Guernsey Travel Article and Review
Guernsey Travel
Reviewed by Natalie Kitchen
In April 2015, my husband and I visited the island of Guernsey with our car via a 3 hour ferry trip from Poole on Condor Ferries. Guernsey is the second biggest of the Channel Islands. It is situated around 75 miles south of Britain’s mainland and 27 miles from France. Guernsey is just 12 miles long with an area covering approximately 24 square miles so you can explore the whole island during a holiday there. The population of the island is just 62,000 and it’s one of the sunniest places in the British Isles. Guernsey is a beautiful island with 27 bays with unspoilt beaches and 28 miles of cliff-top walks. Although it is part of the British Isles, driving around you could easily mistake yourself for being in southern France. The island has a French feel to it that can easily be seen in the French street names. It has embraced influence and the culture of both countries.
Getting to Guernsey is easy. Flights directly to the island operate all year round from London City, Gatwick, Stanstead, Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton, East Midlands and Exeter. As the island is small, everywhere is easily accessible from Guernsey Airport. There is low duty on petrol and free parking so car rental is popular. You’ll need to be over the age of 20 to hire a car in Guernsey. If you decide not to hire a car then the bus service is frequent and very reasonably priced compared to the UK. It services most parts of the island and all the great attractions. There is a single fare of just £1 that applies to all journeys, including the around the island tour, so if you decide to get off then it is just the same £1 fare when you get back on. Or you can buy a one day unlimited travel pass for £4.50. Alternatively you can travel to the island by ferry. Regular car ferry services run from the south coast of England. We travelled from Poole on the fast ferry service but you can also travel from Portsmouth on a conventional ferry which takes twice the time.
Guernsey uses sterling currency like the UK but it does issue its own bank notes. Shops in Guernsey will accept UK bank notes, however you cannot use Guernsey notes in the UK so you will either need to get them changed at the bank on return or we found that if you asked the cashier if they had any UK notes to give back as change, they’d happily do it for you. Passport laws are the same as they are in the UK which means that British citizens can travel to Guernsey and move between Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney without a passport. However you do need some form of photographic ID like a driving licence. You need adequate travel insurance to visit Guernsey as you will be required to pay for medical treatment if you become ill or injured.
Driving in Guernsey
Although like the UK you drive on the left in Guernsey, it is a little different to what you will be used to. Some of the roads are very narrow and in more rural areas the lanes are so narrow that you can only get one car down at a time. There were lots of times when we were driving around that you’d meet someone coming in the other direction and one of you would have to reverse. Most islanders are very accommodating and when they see that you have UK number plates and are not local, they will reverse back into a passing place or driveway. Hire cars have a bright yellow “H” sticker on the back and front so don’t worry if you don’t take your own car, they will still recognise that you are a visitor. There are very few signposts so it is hard to find your way around at times. Sometimes you will be following signs and suddenly a junction appears and there are no signs and you just have to guess the way. My husband was driving and I carried a road map of the island so I could help navigate the way so we didn’t have to rely on the street signs. You can get decent maps for free from tourist information or we got ours in the tourist leaflets at our hotel, but the island is so small you easily remember the main routes to places during your stay. The maximum speed limit is 35mph and in built up areas this can drop to 25mph. One of the big differences in driving in Guernsey is that they have very few roundabouts and instead have a filter in turn system. This is a yellow grid painted on the road and a triangular “Filter” sign. All directions have equal priority and cars filter through the junction in turn. It can be quite confusing at first if the junction has more than two exits but you soon pick it up and the locals know when it is your turn even if you don’t so they will wait for you to go. A yellow line across the exit of a minor road is a give way line, so the same rule applies as the give way sign in the UK were you have to stop and give way to traffic on the main road. One great benefit to driving in Guernsey is that parking is free! There are time restricted parking zones instead. There will be blue signs that say “Disc Zone” in the car parks or on the roads and they will tell you the length of time you are permitted to stay in that area. You have to buy a parking clock and set the time that you arrived and then remove your car within the time restriction on the blue sign. Be sure to check the time you are allowed carefully as one car park we parked in in St Peter Port was a 3hr zone at the back of the car park and towards the front of the car park was a 2hr zone and it would be easy to be caught out thinking you were in the 3hr zone if you had looked at the signs as you were driving in. The parking discs are £2.50 and they never expire so once you have bought one you can use it each time you visit the island. We bought ours from our hotel but they are also available from the tourist information centre and some garages. Driving around the island is an enjoyable experience and is the best way to explore the whole island in my opinion. I had visited Guernsey twice before on cruise ships but don’t feel like I’d seen the real Guernsey until we drove around exploring the whole place. We took our convertible car and drove around with the roof down in the sun, stopping whenever we saw a beautiful bay or fort to explore
Accommodation
Guernsey has around 50 hotels ranging from small 2 star hotels to 5 star hotels. There are also guest houses, self catering cottages and holiday apartments so there is something to suit every budget.
We stayed at La Trelade Hotel (www.latreladehotel.co.uk) in St Martin. The hotel is very conveniently located on one of the main roads around the island. It is 3 miles from the capital, St Peter Port, where the ferry port is located, and 1.5 miles from Guernsey Airport. The hotel is located on 2 main bus routes and there is a bus stop right outside. One takes you to St Peter Port and the airport, and the other is a 90 minute coastal tour around the island. If you bring or hire a car, there is a large car park that offers free parking to guests. All bedrooms at La Trelade are en-suite and come equipped with a flat screen TV with all 13 Freeview channels that Guernsey receives, tea and coffee making facilities, and a hairdryer. There is also a telephone with free calls to UK landlines and mobiles as well as to Guernsey numbers, and free Wi-Fi which was a massive bonus for us as it meant that we could Skype our children every evening whilst they were back home staying with their grandparents. We stayed in an executive room which had a queen sized four poster bed. The room was very large and it was probably the biggest hotel room that I have stayed in. There was plenty of storage for your clothes and luggage. A massive wardrobe, lots of drawers, a table with 2 leather chairs, and a desk. The bathroom was a nice size with a bath with overhead shower. There was also the added bonus of under floor heating in the bathroom.
The hotel also has a health suite. There is an indoor swimming pool and fully equipped gym plus a sauna and steam room. La Trelade also has its own restaurant, The Orangery Restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is included with your room and there is a choice between continental and full English breakfast. The full English is cooked to order with a choice of different eggs. Tea or coffee and toast are brought out whilst you are waiting for your order. On a table in the middle of the room there is cereal, fruit, yoghurts, a selection of pastries, cheese, ham and a selection of juices that you can help yourself to. At dinner there is a choice between eating from the dinner menu and ordering from the bar menu. The dinner menu is a choice between a 3 course meal finished off with coffee and mints for £19.95 per person or just the main course for £14.50. We decided to order from the bar menu. This menu contained your usual pub classics such as steak, fish and chips, and Lasagne. The food was really nice and was reasonably priced with most meals between £9 and £12. What I really liked about the restaurant, was that even if you ordered off the bar menu, you got the same attentive waiter service that you would get ordering off the dinner menu. We were brought bread for the table whilst we waited and jugs of water for with our meal. Staff were very friendly and very hard working. That was not just in the restaurant but the staff at reception always greeted you warmly and asked how your day was when you came back from a day out and collected your room keys. Rooms are cleaned daily unless you request them not to. The hotel is close to the airport but don’t let this put you off. You don’t really notice the noise of planes and there are no flights between 9pm and 6.30am.
I would definitely stay at La Trelade again and recommend it to my friends. The room is well equipped and very spacious. It is in a ideal location for travelling anywhere on the island as it situated on one of the main roads, and close to a bus stop if you don’t have a car. And the staff are very friendly and welcoming.
Things to Do
Despite Guernsey’s small size, there is plenty to do. Guernsey is full of gorgeous beaches, stunning scenery and is an island steeped in history. The capital of St Peter Port is a beautiful harbour town. There is a bustling marina with seafront cafes that give you great views of the smaller neighbouring islands of Herm, Jethou and Sark. You can wander the cobbled streets in the town where you can find all the major shops including those you will find familiar from home, as well as boutique shops in the Old Quarter selling antiques, paintings and vintage clothing. On the edge of the harbour is Castle Cornet, Guernsey’s ancient royal fortress. The castle now houses five museums with just one entry price of £10 for adults and £2.50 for children over 7. We didn’t have a look around Castle Cornet this time as I am on a cruise to Guernsey again in the summer and I’m saving this attraction for that trip.
During World War II the Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be invaded and occupied by German Forces. This has left a visible scar on the island that can still be seen today. There are still observation towers along the coastline, Nazi bunkers, underground tunnels and hospitals, and the museums on the islands are full of war relics. The Channel Islands are holding their first pan island Heritage Festival from 3rd April to the 11th May 2015 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the islands’ liberation from the occupying German Forces. Throughout the festival there will be special openings of these historical sites and exclusive tours and occupation themed guided walks.
Don’t worry if you miss the Heritage Festival though. There are plenty of museums dedicated to this part of Guernsey’s history open throughout the year. My husband and I like history so we visited a few during our stay.
German Occupation Museum
This museum houses the largest collection of occupation memorabilia in the Channel Islands. A short video at the start of your visit tells you a bit about the occupation in Guernsey then the museum shows you what life was like for the people who lived there during 1940-1945. I found it fascinating to look around all the memorabilia and reading through the many newspaper articles and all the public notices that the Nazi’s made. There is also an authentic occupation street. I would highly recommend this museum especially to anyone interested in history. We spent around 2 hours looking around. Priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.
Pleinmont Observation Tower
This is one of the many observation towers built by the Germans during the occupation years. This one was built in 1942 and was used until 1945. It has been restored to look how it did in the war years and has lots of information to read. It is 5 stories high and you climb up the tower story by story with the view getting more beautiful with each level you climb. It is not open all year round and only open 2 days a week when it is so it’s best to check before you make the journey as there are a lot of tight lanes to drive around to get there. Priced at £3 per adult it is a good value attraction.
German Military Underground Hospital
This is the largest remaining construction left from the occupation in the Channel Islands. This hospital was built in tunnels under the ground by slave workers over 3½ years. It was also used as an ammunition store as it is pretty much invisible from the air. It has pretty much been left how it was during the 2nd World War with some beds and equipment on show. It is very eerie down there in the tunnels walking around dark, empty corridors under the ground. It is very damp and cold so you need to wear some suitable shoes and something warm no matter what time of year you go. This attraction doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but is definitely worth the visit, even if it’s just for the eerie atmosphere down there. You get a feel for how awful it must have been to try and recuperate in those wards. It is not open all year round so check opening times before you go. Adult entrance is £3.50 and a child’s ticket is £1.
There are other occupation museums which we never got time to look around, including La Vallette Underground Military Museum and the German Naval Signals HQ.
The only other attraction that we visited during our visit was Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum. This museum is housed in a Napoleonic Martello Tower and tells the tragic stories of the many shipwrecks that have happened on the Guernsey coast, some are as recent as 2003. On display are many artefacts that divers have recovered from the seabed off some of the vessels. This is a really interesting museum and it is surprising just how many shipwrecks there are. Once you have finished looking inside the museum there are some breathtaking views to be seen from the fort. Across the road is the Guernsey Pearl (where you purchase your tickets) which has a café with outside seating which is a lovely place to sit and have a bite to eat, drink or ice cream whilst you take in the view. It is also an attraction in itself with a shop with a wide variety of pearls and pearl jewellery that can be viewed or purchased. They also have an oyster tank where you can pick your own pearl. Tickets to the Shipwreck Museum are £4 for adults and £1.50 for children over 7. Open March – November.
One of the reasons that we didn’t have a chance to visit many attractions during our stay is that we spent a lot of time just exploring the island. We drove around the coast, stopping whenever we saw anything that we wanted to explore. There are many beautiful beaches in Guernsey with white sand and deep blue water. It would be easy to think that you were looking out to the Mediterranean rather than the English Channel. The beaches were quiet when we went too. It was 16-18 degrees centigrade each day that we were there but the beaches weren’t packed full of people like they are on a sunny day at home. There is a lot of history dotted around the island. We enjoyed stopping at Fort Hommett and just having a climb around. The views were simply stunning looking out to sea across the rocky terrain of the coast and the sandy bays in the background. With each corner we turned, the view got more beautiful. There are lots of car parks with kiosks for you to stop and get refreshments along your journey. Nothing beats an ice cream at the beach whilst you are on holiday.
If you like walking then you will love Guernsey. Visitguernsey.com have a series of self-guided walks called Tasty Walks. They say that by taking a Tasty Walk you will discover two of Guernsey’s best features, the stunning scenery and fabulous food. There are 11 walks that cover the whole coast and some inland too. Each of the walks has cafes, restaurants or kiosks that you can stop at along the way. They are designed for all ages and abilities. They helpfully tell you if they are easy, moderate or hard and how long they roughly should take if you don’t stop en route. We had a guide with the walks in them but you can download podcasts and walking maps from www.visitguernsey.com/tastywalks. Alternatively, there are guided walks that you can go on with accredited guides. Information can be found at www.guernseyguidedtours.com.
From Guernsey you can easily take a trip over to the other Channel Islands, Alderney, Herm, and Sark.
Herm
This is one of the smallest of the Channel Islands and measures just a mile and a half long and half a mile wide. It lies 3 miles off the east coast of Guernsey and has a year-round resident population of around 60 people. It takes 20 minutes by catamaran from St Peter Port to get to Herm. The number of departures varies throughout the year but during the summer there are 8 per day. Herm is a perfect place to forget the demands of modern living. There are no cars on Herm! There are however, unspoilt beaches, sand dunes and cliff walks.
Sark
Located 9 miles to the east of Guernsey is Sark. It is bigger than neighbouring Herm at 3 miles long and one a half miles wide. There is a population of around 600 people. Ferries run daily from Guernsey and it takes around 45 minutes to get there. Like Herm, Sark is like stepping back in time as there also no cars. Their main mode of transport are by bicycle or horse and carriage. There are no streetlights in Sark and the island has been awarded Dark Sky status, so it would be a lovely place to sit and watch the stars at night.
Alderney
Alderney is 23 miles north east of Guernsey and only 8 miles off the coast of France. It is the third largest of the Channel Islands. You can take a ferry to Alderney from St Peter Port and Braye Harbour which takes approximately 1hr 25mins. Or the quickest way to reach the island is by taking a flight from Guernsey Airport. Alderney has gorgeous sandy beaches and magnificent cliffs and coves. If you are a fan of wildlife then Alderney is home to almost 300 species of bird.
Eating out
There are plenty of places to eat in Guernsey. There are none of the big chains here so don’t expect to see your favourites from home. Guernsey doesn’t have a Harvester or McDonalds, for example, but that just means that you get to experience Guernsey’s locally produced food. Amazing produce is grown and reared on the island and gathered from surrounding waters. One of the things we found funny as we were driving around is the amount of people selling home grown produce from little stands at the side of the road. Locally this is called ‘hedge veg’. All the food is laid out on the stall with signs and prices and you take your food and leave the money for it there in the tin. It relies on honesty but it works and it is nice to see. Guernsey is famous for their Guernsey cows and if you have a chance, try some Guernsey butter. It is the nicest butter that I have tried. I’d of brought some home with me if I had any way of keeping it chilled on the way home. You can try it on some Guernsey Gache (pronounced gosh) the island’s own fruit loaf.
Guernsey locals are passionate about their food and throughout the year there are numerous food festivals and events. The most famous is Tennerfest. This is a 6 week festival throughout the Channel Islands in the autumn. It started off as a way of tempting people into restaurants in quieter months with a 3 course meal for £10 and is now a celebration of the best island food. Gourmet menus now range from £10 to £20 with many menus still sticking to the original festival promise of something for £10.
Upcoming in 2015
Throughout the year Guernsey has some fantastic festivals and events. Here are a few of the highlights:
Now until 11th May – Channel Islands Heritage Festival
4th May – 2nd June – Victor Hugo International Music Festival
29th May – 6th June – Sure Festival of Comedy
4th July – 12th July – Guernsey in Bloom Festival
5th – 19th September – Autumn Walking Festival
10th September – Guernsey Air Display
1st October – 11th November – Tennerfest
We had a brilliant time in Guernsey. It’s a beautiful island and is perfect for a family holiday or short break. I will definitely be taking a trip back in the future!
Rating: 5/5 
For more information about Guernsey visit www.visitguernsey.com.
