gorey Castle

Our destination was the little seaport Gorey. It's known for the Gorey Castle (in English) or Mont Orgueil Castle (in French), close to the sea. I was deeply impressed by the artistic portrayal of the castle's history. One artist made reference to the sea by decorating a wooden boat with maritime motifs such as fishes and shells.

Another artist had made life-size wooden figures in the castle park, representing the tradesmen, who had worked on the castle.

Gorey Castle

The portrayal of the former basement, where women were imprisoned and tortured as witches, really got under my skin. There was a lattice work with some little cranks. When I turned one of them, I heard an earsplitting squeaking and little figures of witches started to ride on their brooms or danced with the devil. This last piece of artwork gave me a sleepless night.

The second walk started from Portelet Bay in the South-West to St. Brelade's Bay in the West, along the coast most of the time. The sun shone the whole day. We enjoyed sea views nearly everywhere we walked so most of my holiday photos were taken on this walk. Furthermore, I must mention the little chapel of St. Brelade, where I felt a very special atmosphere.

St. Brelade's Bay

After our lunch, we went on to the lighthouse "La Corbière". It was low tide when we reached it, so we could stroll over by foot. I kept  the landscape of brown rocks in my mind because of how rare it is to see the bottom of the sea.

The fourth day was a free day. Some members of the group decided to go on a day trip to the neighbouring island Sark, and so did I. You will find a separate report about it in my blog.


Our next walk began in the North from Bouley Bay to Devil's Hole and a bit further on to Bonne Nuit Bay. We had a nice stop at the beach of Gref de Lecq, which is the only beach independent of the tide. The beach is really beautiful but too small for all of the visitors.

"La Corbière" lighthouse

During the second day off, I decided to visit "Samarez Manor", located outside the centre of St. Helier. The manor house looked like it was built in colonial times. Additionally, I spent some time walking in the pretty garden, including a huge herb garden.
Then I went on to the "Pallot Steam Museum" and admired lots of locomotives and cars from different eras. It was even more interesting to drive into the heart of the island. I enjoyed all our coastal walks, but this little trip showed me that the heart of the island had a special kind of charm with all the narrow streets, little cottages; and lovely gardens,the latter typically laid out like in the Engish countryside.

Samarez Manor

Our last walk led us from Bonne Nuit Bay to Rozel. It was the only rainy day. After the first short rain shower, fog started to rise slowly and made the nearby sea look mysterious. As Rozel was called a smuggler's paradise, there are lots of myths about the town. For instance: a huge black dog who frightens people at night. Of course, the smugglers invented this story because they intended to make people stay at home at night, in order to transport their goods without being seen.


After we reached Rozel in the afternoon, we found a hotel that offered cream tea. Together with two women of the group, I went there to have a sample. The small hotel looked like a miniature castle, which was elegantly furnished. It was the best cream tea ever.

Rozel Bay

My holiday ended here. I didn't have time to visit the following sights: "La Houghe Bie", Europe's largest chambered tomb, "Jersey Zoo", "Jersey War Tunnels", "The Maritime Museum" or the "Hamptonne Country Life Museum".