JERSEY CURIOUSLY BRIT...(ISH)
With breathtaking coastal views and thousands of years of fascinating history to uncover, Jersey may be close to home, but it’s a world away from the classic British holiday
Y ou may know it as the sunniest part of the British Isles, but there’s far more than just great weather to wow you in Jersey. Despite being less than an hour’s flight away from the UK, the island offers an air of British familiarity coloured with a dash of European flair and a rich history that’s within easy reach.
A prehistoric past
Did you know that life on Jersey dates as far back as the Ice Age? Discover how the island’s coast was shaped by the sea as you embark on the Jersey Heritage Ice Age Island Trail. This route will also take you past an important Paleolithic site called La Cotte De St. Brelade, so you can see where Jersey’s first residents lived almost 200,000 years ago.
Fast forward to the Neolithic period, and more communities began to leave their mark on Jersey. Step back in time with a visit to the burial mound at La Hougue Bie. Here, you can explore the Neolithic passage that runs beneath the mound, opening into a dolmen that was used for rituals more than 5,000 years ago. Staggeringly, this chamber even pre-dates the Egyptian pyramids, making it one of the oldest buildings in the world!
Battling through time
Jersey also bears the marks of centuries of conflict, starting with the Hundred Years’ War between England and France in the Late Middle Ages. It was at this time that Mont Orgueil Castle was built to guard the east coast, and you can still visit this medieval fortress and enjoy its striking views of the French coast today, centuries later.
Elsewhere, you can explore the battlements, passageways and bunkers of Elizabeth Castle, which was built in 1590 to defend St. Aubin’s Bay from cannon attacks. Or the multiple grand towers dotted along Jersey’s coastline, which were erected between 1779 and 1837, to defend the island after the Battle of Jersey. You can even stay overnight in Archirondel Tower or Seymour Tower, the latter of which becomes completely surrounded by the sea twice a day.
In more recent years, the Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Learn more about what life was like during those five years by following the Occupation Trail or visiting the Jersey War Tunnels, where you can explore 1,000m of the network built by prisoners, which now houses a unique exhibition about the period.