An hour’s ferry ride takes you to the Island of Guernsey and its pretty capital Saint Peter Port where we picked up another car and set off to explore the island.
My mother visited the Channel Islands many years ago and told me of a little chapel decorated with pieces of crockery and china. I was fascinated to see this vision for myself so that was our first port of call. Dubbed, ever so sweetly TLC (The Little Chapel) it is the cutest wee building originally built in 1914 by Brother Déodat. His first effort measured just 9 feet by 4.5 feet. But his fellow brothers mocked his efforts so he demolished it and built another. This time the Little Chapel was 9 feet by 6 feet but when the Bishop of Portsmouth visited in 1923 he could not fit through the door so again Déodat demolished his handiwork. The third and current version measures 16 feet by 9 feet. Every surface of the chapel is decorated with broken china, seashells and pebbles. From a distance it appears brightly decorated but when you get up close to it you can see the painstaking intricacy of the mosaic adornment. Some of the china has come from all over the world as people heard about the chapel and wanted to find a permanent home for some precious but damaged crockery item. The building is on two levels with a winding staircase joining the two areas. It is an astonishing piece of work on a tiny scale complete with altar and side chapels. It fits about eight people at once (presumably so long as one of them is not the Bishop of Portsmouth from 1923!)
We had another delicious seafood dinner at our hotel with marvellous views across the water to the island of Herm. This view from our hilltop accommodation faced due east so the next morning we rose early to watch the sunrise. It was definitely worth the early start as the sun shone through the clouds to form a golden beam onto the water. It was so peaceful and pretty and we walked through a woodland track that looped back to the hotel and a hearty breakfast.
Like Jersey, Guernsey’s coast has many stunning coves and beaches. We did a cliff walk near Petit Port and then descended to the lovely beachside café for coffee. While we sat and enjoyed the scenery and caffeine we heard the owner of the café lamenting the lack of business to a friend as they sat at the next table. It was a beautiful spot on the coast and the coffee was excellent but apparently visitors are a bit few and far between. We were happy to do our bit for his economic survival. Our next stop was stunning. An area made famous by the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, we walked through a forest, past the tiny fishing harbour of Saint’s Bay to the delightful Moulin Huet Bay. Another tiny café serves cream teas, cold drinks and other café fare. The view of the rocky and golden sand beach beyond the wildflower strewn fields is incredibly pretty. The rocky outcrop on the opposite side of the bay is familiar to fans of Renoir as they are distinctive in shape and present in several of his famous paintings.
(above)Moulin Huet Bay
(right) Renoir’s Painting of the bay 1883
Another stunning beach is Petit Bot Bay where several children braved the chilly water as their parents watched on from the comfort of a towel on the sand. The whole of Guernsey is only 65 km² so a circumnavigation is easy to accomplish. The west coast is gorgeous too with numerous headlands and bays.
We stopped at a beachside eatery, complete with sun lounges and umbrellas, for crab sandwiches, chips and cider. The weather was glorious and set off the brilliant blues and greens of the sea.
Inland the twisting lanes passed golden fields, green woods and picturesque villages. And flowers, everywhere flowers, in gardens and fields and growing from cracks in walls and cliffs.
Our final stop was Victor Hugo’s house overlooking St Peter Port where he wrote many of his best known works including Les Misérables.
There appears to be a little friendly rivalry between Jersey and Guernsey. In either place the locals gave a little ‘oh you don’t want to bother with them’ pfft noise when we said we were visiting the other island. But then just as quickly they conceded that the other island was lovely. We found both places to be incredibly picturesque, clean and litter-free with well-maintained roads and friendly helpful locals. We were so surprised at how few tourists we encountered. It probably made our holiday more pleasant as everywhere was quiet and uncrowded to the point where we had many places to ourselves but we couldn’t help thinking that a few more visitors would ensure the long term viability of tourism. Ian and I can’t speak too highly of both Jersey and Guernsey. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
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1. Guernsey west coast
2. Guernsey west coast
3. Rozel window
4. St Helier wall art
5. Liberation Sculpture, St Helier
6. First world problems
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Back to Part 1 of What’s a Bailiwick?