Guernsey, Channel Islands

A tour of Guernsey takes you to the second-largest of the Channel Isles. Guernsey is often called the most English of the islands, a place where ‘politeness is a way of life’. The island of Guernsey is the centre of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a self-governing dependency of the British Crown, not part of the United Kingdom. The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the other Channel Islands of Alderney, Sark and Herm, but not Jersey, which is separate as the Bailiwick of Jersey. On our Anglo French Tour: Normandy, Brittany and the Channel Islands, the group sails from Jersey to Guernsey on Day 17 and explores the island, with a day trip to Sark, until Day 20.

St Peter Port, Guernsey.

In the Middle Ages, Guernsey and the other Channel Islands were a part of the Duchy of Normandy, which came to rule England in 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title was surrendered to France, Guernsey, along with the other Channel Islands, remained attached to the English crown. Guernsey has remained independently tied to the British Crown since 1204, and its legal system largely remains based on Norman custom and local usage, administered by the Royal Court of Guernsey.

Its ambiguous location between Britain and France has long made the island of Guernsey a place of exile from Britain and France. In the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the island of Guernsey was repeatedly raided by the French, who held Castle Cornet from 1338 to 1345. In the 19th century, Guernsey’s capital St Peter Port provided exile to Victor Hugo, banished from France, Belgium and Jersey for his fierce opposition to Napoleon III. Proclaiming it the ‘rock of hospitality and freedom’, Hugo would live on the island of Guernsey for 15 years. Hugo was inspired by the beauty of the island to complete some of his greatest works, including Les Misérables. Hugo’s home in St Peter Port, Hauteville House, intricately decorated by the author himself, is now open to the public as a fascinating museum (it opens seasonally, so check current opening times).

Hugo’s comfort was enhanced by the fact that – despite refusing to ever learn English – he was able to easily communicate in Guernsey, where the majority of locals spoke a dialect of Norman known as Guernésiais. Today, however, Guernésiais is a dying language. The majority of the island’s locals today speak English; in the 2001 census about 2% of the population spoke Guernésiais fluently, most of them over 64 years old.

The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans during World War II, from 1940 to 1945. The British Government decided not to defend the island, leaving locals to either stay put or flee to the mainland. Before the occupation, about 5,000 Guernsey schoolchildren, more than 80 percent of the island’s school-age children, were evacuated to Britain to live with relatives or strangers during the war. Some children were never reunited with their families, while in 1942 more than 800 Guernsey inhabitants were deported to internment camps in southern Germany. The tragic history of the island of Guernsey during World War II can be explored at the German Occupation Museum, founded by Richard Heaume, a local born during the Occupation, and the La Valette Underground Military Museum.

Like the other Channel Islands, Guernsey is a major tourist draw for its scenery and mild weather. Flatter and less dramatic looking than Jersey, the bucolic country lanes of Guernsey are ideal for exploration by bike or on foot. Look out for ‘Hedge Veg’ stalls where you can buy fresh local produce – just make sure to pop some money in the honesty box! The island of Guernsey is home to stunning and secluded beaches, particularly the sandy beaches of Pembroke Bay in the north, Vazon Bay and Cobo Bay on the west coast, and Fermain Bay on the east coast. Guernsey is also developing a reputation as a foodie hub, so make a point of a visit to a local restaurant or two.

Guernsey is also a great launching point for exploring the rest of the Channel Islands. Jersey, Sark, Alderney and Herm can all be reached by ferry from Guernsey, though several routes are seasonal, so check current timetables. To see how Guernsey fits into a longer route through France and the Channel Islands, read our 22-day Normandy, Brittany and Channel Islands itinerary.

Seeing Guernsey on our Anglo French Tour

On our Anglo French Tour: Normandy, Brittany and the Channel Islands, the group visits Elizabeth Castle in Jersey on Day 17 before taking the ferry to Guernsey, then explores the cobbled streets of St Peter Port and tours the island’s cliffs and countryside. Day 18 brings the Occupation Museum and the Little Chapel at Les Vauxbelets. On Day 19 the group takes the ferry to Sark for the Seigneurie Gardens and a carriage ride. Day 20 starts with a guided tour of Hauteville House and a visit to the Guernsey Tapestry at the Dorey Centre, before the ferry to Poole and the transfer to Portsmouth. The tour is rated Level 2 – Moderate and led by an Odyssey Program Leader.

Articles about the Channel Islands published by Odyssey Traveller:

• Normandy, Brittany and Channel Islands: A 22-Day Itinerary
• Victor Hugo in Guernsey: Exile, Hauteville House and Literary Legacy
• Channel Islands: Wildflowers, Potato Peel Pie and Rebels.
• Walking Tours for Active Travellers
• Highlights of the Channel Islands: St Helier, Jersey
• Jersey, Guernsey and Sark: An Island-Hopping History Itinerary
• Why the Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to the Channel Islands:

• Visit Guernsey
• Lonely Planet: the Channel Islands
• 10 things you didn’t know about Guernsey (Visit Guernsey)
• Guernsey goes gastro: A food adventure in the Channel Islands
• Where Victor Hugo found freedom
• Guernsey travel guide (The Independent)