I was lucky enough to be part of the East Staffordshire ramblers Group holiday in Guernsey at the end of May. 14 club members made the trip sadly not including Jane the organiser who had to pull out at the last minute.
We were a mixed group but there was something for everyone. Guernsey is a beautiful island with sheer magnificent cliffs, long soft smooth white beaches and stunning flora both wild and cultivated. The interior is different again, pretty, rural and peaceful but the driving was a thing to behold, the roads so narrow that pavements were frequently used! It all seemed to work though.
There were organised short walks most days for those who wanted to take a slightly easier pace, and plenty of sightseeing to be had from WW2 German fortifications to historic houses, statues, churches art galleries, public gardens and shops. The odd local pub came in handy as well. Guernsey brews its own beer and cider, so they had to be sampled.
Some ferry trips were also on the agenda, several of us opted to visit Herm. The tide was out when we arrived so the extremely rocky landscape or should that be seascape was clearly visible. We were glad the captain was a good navigator. We took a leisurely walk around the wonderful coastline, only about four and a half miles so plenty of time for lunch and ice cream. One couple opted for a visit to Sark, both islands have a unique ambience with no motor vehicles (except tractors) and a lovely laid-back lifestyle.
5 of the group (the famous ones?) decided to tackle the coastal path, all 40 miles of it.
However, our walk leader was to have been Jane, so our first task was to find a map – none of us knew anything of the route but we were going clockwise so figured as long as we kept the sea to our left, we’d be ok. We were as well; the intrepid walk leaders made a great team and did a brilliant job.
Days one and two both involved climbing the equivalent of 199 flights of stairs! According to the fitbits anyway. There was a bit of fitbit sparring between them, but we agreed in the end. That’s around 2600 steps each day, phew it was worth it though the views were stunning, and the ice cream wasn’t bad either.
After all that activity, the evenings were a time to come together, enjoy a good, and well earned, meal and to share stories of the day’s adventures.
To cap it all off, on our last day, Guernsey provided a very entertaining hill climb, with every type of vehicle and setting off right by the harbour wall.
The group has now walked Jersey and Guernsey. The Channel Island Way, described as a beautiful confection of walks spread over 5 of the Channel Islands Alderney, Sark and Herm, still to come? Watch this space.
