Channel Islands Part 4: walking on Guernsey and Sark

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Arrival in Sark

Sark (11.1 km)

On our first day in Guernsey we caught the small ferry shown above to the totally car free island of Sark, population ~500. Our route covered both “Big Sark” and “Little Sark” connected by the rocky ridge known as the Coupée.

The first gallery has some highlights of Big Sark. The other people in one of the photos are Don and Kerry, an Australian couple who were following a similar itinerary to us. We had made friends with them during the long wait in Jersey Airport described in my last post, and although we didn’t walk together our paths often crossed.

Sark Henge
Don and Kerry
Derrible Bay
Hog’s back headland
Dixcart Bay

Here’s the Coupée from both sides.

La Coupée
La Coupée
La Coupée
La Coupée
La Coupée

On Little Sark we observed the local transport, saw some chimneys from old silver mines, and at one point were forced to follow slowly behind a small group of cattle who found the vegetation along the narrow path very tasty and kept stopping for snacks. Eventually the path widened sufficiently to pass them.

Little Sark traffic jam
Old silver mine chimneys
The locals

Back on Big Sark we enjoyed a late lunch in Stocks Hotel, found a gold post box with an Easter topper, and the oldest manual telephone box in the British Isles. (Gold post boxes honour winners at the 2012 London Olympics. This one is for Sark’s Carl Hester who won Team Gold in the Dressage).

Anabel at Stocks Hotel
Easter post box
Last manual telephone in the British Isles

While waiting for the ferry back we wandered round the pretty Creux Harbour. A lovely day!

Creux Harbour

Jerbourg Point to St Peter Port (8.9 km)

This was the only walk of the holiday where we caught a bus to the start and walked all the way back to the hotel. Jerbourg Point is at the south-east of the island. The bus dropped us off at Hotel Jerbourg from where we walked around the Point before heading back up the coast to St Peter Port.

The section round the Point was beautiful. We started outside the hotel and circled back to it. I had been keen to use its coffee shop as soon as we arrived but was persuaded to leave it until we returned. Well worth the wait!

Jerbourg Point
Jerbourg Point
Jerbourg Point

There aren’t many photos of the next section of the walk. I remember a lot of ups and downs and some wooded sections where the views maybe weren’t as good. About 1pm we arrived above Fermain Bay with a tower and a small beach café. Naturally I was keen to get down there!

Fermain Bay, with Fermain Tower and Beach Café to left

It was very busy, so we had a good long break waiting for and enjoying our food while we chatted to a local couple whose table we shared. From here we climbed back up onto the cliffs, and the next photographs we have are from near the end of the walk at Clarence Battery. From here we could see our destination, St Peter Port, and Castle Cornet.

Clarence Battery
St Peter Port and Castle Cornet from Clarence Battery

South coast from Icart Point to Portelet Bay (15.1 km)

Despite the fact that this was our longest walk we don’t have many pictures of it either. I think because it was so relentlessly up and down and, to be honest, we already had lots of photos of rocky coasts and gorse bushes, we weren’t that enthusiastic about taking photographs.

We started with a bus ride to Icart Corner. During the walk we came across both types of tower prevalent on the Channel Islands – Martello and Second World War. The former had a welcome café attached for morning coffee which we needed as fuel for all those steps. Occasionally, there was a welcome bench to recover on, then there was more slog. Towards the end we came across La Table des Pions, a small stone circle dating from the late 18th or 19th century, after which we quickly reached our bus stop at Portelet Bay.

At Icart Point
Petit Bot Tearooms
Looking back to Icart Point
By order of the Constables of the Forest
Relentless steps
A welcome bench
Looking towards Prevote Tower
Prevote Tower
Anabel trudging
German gun
Table des Pions

The day after this walk we returned to Jersey for our final two nights and, as I have already written about in a previous post, we visited the War Tunnels because I could not face another coastal walk. This was the one that had finished me off!

Overall, we had a lovely, if tiring time. Would we go back to the Channel Islands? Possibly: Jersey and Guernsey were both attractive, but I wouldn’t attempt them both at once again and, given how many other places in the British Isles I still haven’t seen, returning won’t be a high priority. But I’m glad we went.

Linked to Jo’s Monday walk.

For my next trick I’m going to time travel back 20 years in honour of a not particularly happy anniversary – watch this space!

Channel Islands , ,

61 Comments »


  3. Hi Anabel – I’ve never been … and unlikely now – so I enjoyed your tour … thank you! My legs are fine at the moment!! My best friend lived in Sark for a while – sadly she died early in life … but we’d had some time in Ireland together … she was born opposite our house in Surrey – before they moved on when we were approximately 10 – I also moved on … to boarding school. Cheers Hilary

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  4. Pingback: Jo’s Monday medley – 12 | Still Restlessjo

  9. oh dear lots of ups and downs, that bench and the cafe would be a very welcome sight. Beautiful coastal scenery though. Now I wonder what happened 20 years ago. 🤔

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  10. I could not possibly have done so much walking in one trip! Amazing views, though. How nice that there are plenty of places for refreshments. Certainly understandable that you’d want to visit other places rather than returning here anytime soon. I’ve never understood those who vacation the same place every year. No sense of adventure, I guess. More like going from home to home.

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  12. Got here at last, Anabel. It was an eventful day, and not all of it good, so I’m happy to relax in the armchair and let you do the legwork. They do look very attractive islands and your weather looked ideal. Many thanks for the share. xx

    Now, I wonder what happened 20 years ago….?

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  13. Thanks for taking me there, Anabel, with these beautiful photos. Ever since I stayed at anchor for one night in a bay off Jersey, waiting for the tide to turn, I’ve wanted to visit the Channel Islands, but that has never materialized.

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  14. I think you’d need a restful holiday after all those ups and downs walks! I love all the photos that you did take a really interesting snapshot of the islands. Thank you.

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  16. Somehow, Sark’s scenery looks bigger than the island itself, if that makes sense. But excellent for an interesting walk, I’d say. Obviosly better than your longer walk. I’m glad I only gave you a scant 4 miles!

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  18. So much to like here. The colour of the water, the post box topper, the location of the bench, but phew, I’d never get across the Coupee. I’d prefer a less strenuous walking holiday, but you did very well.

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    • The Coupee is quite wide – like a country lane – so it wasn’t difficult. The photos maybe make it look narrower and more precarious than it is. I would probably have preferred a less strenuous walking holiday too! Even John was happy to forego the last walk and do something easier.

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  19. The Sark walk looks particularly attractive and varied – or is that just because you have more photos from that one? I know what you mean about having enough of a certain subject, rocky coasts in your case, and only later realising you’d have liked one or two for a blog post!

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  21. Such beautiful views. And a small ferry! I could see the islands be a great destination for once and then continue on to others. Lots of ups and downs, huh? Mmmm. Yeah, maybe better to not do them on the same trip. I find it interesting how in the UK and often in Europe, destinations and attractions have cafes attached to it. Here in South America, you walk for many miles in nature and there is no place where you could have a drink, a snack, a meal, or even a rest.

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    • It’s what i like about walking in parts of England, such as the Lake District and the Yorkshire dales, both of which we have recently visited. You can plan your routes round pubs and tea rooms! It’s not quite the same in Scotland, particularly the Highlands, which are more remote. However, we are a small country geographically and do not have the large expanses of empty land that you have in the Americas.

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  22. Sark looks a lovely island, if a tiring one for walkers with the ups and downs. One of the few things I remember clearly from Mr Pye ( not the plot or the various characters) was the cliff views and La Coupee as they featured heavily in most episodes. Bob. BSS.

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  26. Quite a mixture of things on this walk and so much to like but I’m glad I’m not trudging along with you. Those steps do look relentless, did you count them? A great photo of the Petit Bot tea rooms and as an ex telephonist I like the old phone box. Favourite view this time is the large shot of Jerbourg Point, that streaky sky is lovely 😊

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I'd love to hear what you think!