Pocket Rough Guide Weekender Jersey: Travel Guide eBook

By Rough Guides

This compact, pocket-sized Jersey travel guidebook is ideal for travellers on weekend trips or shorter breaks in the UK. It includes ready-made walking and driving itineraries that allow you to organise your visit to Jersey without losing time planning. 

The Jersey guide book covers: St Helier, the Southwest, the West Coast, Flowers and Farming, the North Coast, Sights of the East and Durrell's Wildlife.

Inside this Jersey travel book you will find: 

• 7 ready-made walks and tours – easy-to-follow walking and driving tour itineraries featuring the best places to visit, as well as what to do and where to eat along the way
• Walks and tour highlights – short lists highlight the best of each walk or tour
• Things not to miss in Jersey – Plemont Bay, Elizabeth Castle, The Sand Wizard, Liberty Bus, St. Brelade's Bay Beach, Mont Orgueil Castle, Jersey War Tunnel, Corbière Lighthouse, Maritime Museum, St. Helier Central Market 
• Curated recommendations of places – main attractions, off-the-beaten-track adventures, child-friendly family activities, chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas
• Rainy day recommendations – plenty of options, whatever the British weather throws at you
• Insider recommendations – tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots
• Historical and cultural insights – learn more about Jersey’s rich history with fascinating cultural insights
• Trip tips – outdoor activities and themed holidays
• Practical information – how to get there and how to get around, facts for visitors 
• Handy mapping – practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered sights relating to major points of interest in the main text
• Fully updated post-COVID-19
  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781835290927

Rough Guides

Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about--having either traveled extensively or lived there--and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

Book preview

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How To Use This E-Book

This Weekender has been produced by the editors of Rough Guides, world-renowned ‘tell it like it is’ travel publishers. Make the most of your time on Earth with the ultimate travel guides.

Walks and Tours

The clearly laid-out walks and tours in this book feature options for walking or using public transport wherever possible. The emphasis is on family fun, wholesome outdoors activities, local festivals, and food and drink. There are loads of great holiday ideas: kids’ stuff, best beaches, historic pubs, literary connections, unique shops, and – crucially with our Great British weather – what to do on a rainy day.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments – options are shown in the ‘Eating Out’ box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink.

Directory

Also supporting the walks and tours is a Trips Tips section, with clearly organised practical information. There is a comprehensive round up of sports and activities in the destination, recommendations for themed holidays, plus our pick of the best places to stay.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

About Rough Guides

Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy ‘tell it like it is’ ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

© 2024 Apa Digital AG

License edition © Apa Publications Ltd UK

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Table of Contents

10 Things not to miss

Introduction to Jersey

Food and Drink

1 St Helier

Liberation Square

Maritime Museum and Tapestry Gallery

Church of St, Helier

Streets and sewers

Royal Square

Central Market

Fish Market

Jersey Museum and Art Gallery

Elizabeth Castle

The Waterfront

Feature: War Tunnels

2 The Southwest

St Aubin’s Bay

St Aubin

Noirmont Point

Portelet Bay

Ouaisné Bay

St Brelade’s Bay

3 The West Coast

La Corbière

St Ouen’s Bay

Feature: Fables and Festivals

4 Flowers and Farming

Battle of Flowers

Waterworks Valley

Hamptonne Country Life Museum

La Mare Wine Estate

St Peter’s Valley

Jersey Lavender

Detour to Eric Young Orchid Foundation

5 The North Coast

Rozel

Bouley Bay

Bonne Nuit

La Crête Fort

Devil’s Hole

Grève de Lecq

Plémont

Les Landes

Grosnez Castle

North Coast Footpath

Feature: Hall of Fame

6 Sights of the East

La Hougue Bie

Mont Orgueil Castle

Gorey Harbour

St Catherine’s Bay

Royal Bay of Grouville

Seymour Tower

Green Island

Ramsar Site

Botanic Gardens at Samarès Manor

Le Dicq and Victor Hugo

7 Durrell’s Wildlife

Durrell’s Legacy

The perfect setting

Saved from the Brink

Gentle Jambo

Active Pursuits

Themed Holidays

Practical Information

Accommodation

10 Things not to miss

Spectacular cliff paths, stunning coastal scenery, beautiful gardens, historic forts and castles, and museums chronicling the island’s rich heritage – here are just some of the highlights of Jersey at a glance.

Jersey War Tunnels. The dark, dank tunnels and evocative displays are a harrowing reminder of Jersey under the Germans.

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North Coast Footpath. Flower-clad cliff paths extend all along the northern coast, offering bracing walks and stunning views.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

Elizabeth Castle. Take the Castle Ferry to see this Tudor fort, which defended the island for over 300 years.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

Maritime Museum. Explore the island’s links with the sea and its former role as a seafaring state.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

Mont Orgueil Castle. Climb the ramparts of this medieval fortress for splendid views of the east coast and Normandy, across the water.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

Samarès Manor. This fine manor is a horticultural haven with acres of landscaped gardens, a plant nursery and spectacular herb garden.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

Jersey Museum and Art Gallery. Steep yourself in Jersey’s history at this award-winning museum.

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Surfing. Ride the big Atlantic swell which pounds the 4-mile (6km) sandy bay of St Ouen’s – or just sit and watch the surfing pros.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

La Hougue Bie. A huge mound conceals one of the largest and best-preserved Neolithic passage graves in Europe.

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Jersey Zoo. No ordinary zoo, Durrell has been saving species on the brink for more than 60 years.

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Introduction To Jersey

A tiny island in the shadow of France, Jersey packs in big beaches, stunning seascapes and a host of historic and family attractions.

St Brelade’s Bay

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When the novelist Victor Hugo was exiled from France he chose to live on the island closest to home – just 14 miles (22km) across the Channel, where his native language was spoken. Fragments of Europe dropped by France and picked up by England, was how he described the Channel Islands. As self-governing islands and strongholds of ancient, semi-feudal laws, the Channel Islands are neither truly British, nor are they French. English is now the accepted language, the currency is pounds and pence, yet many street names are still in French, the food has a Gallic slant and the islands have a distinctly foreign flavour. Tourists are drawn by this combination of French flavour and British lifestyle – not to mention the location, which is sufficiently far south to guarantee more daily hours of sun than anywhere else in Britain.

Jersey

For a small island, Jersey offers a wide range of attractions and activities, from ancient castles and wartime relics to sea sports and cycle tours, spas and adventure parks. But for most visitors it’s the coastline that has the greatest allure. Jersey has 50 miles (80km) of shoreline and 20 miles (32km) of fine sandy beaches, swept clean by huge tides. The island tilts southwards, and seascapes range from the towering cliffs of the north to the Atlantic rollers of the west and the spacious sands of the south. The island has one of the largest tidal movements in the world, and the coastal landscape undergoes dramatic changes between high and low water.

Location and Climate

The most southerly of the British Isles, Jersey lies in the Gulf of St Malo, 100 miles (160km) from mainland Britain, but only 14 miles (22km) from the coast of Normandy. On most days you can see France from the north and east coasts. Largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is 9 miles (14km) east to west, 5 miles (8km) north to south. In summer, the island has a daily average of eight hours of sunshine and an enviable average maximum temperature of 68°F (20°C). There is always the risk of bad weather, but clouds are often quickly dispersed by the strong south-westerly winds.

The Jersey cow pops up everywhere on the island.

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Toads and Donkeys

Deep-rooted rivalries exist between Jersey and Guernsey. To Guernsey natives Jersey is the other island and the inhabitants are crapauds (toads), while Jersey people refer to the residents of their supposedly stubborn little sister as ânes (donkeys).

The crapaud, which is found only on Jersey, has been fast disappearing from ponds and waterways. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, renowned for recovering endangered species from more exotic climes, is currently helping to save the island mascot.

British Links

The Channel Islands once formed part of the Duchy of Normandy but have had links with the British Isles ever since the Battle of Hastings, when they became part of the Anglo-Norman realm. The links were reinforced in 1204 when King John lost Normandy to France but the Channel Islands chose to remain loyal to the English crown. In return for their allegiance King John granted the islands customs and privileges, tantamount to self-government, which have since been confirmed by every English monarch. France then became the enemy, and for the next 650 years Jersey was repeatedly threatened by French invasions. The last invaders were the Nazi Germans, who occupied the Channel Islands in World War II.

Language

Until the 1960s French was still the official language of Jersey. Prayers are still said in French before States and court sittings, and the parliament votes pour or contre. Not so long ago a Jersey resident would have spoken English, standard French and Jèrriais, a derivation of ancient Jersey-Norman. This patois enjoyed a revival during the German Occupation as a useful means of covert communication, and today it can very occasionally be heard by elderly Jersiais (the people who speak it). Only a handful of the population speak it fluently, but renewed interest in the language has led to the introduction of classes in some schools.

The English language was first introduced to Jersey in the eighteenth century, and is now spoken by all the islanders. Street names on the island still carry