Channel Islands Part 2: Jersey walks
Our Channel Islands holiday was booked through a company called Headwater which arranged our travel and accommodation and sent us walking routes. Their website promised: Walks on this holiday are gentle and flat. There are no tough climbs. I beg to differ! I imagined an undulating stroll along cliff tops, but we were up and down over headlands so many times that one day John calculated we had climbed over 2000 feet. My feet certainly felt like it.
Northern coast from St John’s to Bouley Bay (8.7km)
All our walks started with a bus journey and most of them required a bus to get back. Fortunately, the bus services on both Jersey and Guernsey are excellent and very easy to use.
We started with the shortest walk which took us from St John’s to Bouley Bay via Bonne Nuit Bay. The latter was a highlight because there was a beach café where we had a lovely lunch. On the way to Bonne Nuit we passed the first of several signs we spotted marking where a Napoleonic era tower had been – the Channel Islands had many of these defensive towers being so close to France. I also found a bench for Jude with a rather nice inscription (and there’s another bench towards the end of this post with a rather smug-looking person sitting on it).
After lunch we climbed back to the cliff tops. In the image below you can see the beach café as we begin our ascent – it’s the low building to the left of the harbour.
We soon came to another remnant of the Napoleonic Wars, La Crête Fort, now refurbished as a holiday home. Spectacular views!
From here we continued along the coast to Bouley Bay. It was really beautiful, but quite hard work. Towards the end we were surprised to come across a tea plantation.
There wasn’t an awful lot in Bouley Bay but we strolled around in the half hour before the bus was due. It arrived bang on time (Glasgow buses take note) and we were soon back in St Helier.
South-west coast from Pointe de Corbière to St Aubin (12.9km)
On day two we got the bus to the Corbière Lighthouse which was built in 1874 because of the numerous shipwrecks along this coast. It was operated manually until 1976 when it became automatic. As it was low tide it would have been possible to walk out to the lighthouse – most of the bus passengers did exactly that, but they were probably getting the bus straight back while we knew we had a longer walk and pressed on.
The coast was just stunning as we headed towards St Brelade. The last image in the gallery below is our view as we ate our picnic lunch.
St Brelade itself was lovely. We looked round the gorgeous little Chapelle de Sainte Marie, the Fisherman’s Chapel. It’s a 12th century building with 14th and 15th century wall paintings.
There was a lovely park along the seafront and another beautifully restored tower.
Although we’d had lunch not long before, we stopped in St Brelade for a coffee on a lovely terrace overlooking the bay. We needed to fortify ourselves for the next climb. On the other side was another beautiful bay and an unrestored Napoleonic tower. Then, you’ve guessed it, almost immediately we had to scramble up another cliff.
On our way to Portelet Bay (with another tower) we met a lovely horse, then had yet another climb on the way to Noirmont Point.
Noirmont is the site of some remnants from another conflict – fortifications from the Second World War when Germany occupied the Channel Islands. There was a naval battle here in August 1944, hence the memorial to the men of the US Navy who died.
From here there was a fairly dull section away from the coast, until suddenly we were within sight of St Aubin and its fort.
We didn’t waste time exploring. We needed a beer before the bus! This was probably my favourite day’s walking of the whole holiday.
St Lawrence Parish and Jersey War Tunnels
After the two walks above we left Jersey for a few days in Guernsey, but we returned for our last day before flying home. However, by this time I could not face another up and down coastal walk and looked for something gentler. I found a circular route around the country lanes of St Lawrence Parish which would also allow us to visit the Jersey War Tunnels, so that is what we did. A flavour of the walk is below – John is looking rather smug on that bench because it was at the top of a very steep lane and he had had to wait for me for quite some time.
The Jersey War Tunnels are a sobering experience. During World War II, the Crown left Jersey defenceless and it was occupied by German forces for five years. Dug deep into the hillside by forced and slave workers from nations across Europe, the tunnels were originally intended as a complex of bomb-proof barracks. However, in the mistaken belief that the Channel Islands were to be invaded, Hitler ordered them to be turned into an emergency underground hospital, though this was never used. Today the tunnels house recreated hospital scenes and exhibits about life under the Occupation: resistance, starvation and, eventually, liberation.
It was hard not to feel emotional, especially as celebrations for the 80th anniversary of liberation were in preparation while we were on the islands.
So that’s it for Jersey, but there’s still a lot to say about the other islands we visited: Guernsey and Sark. I’m linking this post to Jo’s Monday Walks.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Wow! These walks look gorgeous, but I can definitely imagine they were not easy. A well-deserved beer must have wrapped up the whole experience perfectly. I remember seeing a TV series about the occupation of the Channel Islands by the Germans, but darn, I can’t remember what it was called.
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There was nothing technically difficult about the walks – they were just a slog because of the many steps up and down. The beer was very welcome!
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From my experience on the Southern coastal path and from Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby, I absolutely concur with you. Clifftop walks are never flat!!! Always lots of ups and downs. You had fantastic weather though.
I love that little chapel.
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In my naivety I believed them! I expected more gentle undulations. We did have good weather which helped.
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Love the coast Anabel so beautiful.
The name of Bonne nuit bay is so funny. Did you take a nap on it 😉.
Looks like a great island for walking.
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Ha, no we didn’t! With half the walk still to go we couldn’t afford to nap 😉.
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Such a stunning coastline! That chapel is really cool, too.
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Thank you. It’s a lovely island.
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Amazing! Love it!
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Thank you!
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I love the stunning scenery and the history. Kudos to you for doing all the ups and downs over headlands and taking excellent photos. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks Natalie! I’m glad I persisted.
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oh this is just fabulous – love it. I’ll have to investigate doing this myself
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It is a lovely coast.
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