Family holiday heaven: Guernsey

Second largest of the Channel Islands, Guernsey is an incredibly welcoming place for families with plenty of clean and safe beaches. A Crown Dependency with French street names, it drips with history - 7,000 years worth - and oozes Old World English charm with an added smattering of French flair.

Guernsey is a member of the British Isles, though not the United Kingdom or the European Union, and a mere hop from the UK mainland, which means you have arrived before the kids have the chance to get bored!

Getting around

Low duty on petrol means car rental is popular with visitors who come here.  Being small, the island is easy to drive round, though bear in mind most roads are narrow and also used by cyclists, tractors and horses. While you are pootling along, don't forget the speed limit in most areas is 56 kph (35mph), while in and around St Peter Port it is 40kph (25mph). Parking is free. If you prefer to hop on one of the new fleet of green and yellow buses, all journeys cost only 60p. A wide range of accommodation choices means there is something to suit every budget, from sophisticated hotels and spas to friendly guest houses, self catering cottages and campsites.

Elegant St Peter Port

Stacked with old-fashioned charm, St Peter Port, the capital, rises majestically from its picturesque harbour to keep a protective eye on Guernsey's sister islands of Sark, Herm and Jethou. With the most sheltered anchorage in the Channel Islands, it has been a haven and harbour for over 2,000 years, and despite the high proportion of international banks based here, it retains its 17th-century elegance.   Stroll through its streets to find a wealth of independent retailers offering everything from antiques to clothes and jewellery.  Many goods are competitively priced because excise duty rates are lower than in the UK.

Fun for all ages

As 1950s in places as ‘Muffin the Mule', this unspoilt floral paradise, a completely theme park-free zone, has a host of sights and delights to entertain visitors, with excellent indoor and outdoor play areas, family parks and year-round activities.

For starters, there is Saumarez Park, the largest public park on the island, with a well-equipped children's adventure playground and bouncy castle, as well as a duck pond, rose garden and tea rooms. Wildlife enthusiasts meanwhile shouldn't miss the adjacent Saumarez Nature Trail with its richly carpeted wildflower woods, banana trees, birdsong and butterflies.

Step back in time with a visit to the nearby Guernsey Folk Museum situated in the outbuildings of a stately home. Your children will see just how lucky they are nowadays when they visit the Victorian schoolrooms, playroom, wash house, dairy and plough room which all depict life as it used to be on the island around 100 years ago.

Another attraction which always proves popular with youngsters is the shipwreck museum at Fort Grey, known locally as the ‘Cup and Saucer' because of its shape. It tells the story of the island's numerous shipwrecks, with salvaged artefacts including cutlery, candlesticks and crockery from the SS Yorouba which foundered on the rocks in 1888. The nearby sands provide the opportunity to go rock-pooling, paddling or beachcombing.

Myths and legends

The island is chock-a-bloc with myths and legends.  Everywhere you go there are dolmens; stone burial chambers built above ground, as well as an abundance of witches' resting stones, creepy ruins, fairy rings and roads named after werewolves.  Who knows, you may even discover the mystery of the ruined Pagan priory on the unspoilt, uninhabited bird sanctuary, tiny Lihou island! Reached by an ancient causeway at low tide, it is sensible to visit with a local guide.

Tiny Chapel

A must-see is the Little Chapel of St Andrews, charming creation of Benedictine monk, Brother Deodat.  He re-created a scale model of the Basilica at Lourdes and painstakingly encrusted it in thousands of pebbles, seashells and colourful pieces of broken china.  Inside, there is only space for the priest and perhaps three people, quite possibly making this the world's smallest church!

And so to eat

Don't expect to find chain outlets like McDonalds, Pizza Huts or Starbucks in Guernsey. Instead there are owner-run eateries to suit every pocket from beach cafes and country pubs to gourmet restaurants.  

‘Bean jar' is a deliciously more-ish rich stew that you shouldn't even think about leaving Guernsey without sampling.  ‘Gache', pronounced ‘gosh' - the island's famous fruit loaf traditionally eaten smothered with rich golden Guernsey butter and local finger-licking Gâche Melée, an alluring local apple cake - will also make your heart sing. And you just have to savour a bumper bowl of seriously fabulous ‘moules', among the freshest you're likely to find.

Tennerfest is an island-wide, six-week-long food extravaganza which starts every October, when more than 50 of the island's restaurants compete to come up with menus from £10.  Great value for money!

Before leaving Guernsey...

Take a day out to trundle across to neighbouring Sark or Herm by boat.  This is a great adventure in itself and because it's a short journey, children won't get bored. Don't forget the sunscreen!

Author: Gilly Pickup

27 July 2009

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