Jersey sure
With its fine beaches, views and dining, this gorgeous isle Channels life in the slow lane
The elderly chap tending his garden looked up at the leaden sky and said: “Don’t worry. This will clear and the sun will come out at 8pm. Just as you’re going in for your dinner!” And he was right, almost to the minute.
This came as a quite a relief as our crossing on the ferry from Poole to Jersey that morning had been in such poor visibility the captain sounded the foghorn at 60-second intervals.
I was heading with my family to the Channel Island for a three-night break and we were praying for decent weather.
A speedy alternative to flying, Condor Ferries’ service makes the 119-mile crossing (including a stop at Guernsey) in just four and a half hours, so you can take your own car, and relax in the onboard lounges with food, drink, wi-fi and plenty of power points. And this isn’t some old workhorse tub reeking of diesel fumes, but a sleek modern vessel with an impressive turn of speed.
Our first day on the island started with a visit to the famous Jersey War Tunnels. Built by slave labour in the Nazi occupation, it was originally intended as a bomb-proof barracks for 12,000 German soldiers but became a casualty clearing station complete with operating theatres.
It now tells the evocative story of the chaos and starvation islanders endured under German rule.
We emerged from below ground into hot sunshine and decided to head for the coast. Jersey is only nine miles wide and five miles from top to bottom but offers a remarkable range of scenery from steep cliffs in the north to the Atlantic rollers hitting vast sandy bays in the west.
It has a distinctly Gallic flavour (France is visible 14 miles away to the east), while the light has a lucid Mediterranean quality and the sea is a Caribbean blue.
Of the many stunning coastal walks there is none better than starting from the tiny fishing village of Bonne Nuit and heading towards Bouley Bay.
As you climb high above the isolated beaches below, there are far-reaching views to Guernsey as you thread through verdant foliage with butterflies flitting around. Kestrels hung motionless on the updraughts beyond the cliff’s edge, and the silence created a blissful tranquillity.
Jersey has a relaxed vibe and it doesn’t take long to wind down and take life at a slower pace. This happens literally on the roads where the island-wide