Jersey - Days 7 & 8

Yesterday the weather forecast was not good (windy, cold and rainy) so we had a lazy morning and then went in to St Helier to do some shopping and have some lunch.  In the afternoon we went to the cinema (again! This time we went to see Hangover 3 which was OK but not great).

Today we flew back to Southend Airport - as our flight wasn't until the afternoon we decided to go to Gorey on the East Coast to have a look round the harbour and the castle.  The village of Gorey is very small  but very pretty and is set around a small harbour.

Gorey Harbour and Village

 

Above the village is Mount Orgueil Castle which, over 600 years, protected Jersey against French invasion.  The castle is like a maze inside, with a network of stairs, towers and secret rooms and you could easily get lost in there!!  Throughout the castle and its grounds were statues and artwork that told the story of the castle and I thought it was a good way to make things come more to life.

Mount Orgueil Castle

Peter in the stocks (unfortuntely I didn't have any rotten vegetables to throw at him!)

Some of the statues showing life in the castle (below is the prison)

 

The dressing up room was suppose to only be for the kids.....

When we were at the top of the castle we had a great view of Gorey.

View of Gorey Harbour from the top of the castle

View from behind the castle - if we win the lottery I am buying one of those houses!

After the castle we had an early lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking the harbour - as the weather was nice we sat outside and shared some tapas - it was DELISH and one of the best meals we have had in Jersey (and we have had quite a few!).

Delish meal - Calamari, Tiger Prawns and Potato Bravas

MY THOUGHTS ON JERSEY: We have really enjoyed our week in Jersey - the scenery is amazing, even on a cloudy, overcast and windy day, but its even better when the sun is shining, with the sun rays bouncing off the sea and the cliffs.  We found the people very friendly and at many of the attractions they were keen to explain things to you and help in any way they could. 

And the food was LOVELY!  I have never eaten so much seafood and fish in one week but we couldn't resist as it was so fresh.  Even the Jersey Potatoes tasted better in Jersey - when we had lunch one day we were served Jersey Potatoes even through Peter had pizza and I had a ploughmans - but we ate them and then raved about them for the rest of the day.

Driving is very easy although you never go over 40 mph and sometimes have to go as slow as 15 mph!  We got lost a few times but weren't that worried as we knew we wouldn't end up too far from where we were trying to go to as the Island isn't very big.  Peter did a great job as navigator and got us out of the maze that is St Helier a couple of times (its all one way streets!) and was able to correct our path when I had taken a wrong turning.

WE HAD A GREAT HOLIDAY.

Jersey - Day 6

Today we explored the west coast of Jersey - it has been a gloriously sunny day but VERY WINDY (WARNING: Pictures below show seriously bad windswept hair)!

Our first stop of the day was Plemont Bay at the very north west of the Island.  The plan was to have breakfast at the little cafe there and then explore the beach with its rock pools, sea caves and waterfalls.  We had the choice of driving down to the cafe down a steep road no bigger than a path down the side of a cliff, or parking at the top and walking down about 100 steps - we chose the latter but we regretted it on the way back up (I had to keep stopping for a rest)!  We had a lovely breakfast (I had waffles and Peter had bacon and eggs with his waffle) with a beautiful view of the beach with the Islands of Guernsey, Sark and Herm in the distance. After breakfast we made our way down some more steps to get on the beach - however we hit a problem when we got to the bottom of the steps.....although the tide was out there was a huge rock pool at the bottom of the steps that we would have to wade through to get to the beach which we decided against and just took photos from the steps instead. It was a shame as it would have been a lovely beach to stroll along but it wasn't to be!

Plemont bay (view from the steps!)

We then made our way down the west coast along St Ouens bay which is 5 miles long, with the first stop being at Etacquerel which is the northern most tip of St Ouens bay.

Panoramic view of Etacquerel

Our next stop was the Channel Islands Military Museum which was based in one of the German bunkers from WW2.  It was just a small museum full of artifacts and stories left over from the occupation and was interesting - I think we will be experts on the German occupation of Jersey by the end of the holiday!!!

Peter outside the Channel Islands Military Museum

St Ouens Bay

Our next stop was a wild meadow I had read about which I thought would be nice to see, even if it was blowing a gale!  Peter wasn't keen but we went to find the meadow, which was just over the road from St Ouens Bay, and it took us a while to get there but finally found it.  When we got there there was a group of people with a guide who told us that the meadow was not currently open to the public (its a meadow for gods sake!).  There was another couple there and the lady said to me, lets just tag on the back so we did!  The guide didn't seem to mind and as we were walking long he said to us "do you know what you are looking for" and we said no (with blank looks on our faces!) and he showed us two wild orchids that were scattered through the meadow.

Wild Orchids

The meadow caused Peter's hay-fever to flare up so we ended up sneaking off from the group in the end!  The wind was really bad and at one time it was buffeting the car whilst I was driving along and nearly pushed us off the road!!!  Our final stop of the day was Corbiere Lighthouse - as the tide was out we were able to walk across the causeway right up to the Lighthouse.

Monument at Corbiere Lighthouse

Its behind you!

Walking over the causeway to the lighthouse

By this time it was mid afternoon so we decided to drive back to St Brelades Bay and had a cream tea sitting outside looking over the bay.

Panoramic view of St Brelades Bay

Jersey - Day 5

Today we toured the northern coast of Jersey - starting off at the north east corner and going along the coast to the West.  Our first stop was Bouley Bay which has a small harbour and stony beach.  We had to drive down a long winding hill to get there and, when we arrived, we found there wasn't much down there but it was very pretty!

Bouley Bay

Our next stop was Bonne Nuit Bay which is a small fishing harbour - the road down to the bay really put my driving skills to the test as it was not only very winding but also very steep!!  It was a lot easier going back up. We stopped at the little cafe there and sat outside having a drink looking over the harbour and watching the fisherman coming in.

The harbour at Bonne Nuit Bay

We then drove on to Sorel Point, the most northerly tip of the Island.  We could see France to the right of us and the Island of Sark very clearly directly in front of us.

At Sorel Point

Peter looked at the map and said that Devil's Hole, which is a natural crater in the cliff measuring 100ft across and plunging 200ft down, was probably only half a mile away and suggested that we walk along the north coast path to get there. We really enjoyed the walk but after nearly an hour, and with Peter constantly saying 'it is just behind this bend/over this hill' to me, we still hadn't got there and I was starting to flag!  Peter suggested walking up one last hill to see if we could see it, and when we got to the top we could see it in the distance and decided that it wasn't worth the extra walk and turned back to the car. Along the walk my text kept going off and I was getting texts from T-Mobile welcoming me to Guernsey and France even though we hadn't left Jersey!

Views on our walk to Devil's point

 

Our final destination of the day is Greve De Lecq which is a very pretty, small beach.  We enjoyed exploring the north coast especially as it was our first sunny day since Saturday!

Greve De Lecq beach

Jersey - Day 4

This morning, as part of the Jersey Food Festival, we did a tour of the Jersey Dairy and Trinity Manor dairy farm.  The first part of the tour was a look round the dairy and, after donning some very attractive hair nets, we went and looked at the production line for their milk and yogurt. I thought we would be on the floor watching them as we had to wear the ridiculous hair nets but we were actually in a viewing gallery behind glass and it was the hottest room that I have ever been in - I had a thick jumper on and was sweltering and was really only looking forward to the free ice cream at the end of the tour!

Cow picture on the front of the Jersey Dairy building

The 2nd part of the tour was the bit I was looking forward to - seeing the cows!  It was a 10 minute walk from Jersey Diary to the Trinity Manor dairy farm and believe me when I say we could smell them before we saw them - what a whiff! We met the farm manager who told us about the farm and then we were off to see the cows!  We first saw the calves which were in individual pens - they were so cute but when you went to stroke them they freaked out a bit - all they really wanted to do was lick your hand or suck on your clothes  (random I know but true!).

Calf sucking on Peter's jacket!

I want one!  The only way I could get it to pose was to let it suck on the camera case.

We were then taken in to the main barn where all the bigger cows were kept - the farm manager was telling us all about farming the cows, and was showing us the milking machine but I wasn't really listening as I was too busy looking at all the cows (for those who don't know - I like cows!).

Cows posing!

Cows clambering for a lick of Peter's hand (or was it a nibble of the jacket....)

Evil cow on the right !

Cautiously tickling the cows nose (all she wanted to do was eat my jumper!)

We really enjoyed going to the cow farm and it was good to have the opportunity to go behind the scenes.  It was a day of animals because in the afternoon we went to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.  The park was founded by Gerald Durrell over 50 years ago where conservationists work closely with the animals to better understand what is required to ensure they survive in their natural habitats.  Our favourites were the gorillas, the lemurs and the meerkats!

Cute meerkats

Peter pretending to be a meerkat (look at the meerkat behind him looking at him!)

Gorilla looking right at me!

Baby gorilla with his mum

He couldn't resist could he!

We enjoyed today and the weather has improved - it is still quite overcast and we had a few spots of rain so hopefully the weather will get better as the week goes along!

Jersey - Day 3

Today we went to Elizabeth Castle which is built on a rock in St Aubin's Bay and is more then 400 years old! As the tide was still out we walked over along a causeway but the tide was fully in on the way back so we had to go on the ferry which was a combination of both boat and bus - very strange.

The castle was very interesting as you were able to climb all over the castle, and there was also a museum which told you the history of the castle but it was so WINDY and cold - of course me and Peter hadn't really dressed for the weather (wishful thinking as the sun was out when we first got up).

Walking along causeway to Elizabeth Castle (look at my windswept hair!)

 

View from the causeway with the sea coming in

Cannons at Elizabeth Castle.

Locking Peter in the dungeon!

 We then went in to St Helier and had a look round the shops and had lunch overlooking the harbour.  As it kept raining on and off we decided to go to the cinema in the afternoon.  Driving back to St Brelade's Bay we go stuck in the 'rush hour' which is probably the busiest we have seen on the roads so far in Jersey!  In the evening we went to a restaurant that is opposite to where we are staying called Oyster Box where we had a lovely meal - I had seafood risotto and Peter had lobster pasta which was a nice end to the day.

Dinner at the Oyster Box

 

Jersey - Day 2

Today's weather has been a complete contrast to yesterday - it has been wet and drizzling all day!  I had planned for us to go to the north coast of the island to do a long walk but that was out of the question so we decided to go to the Jersey War Tunnels instead.........along with the rest of Jersey as it was a nightmare to park and was really busy inside!

The Jersey War Tunnels tells the story of Islanders under Occupation - it was originally intended  to be a barracks and ammunition store for the occupying forces and the museum told the story of how all sides coped under the conditions and dealt with the daily dilemmas that they faced. It was very interesting although it did get a bit chilly in the tunnels.

Entrance to the Jersey War Tunnels

Peter and some large propellers!

One of the German army vehicles

One of the unfinished tunnels

It was still raining when we left the tunnels, and had turned quite cold, so we drove to St Ouens Bay on the west coast. The bay is 5 miles long and is one of Jersey's most popular beaches, especially with surfers as the bay has huge waves rolling in from the Atlantic.  We went to one of the beach cafes there and watched the people surfing whilst having our lunch.  We tried to brave the rain to walk along the beach but it was too much but we will definitely come back on a nicer day!

St Ouen's bay on a wet and windy day!