Jersey is an island, the largest of a group of islands off the French
coast, which just so happen to be British and proud of it. It's a great
place for an early or late vacation as it's just that much further south
of the mainland UK, and in the Gulf Stream. This makes the weather 'English
like' but warmer. Ok, so it does freeze occasionally and snow has
been known (within living memory) - but on the whole, it's a lot pleasanter - it
can still rain though.
So
as I didn't get round to taking a 'summer' vacation until October in 1999,
this was an option. I'd been there once on business in '87, but that was
only a couple of days and so doesn't count - I could hardly say I knew
the place.
Getting There
Two
ways, sea or air. The ferry takes all day (and feels like it) - did that
the first time. Or a special deal on a scheduled BA flight
from Heathrow takes about 45 minutes (flight time) or about 3 and half
hours if the plane is late - it was! As the deal for two passengers worked out about the same
price as two passengers on the ferry, and even though we were left hanging about in departures
for about an hour and a half longer than we should have been, the whole
shebang was still six hours quicker than the ferry. Ok, let's be fair. That morning it was bucketing down, monsoon season
had struck Heathrow, and even the big planes were being delayed. So what
chance did our little 70 seat turbo-prop have. It appeared eventually,
and once in the air, it felt like no-time before we were landing again.
But by this time the weather had followed us and found the Channel Islands
- Oh Great! We'd arrived and the only downer - no
car, but no big deal, the money saved in not bringing the car was greater than hiring a small car
when we got there.
The Hotel
Despite
the delays, the island's transportation system was well geared, and the
shuttle to the hotel was waiting. Now Jersey has two ways of making money.
Offshore banking and tourism, so as most Jersey hoteliers want your custom,
the hotel prices are good, and the value for money high. It only cost £8
to upgrade the bed and breakfast price to half board - for two, for
a week. I don't think you could eat anywhere for a week for £4 -
and the food was pretty good too. Not five star restaurant quality but a fair
three stars, very definitely edible and varied.
Not the best hotel in St. Helier, but an adequate privately owned 3 star.
It was obviously last refurbished in the late 70's, but well kept, clean
and tidy. A well stocked bar, an entertainments room, and just about everything
you could need.
Car Rental
Keep an eye on the prices, Hertz had to be reminded that they publish
their prices on the internet when they tried to overcharge by £10.
On the other hand, car rental is cheap by UK standards, and there's no
excuse for hiring a big car unless there's a lot of you. Remember the island
is small. Most of it has a 20 mph speed limit and some places you can't
get a large car round the corners. So stick to a small motor.
Where to go?
Where
not to go? The whole place is geared towards tourism. Perhaps the best
way to get your bearings is to drive round the island. Taken slowly, it'll
take all of half a day to stop and look at the more interesting bays. Doesn't
matter which way you go, clockwise or anti-clockwise, the north and east
of the island is all small bays - each one different and interesting in
its own way. The south of the island is the built up area with four bigger
bays, and the west side is not so much as its name St. Ouen's Bay implies,
as a long bit of sandy beach and dunes.
Of course, there are some things which must be visited. Even if you
are only vaguely interested in Zoo's, Jersey Zoo is world famous, amongst
the top league and not too expensive. Well worth taking a whole day to explore. Quicker
to get round, but equally fascinating in an entirely different way, is
the German Underground Hospital Museum. The Channel Islands were the only
bit of the UK invaded by Germany during the war. This also explains the number
of 'attractions' in derelict German gun emplacements. I found one of these
a real rip-off. If you're into museums, then St. Helier has the 'official'
museums which cover most things - the new maritime museum is particularly
good, aimed at the kids as well as serious mariners.
Just
over the way from the Maritime museum is the 'Steam Clock' an intriguing way
of telling the time, appearing to be made out of bits of a derelict paddle
steamer. It's actually quite new, and I was told by a local that it cost a
fortune to build and is notoriously unreliable. To be fair, it was telling the
right time when I saw it! There are many privately owned attractions scattered around the island which are variable
value for money. I was in heaven at the Pallot Steam Museum - not that steam
railways featured heavily on the island. But the collection of traction
engines, incongruously mixed other steam driven machinery, rescued cinema
organs and early electronic organs, would have kept me there all day. Outside
was a small
loop of track and one of the prettiest little railway stations I've ever seen.
On the other hand £5 to look round a German bunker, which doesn't
even boast a gun, no matter how rusty - well that's a rip-off. It was quite
obvious that it was well out of season. Despite the pleasant weather, there
were few people on the beaches and many attractions in St. Helier were closed. A pity. Even
half the pubs were closed - but they were the ones in the big towns and not the sort of pub I frequent anyway. The pretty little quiet pubs in
the villages, you know, the ones with decent beer and a good meal, they
weren't short of custom. So I can't say I was disappointed. Does
it Pass the Test?
Yes! Seven days is about right and leaves plenty to go and see the next time
round. That, I think, I'll make May or June, just before the
schools shut up and all the noisy kids invade the Maritime Museum. I think I
might like to go and live there, but I know I can't. Although it's part of the
British Isles, it has some peculiar residency rules. Something on the lines
of, if you have enough money, you can live there, but to become a citizen you
have to be related to an existing citizen or be able to prove some familial
line related to the island. Simple, I haven't got enough money, and I'm
certainly not related to anyone on the Island. Oh well, I can dream.......
Updated:
02/02/07
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