How on earth did the UK get the Channel Islands? They’re 8 miles from France and 70 miles south of England!The rocky Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey being the main 2 islands) are spread across 75 sq. miles of open sea off the Brittany and Normandy coasts. Guernsey is 24 sq miles (6 miles long, 3 miles wide) with a population of 60,000. The island’s 10 parishes offer a perfect mix of unspoilt countryside, great beaches and long winding cliff paths. The island was very British, but with some French names. Financial services account for about 55% of the total income in this tax haven, so it’s similar to Bermuda in a lot of respects. The Channel Islands were the only British soil occupied by the German troops during World War II.
We anchored in the capital of St Peter Port, a nice town with cobbled streets, where there are 30 foot tides, leaving a lot of the boats sitting on the mud at low tide. Ashore, we took a bus right around the island. Once again we were blessed with great weather. The island’s 10 parishes offer a perfect mix of unspoilt countryside, great beaches and long winding cliff paths. We stopped at L’Eree and went to the local 2 day Agricultural fair. Charlotte enjoyed seeing all the farm animals,
different fruit, veg (a 2 foot carrot!) etc in competitions on display, the shows and in particular, the fairground rides!
