FROM HIGHLAND TO ISLAND TO TRY OUT JERSEY FOR SIZE

 Day 1 Thursday 19th September

We have never been to Jersey before, but we thought we should give it a go. It is pretty easy to get to from Inverness via Heathrow. It turned out not to be so easy to do the return journey, but you'll have to read to the end to find that out. Frankly, summer had been grim this year and a short break away to somewhere warmer seemed like a good idea. Of course, this meant leaving Inverness after two days of glorious sunshine, with more brightness forecast. This was after our stellar neighbour, Hugh, drove us to the airport at 6  in the morning!

We had breakfast at Heathrow. Sharon had a Mimosa and I had a Bloody Mary. The lady behind has obviously seen Sharon with a drink before - perhaps in the fountains in Barcelona after a few Limoncellos! I know Limoncello is Italian, but you had to be there!

We did actually eat something as well. Breakfast was OK for an airport.

Next stop, Jersey, pick up the luggage, which made it all the way through, jump in a taxi, get to the hotel. We had, without any basis in fact, expected a sea view, but we were not within sight of the sea. Nonetheless, the Hotel Club and Spa in St Helier was very comfortable and the welcome glass of something fizzy in the lobby was very much appreciated. Due to my perfect organisation, we quickly left the hotel and set out on a self guided walk around the town to get our bearings. Liberation Square seems to be the centre of town and that is where we started. There are loads of restaurants and bars here. The buses that go everywhere on the island leave from here. It really is the centre.

Right in the centre of the centre is Liberation Sculpture, which commemorates 50 years since the island was freed from German occupation in May 1945. It depicts islanders celebrating their freedom and waving a Union Flag. Astonishingly, it turns out that this was all pretty controversial. The committee overseeing the commission of the sculpture had all sorts of different ideas and the design unveiled to the public showed people releasing 50 doves to represent peace. Islanders did not like this, instead wanting to celebrate liberation. Indeed, they argued that if there had been any doves about at the time, they would have been killed and eaten by the hungry population! Suffice to say the design changed a number of times after public outrage and what we see today seems to more fairly represent public feeling.

I will not go through every yard of the walk, but here are some things that caught my eye or imagination.  This tiny, insignificant plaque in the Town churchyard commemorates Baron de Roullecourt, who led French invaders in 1781. Now, I know history is written by the victors, but this seems a little mean-spirited. Surely, he should have had a memorial befitting his rank, or nothing at all. It doesn't even say what rank he held, or why he lies here. A footnote in a churchyard may I suppose, indicate the views of the islanders at the time.

We walked along Church Street, which is also called Rue Trousse Cotillon. My schoolboy French made nothing of that, but it means bundle up your petticoats! Apparently a stream flowed along the street in the past. Whether it carried clear sparkling water or something less wholesome, I don't know.

This bilingual signage neatly illustrates the history and heritage of the island. People here, at home, complain about dual Gaelic and English signage, rather than seeing it as a pointer to the rich and varied past that it represents.

Royal Square was very interesting, if more than a little noisy, being filled with at least a million screaming schoolchildren and another million pigeons. It was a great deal noisier in 1781, when the Battle of Jersey took place here. The invading French force was defeated in about 15 minutes by British troops (including Fraser's and Seaforth Highlanders) and Jersey Militia. It is sometimes referred to as the last land battle to be fought on British soil. Clearly that isn't true, because we've always been told that was the Battle of Culloden in 1746, just up the road from our house. It all comes down to the definition of battle and British soil. I'm not going to get into that, but Culloden involved a lot more troops and took a bit longer to finish.

On one building was Police Alarm Number 2. This was one of 9 telephone alarms positioned through the town, which allowed you to call the police. They were abandoned in 1923 when the Jersey Telephone Service was instituted.

There was a rather nice sundial on the wall of one building, allowing locals to recalibrate their clocks, always remembering to take into account corrections for time as given in all the best almanacks. Having neither clock nor almanack, I stuck with my watch, which was considerably different in time to the sundial.

It suggested the time was about quarter to three. The clock round the corner more accurately agreed with my watch at quarter to four. The crest on the wall to the left of the clock is an insurer's mark. In 1715, thatched roofs were banned on the buildings in this area. Fire had been a common occurrence. The mark indicates that this building was insured against fire.

The statue is of George II. His son, William was Butcher Cumberland, the commander of the Royalist forces at Culloden. Note the blue sky!

On the plinth of George's statue, is a Bench Mark and brass button. Not too remarkable, you might think, but the button is the point from which all distances in Jersey are measured.

There is a very nice indoor Victorian market 

Inside the market is the first pillar box of its kind in the British Isles. It was designed by Anthony Trollope, better known as a novelist. However, he worked for the Post Office and was asked to sort out difficulties with collecting mail in rural areas. This included the Channel Islands, where the problem related to tidal times and ranges. The boxes he proposed were based on similar ideas in France. They were originally green as that was thought to be less obtrusive. In fact, they were too unobtrusive as people kept walking into them and they were eventually all painted red.

We managed to stop for a cup of tea and a very large and sticky cinnamon bun.

There is a very nice fountain here. It is one of three built in Yorkshire. There is another in Shropshire and the third was inconveniently lost at sea on its way to Australia.

Parade Gardens - a late 18th Century regimental parade ground. The statue is General Don, who was the Governor of Jersey during the Napoleonic Wars.

Sharon standing beside a pillar with a big toad on top.

There seem to be conflicting reports of why there is a toad here. The area was once a marshland and populated by toads, so there is a natural explanation.

Another suggestion is that it is down to the rivalry between France and England. The English called the French Frogs and, in retaliation, the French called the Jersey islanders toads.

Going further back in time, Saint Samson of Dol was given a less than warm welcome to Jersey. So much so, that he went to Guernsey instead. When he was there he decided to send all the snakes and toads from Guernsey to Jersey. To this day, Jersey is the only Channel Island with a population of toads.

The statue was erected in the general location of the old jail and the words around the column are from a 1771 Jersey code of law.

You will notice the washing is all hanging out in the street behind Sharon. It was everywhere it has to be said and, to be fair, it was a fine drying day.

In reality, this is part of an art installation. Islanders were asked to donate shirts and to tell the story behind the shirts. These stories are described on the walls along the street. they are happy, sad, funny and poignant. It was quite amazing.

From one art installation to another.

In the Arthouse, was an exhibition called Of all the People in All the World. With a deceptively simple premise that 1 grain of rice represents 1 person, the exhibition illustrates all sorts of statistics.

For example, left to right. The number of people with dementia in the UK, the number of unpaid carers looking after people with dementia, and the number of people with dementia who died in 2023.

Clockwise from far left. Martin Luther King and crowd, Washington 1963, The number of Africans transported on British ships to America to be slaves 1640 to 1807, People taking part in Black Lives Matter marches in Birmingham UK, June 2020, African American students marching for Civil Rights, Birmingham Alabama 1963, People from the Caribbean on the Windrush 1948.

From left to right - Dominic Cummings, the population of Barnard Castle, The number of UK employees of Specsavers.

There were a lot more of these and it was truly informative and entertaining. Apparently, the concept has been around the world and has been on the go for years. Lou Reed apparently said you could learn more form this than reading the whole of the New York Times.

So, suitably informed, we got back to the hotel for a hot bath and a freshen up.

Then it was time for dinner, which we had in the bar of the hotel.

I had what might be the tastiest crab linguine I have ever had.

Sharon had a fig and beetroot salad, which was apparently really good.

I needed bread to mop up my sauce and they brought me two really very good home-made bread rolls.

A fine meal to  end a good day all round.

Day 2 Friday 20th September

We did not rush to get up today. After a good and leisurely breakfast, we had a look at the outdoor pool at the hotel. As it happens we never did have cause to wear our dookers!

We had decided that we should walk along the front to St Aubin this beautiful, warm morning.

We started in front of this. We thought it must be the remains of a steamship of some importance to the island.

Apparently, it is nothing of the sort. It is actually a steam clock - who knew such a thing was even a thing? It is highly controversial here, because it has not really worked very well since it was commissioned in 1996 at a cost of £250000. It is the biggest such clock in the world, but it doesn't work and most islanders seem to think it a colossal waste of money. Having said that, I don't think the time was so far off the truth when we were there.

More public art - The Sail, by Chinese artist Zheng Lu. The artist is internationally known for his pieces which often reflect the movement of materials like water. This illustrates the movement of a sail in the wind.

The next piece is The Freedom Tree, which represents freedom, peace and hope for the future. It was unveiled to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Jersey in 1945.

You get a fine view of Elizabeth Castle from the Freedom Tree. As you might expect the castle is named after Elizabeth I who was queen of England when the castle was largely built. It was named by Sir Walter Raleigh, who was Governor of Jersey at the time. The castle has undergone various military changes and occupations from then until now. It was used and significantly altered by the Germans in the Second World War. It is now a museum, open to the public. We did not manage to get there, which seems a pity.

There is a tidal causeway out to the castle, or you can go out in one of two amphibious buses, one of which was on its way as we walked by.

The beach is also famous as the location of the first place that a plane landed on Jersey. This came about as a result of a race from St Malo in August 1912. Now only seagulls and kites fly in here.

More art. Dolphins and divers in Les Jardins de la Mer. Remarkably I cannot find out much about this very boisterous sculpture.

There are, apparently, two amphibious buses and this is one of them on dry land.

Sharon by the seaside.

All along the coastline of the island there are defensive towers of one sort or another.

This is called First Tower. In fact it is not the first defensive tower to be built. It was built in 1780. It was called the First Tower because it was the first of three towers defending St Aubin's bay.

Jersey had a railway line, which opened in 1870 and ran between St Helier and St Aubin, with some later extensions serving particular enterprises.

This café is within the old Millbrook Station, built in 1912. 

The railway had a fairly chequered history as a business and it closed in 1936. The Germans reopened it during their occupation of Jersey in order to move materials rather than people.

Now people like us just walk along the route of the old railway line.

It is a bit of a step along the front, especially in the warmth. It was getting close to lunchtime and The Slip seemed like a nice place to stop. Boy, was that a good idea. A seat outside. A view over the beach. A cold beer. What's not to like?

The food was really good as well. Just perfect, really.

Cauliflower fritters with a mango chutney and a sriracha mayo, Home-made flatbreads with chimichurri and garlic prawns on toast.

Suitably fortified, we carried on to St Aubin, which is a very pretty little place. There were little, narrow staircases disappearing off the main drag. If it wasn't for my arthritic knee, I might have tried to find out where they went.

St Aubin was once a very busy fishing port, large numbers of people left Jersey to open up and develop fisheries in Canada, notably on the Gaspe peninsula, on the St Lawrence River, north east of Quebec. The Gaspe peninsula is the only place outside of Jersey that contains a population that can still speak Jerriais, which is the local form of a Norman French language spoken in Jersey.

This little plaque commemorates these fishermen and is made of stone from Canada. There is a Jersey granite plaque in Paspebiac on the Gaspe peninsula.

The tide was out. Not entirely unusual on an island. Jersey has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world - up to 12 metres. Indeed, Jersey almost doubles in size when the tide is out!

We only had time for a short wander about as we were hoping to catch a bus back to St Helier. We would be back another day.

Once back, we went to a local museum, specifically to see the Occupation Tapestry. Sharon has a particular interest in these things as she is involved in stitching a small part of the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands tapestry which will feature in the revamped Inverness Castle gallery when it opens next year. She, and I, know the immense effort and craft that goes into these sorts of endeavour. It is an amazing series of panels, telling everyday stories of life during the German Occupation of Jersey. The whole exhibition is really well done and certainly worth a visit.

After a very full day out and about, it was time to get back to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for more food.

We had booked the Quayside Seafood Restaurant. Once inside, it was like being somewhere on the south of Europe. It was warm - the heaters were on! It was almost under canvas, like many Italian restaurants with covered patios. The owner chatted to everyone. Sharon was overcome with happiness as they were also playing lots of music that she liked. It was as if the evening had been fashioned just for her.

I ordered the crab Thermidor, which was absolutely huge, but very tasty.

Sharon had a crab timbale, which was much more in keeping with our appetites after lunch.

The colours of the photos are a bit weird because of the overhead heaters.

Even I was daunted by the starter. Having said that there was a bed of rice inside the shell, so I was able to leave a bit of that.

Again, Sharon chose wisely with sea bass on a saffron and mussel sauce, with new potatoes and broccoli.

On the other hand, my baked cod with a red pepper topping on a stew of chorizo and chickpeas with braised lettuce was just as daunting as my starter, but I battled through manfully. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

After eating and then resting for a little while, I waddled up to the hotel with Sharon skipping alongside me.

Day 3 Saturday 21st September

Another sunny day, so after breakfast, we decided to go to the Botanic Gardens at Samares Manor. We started walking from bus stop to bus stop, but eventually ended up walking all the way. Once inside, I found the nearest seat!

I didn't rest long as there was a Colombier to look at. I thought I had never seen one of these before, but it turned out to be what we would call a doocot. Quite a spectacular doocot all the same. It is believed to be the oldest in Jersey and may date back to the 12th Century.

It doesn't look to be that well used by doves any more.

The Manor House is architecturally very neat, with, apparently, Medieval origins and some Tudor arched windows. The original parts of the house, which have largely disappeared, may be contemporary with the Colombier.

The Victorian farm courtyard is very pleasing on the eye and you can rent out parts of the buildings for holiday accommodation.

Next door to the farm courtyard there is a pollinator's garden and an area filled with apple and pear trees.

The pollinator garden attracts huge numbers of insects, including this Cabbage White butterfly. There is no difficulty in attracting them to our leafy veg at home! I expect when we get back there will be less cabbage and more fat caterpillars than when we left.

It was all very colourful and refreshingly rough round the edges.

The apple and pear trees were an attempt to preserve the huge variety of these fruits that used to grow in Jersey, when cider making was a colossal industry. That is no longer the case and many varieties have disappeared or are close to doing so.

We were really enjoying this visit in the sunshine.

There were also some more formal gardens.

Did I say the weather was glorious?

Perhaps the highlight for us was the Japanese Garden.

We sat by the pond for ages, because that is what you should do when you are in a Japanese Garden. Sitting and taking in your surroundings is vastly underrated.

It really was a tranquil and soothing place to wander and enjoy.

You can't really visit a lovely garden like this without a cup of tea and a scone, with some nice China to drink from. So we did.

We took the bus back towards town, getting off a bit earlier than we needed to, so that we might walk on the beach.

Just beside me was a plaque commemorating Victor Hugo in exile.

Hugo had been a critic of Napoleon and had been exiled from France to Jersey between 1852 and 1855. In exile he developed a passion for photography. He had seen the possibilities of using photography to illustrate his writings and also to spread his own fame. He lived here, near the beach and the rocks. He used the rocks as a backdrop to photographs and there is a classic image of him looking wistfully towards France, in exile.

As forecast, the clouds had begun to gather, but it did not rain, but it did serve to make the sky a bit more moody. Behind Sharon is a tidal swimming pool - The Lido.

There is a large circular pool, which floods at high tide and this provides a sheltered space for swimming all day. There should have been two pools - one for ladies and one for gentlemen, but only one was ever built, being completed in 1895. The buildings attached were altered over time and include restaurants, changing facilities and function suites.

The lido did fall into disrepair during the German Occupation, but it has been repaired and enhanced, although there does appear to be a need for some more refurbishment.

The sky was a little threatening, so we headed for the hotel.

We had arranged for a special early evening treat - wine tasting and canapes in the hotel kitchens. The hotel restaurant Bohemia, has held a Michelin star for many years, so this was something we had been looking forward to.

We were not disappointed.

Our first tastings were two expressions of the same grape - Sauvignon Blanc. One from New Zealand and one from the Loire Valley in France.

These were accompanied by our first canape, which I nibbled before I took the photo. It was a feather light choux bun, filled with a caramelised onion mousse and topped with a sliver of pickled onion and the eaten cap of choux pastry and parmesan!

It was fabulous. We also had a wee chat with the chef who had made all our canapes. He was just a boy, really. Whilst it only took him 30 seconds to put this together, he had started making it more than 24 hours ago!

Whilst the New Zealand wine was very good the French was exceptional. Our sommelier, Alex, was French, and perhaps biased, but he had said we would enjoy the Sancerre more, because the French make wines to go with food and New Zealand wines are younger and fresher and are much better drunk sitting in the garden on the sun!

Alex continued his theme with a Cahors from France and a Malbec from Argentina. Again, we came down in favour of the French Malbec.

The nibble this time was the thinnest pastry case I have ever eaten. Inside was a smooth as you like chicken liver parfait covered in a Madeira wine gel and a dusting of  cep powder. It was just fantastic.

To end our tasting we had a glass of Italian Prosecco and a glass of French Champagne. Once again, and perhaps less surprisingly, the French contender was the favourite.

The bubbles came with a tiny chickpea based biscuit, topped with compressed apple and crème fraiche gel. Gone in an instant! The Head Chef, Callum Graham, came to chat about what we had been eating and how his kitchen ran. It was very interesting and illuminating.

Callum and Alex then left us to finish our wines and watch as the kitchen started to prepare for the evening service. I took a few photos.

The butter ready for the bread rolls to be served with dinner.

I'm glad we didn't try the Mercury!

They get through a fair amount of butter here.

What a fine way to spend some time.

You might have noticed we didn't have any lunch, so we were a tiny bit peckish. So, we went through to the bar and had a sharing plate with some charcuterie and cheese along with a bottle of the Argentinian Malbec to see if it was still OK.

It was.

So ended another very good day.

Day 4 Sunday 22nd September

We had a very late and leisurely breakfast before catching a bus to St Catherine's in the east of the island. St Catherine's is famous for the breakwater stretching well out into the sea.

Well, you just have to walk to the end of something like that, don't you?

It is about half a mile long and is part of an unfinished Naval Harbour. The construction of the harbour began in 1847, but costs spiralled and, reportedly, the water became too shallow much further out and ultimately the project was abandoned in 1856.

It is an easy and breezy walk out to the end where a cast iron lighthouse was erected just before the project was abandoned.

You could just about make out France from the end of the breakwater.

Honest!

We had originally intended to walk from here down the coast to Gorey, but it turned out that this would have involved some walking on the road, which was pretty busy and not that appealing a prospect. We started another walk up the coast, but that soon met the road again, so we retired back to the harbour for an ice-cream!

I had a chocolate tub, with a flake!

Sharon reverted to her teenage years and had a Mr Whippy, also with a flake!

After that, we walked along the coast a little bit, whilst waiting for a bus. That turned out to be very pleasant, indeed.

We walked back and caught the bus to Gorey.

Gorey is famous for its castle - Mont Orgueil. It stands a little broodingly over the village and harbour. It is probably Jersey's most famous building. The castle dates from the 13th Century and was altered over the centuries, right up until the Germans made changes during the Occupation. However, it was uphill, with lots of steps involved and my knee did not feel up to that on the day. We admired it from afar and went for a cup of tea instead.

You can't have tea without cake. I had a plum and almond tart, which might have been the best cake I've eaten in some time. Sharon had a raspberry and coconut cake with my unwanted cream and she certainly enjoyed it.

We strolled around the town a bit, getting different views of the castle and the houses and shops below. The coloured houses reminded us of Portee or Tobermory.

There was an interesting sculpture depicting a wooden ship's keel. Apparently, Gorey was an important shipbuilding area in the 18th and 19th centuries. Fishing vessels, and boats to tend the offshore oyster beds hereabouts, were often built and launched on the local beaches.

After our wander round Gorey, we caught the bus back to St Helier for our usual bath and freshen up before dinner.

We had decided we didn't really didn't need a huge meal and went to El Gato Gordo, a Tapas place in Liberty Wharf.

The food was good, but the atmosphere was slightly odd. It seemed as if there had been a disagreement among the waiters and the bar staff, so the service was a little perfunctory. Now I can hardly be accused of not hiding a grumpy mood, so we made nothing of it - everyone has an off day, and happily it wasn't the chef!

Sharon wasn't grumpy, but she had red wine.

The tapas were the usual suspects, but they were good. Patatas Bravas,

Cheese croquettes with truffle mayo, Pan con Tomate, Garlic prawns.

After a little break, we followed that with some cheese, which was really very nice.

A bit of a bitty day and one that didn't really go according to plan, but we enjoyed it anyway.

Day 5 Monday 23rd September.

Monday was the day that we had arranged to have a guided tour of some of the island. Our guide, Tracey arrived at the hotel to pick us up, along with Harry, the driver. Our original plans were soon rearranged after we told Tracey what we had already done. This augured well for the day. Tracey was effortlessly able to tailor things to ensure we didn't do too much of what we had already seen.

Having said that, we drove along the coast that we had previously walked and stopped off in St Aubin. Tracey had explained a few things on the way about the railway line and some of the wartime heritage that we had not really known.

She also gave us a bit of background to St Aubin and its history, although I'm sure she has now found out about the sluice gate that I saw in the harbour area! Many of the houses around the harbour were built by merchants and seafarers, some of whom might have sailed a little too close the wind at times.

It was also a bit blustery and cool, today, so we were hoping to avoid any rain.

Our next stop was Noirmont Point. The point and the land around it was bought by the Jersey States in 1950 as the Island's War Memorial. The site has long been of strategic importance, guarding the adjacent sea lanes. The photo shows part of the German battery and out at sea, the coastal tower of Tour de Vinde, which was built between 1810 and 1814, when Jersey, was under almost constant threat of invasion by France.  Towers like this were built ,before and after this one ,all around the coast of the island. The earlier towers were to be manned by infantry and the later towers took advantage of developments in artillery and were defended by cannon. These later towers were more correctly called Martello Towers, whilst the earlier examples were Jersey Round Towers or Conway Towers.

The rather strange looking construction on the right is a German gun battery rangefinder. It isn't exactly the original as installed during the war. The original arms of the rangefinder were thrown into the sea and the turret was cut up for scrap. In 1996, the arms were retrieved and a replica rangefinder was built at the site.

The arms on the rangefinder calculated the distance to the target, whilst the periscopes inside these domes worked out the direction.

These calculations would allow the large guns to find their target out to sea.

Adjacent all of this is the Command Bunker. The whole complex formed a part of what Hitler called The Atlantic Wall. It turned out to be the only naval coastal artillery battery in the island.

It is a pretty remarkable place, and Tracey did point out the hardened off bags of cement left at the site by German soldiers - a human reminder of a different time.

Another human reminder of what this all represents and a reminder that this whole area is actually the war memorial for the whole island.

We next stopped at St Brelade's Church, which overlooks the bay. What a fascinating little church this turned out to be.

Most old churches give you the feeling of stepping back in time, but they tend to be quite ornate and to be honest, of a type. This one was an entirely different experience. The church roof is stone, not carved wooden joists, such as you might normally see. It has a pared and sparse look about it that you feel is more akin to how it might have been. That thought might be a bit mistaken, because the ceiling that we now see was covered in whitewashed plaster. This was removed during restoration work in the 1890's. That exposed the stonework, which was made using stones from the nearby beach. You can still see limpet shells up there. Whilst the church is ancient in part, the ceiling in my view, is its crowning glory.

Next door, is the Fisherman's Chapel. This is only one of a very few chapels to have survived the Reformation in the 16th Century. There is a bit of a debate about the name of the chapel. It is commonly known as the Fisherman's chapel - Chappelle-es-Pecheurs - with a circumflex above the first e. (my blog doesn't let me print these). However, an archaeologist suggests that it should be read as Chappelle-es-Pecheurs, with an acute accent above the first e. That would render the word as sinners rather than fishers. The archaeological investigations point to the chapel being a chantry chapel - that is it was used to say masses for the souls of the dead. Indeed, the same investigations confirm that this chapel is not as old as it looks. There may have been an earlier timber building at the site - the original chapel. When the new church was being built next door, this was used as a temporary chapel and it was then rebuilt in stone for other ecclesiastical uses. The methods of construction in both buildings are the same. What is different, is that the small chapel has some fantastic frescoes on the walls. The paintings were only discovered following a storm in 1918, but they date to 600 years before that. The whole complex of buildings is thought to date to at least 1000 years ago, with even earlier buildings having been replaced by these.

The frescoes are amazing and peculiar inasmuch as they have been painted using clothing styles contemporary at the time. So, King Herod in the last picture looks to me like a rather louche court jester!

Every parish in Jersey has access to the sea. In common with most areas of the UK, churches were a place of sanctuary where people accused of crimes could shelter and be free from threat of punishment. If they left, they were generally open to prosecution. Not so in Jersey. The alternative was to follow a set route to the sea, and leave the island, never to return.

In St Brelade's the churchyard is very close to the sea. Indeed, a gentleman walked through the gate and went for a swim whilst we were there. It would have been rude to take photos!

From another part of the churchyard, you could see some of the houses in the village. The one on the left has a particular place in the wartime history of the place.

Two artistic and Bohemian ladies lived there before the war. 

Lucy Shwob and Suzanne Malherbe were both born in Nantes and lived together in St Brelades from 1937. Whilst hey were romantically involved with each other, they were also creative collaborators and, surprisingly, they became step-sisters. They had adopted different names early on in their careers. Lucy called herself Claude Cahun, whilst Suzanne became Marcel Moore. In 1917, Cahun's father, who was divorced, married Marcel's mother. They were prolific writers, photographers, sculptors and theatrical performers.

So far, so artistically Avant Garde.

When the Germans occupied Jersey, the pair were at the forefront of local resistance, using art and satire to make their opposition to war known, but in a way that did not directly incriminate themselves. As Jews, they were always at risk of imprisonment, or worse. They had a radio and would leave messages that would let people know what was really going on. However, this could not go undetected for ever and they were eventually caught in 1944 and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out and they were eventually released when the occupation was ended. Imprisonment badly affected their health and Cahun died in 1954. She and her lover are buried in the churchyard. Their art still lives on and was a huge influence on artists. David Bowie was a great fan of Cahun's work. 

What an interesting church and churchyard that was. No doubt we might have visited on our own, but I suspect we would only have scratched the surface of what was there to be found if it had not been for Tracey.

From a nicely preserved church overlooking a sheltered bay to a windswept headland overlooking craggy rocks and a lonely, wave battered lighthouse.

Corbiere lighthouse was the first in the British Isles to be built of concrete and it was first lit in 1874. It is, allegedly, one of the most photographed structures in Jersey. It can be reached using a tidal causeway and Jersey Uncovered, for whom Tracey is a guide, have recently gained permission to take tours onto the rock. That would have been good, but would my knee have stood up to the inevitable spiral staircase?

Here I am with Tracey, with the lighthouse behind us. My, was I brave given the howling gale?

Just nearby was a WW2 range finding tower built by the Germans. It is now available to rent for your holidays. Staying there must a little unusual, I would have thought.

From here it was a drive along the length of the west coast through the dunes backing onto St Ouen's Bay to Grosnez Castle.

Grosnez Castle may be a ruin, but it does have a certain atmosphere, which is entirely down to the location. It sits defiantly on its headland almost daring you to enter.

So, we did.

There was an element of doubt over whether we would see Guernsey, but we did. 

Most of the castle has disappeared, being used in the late 15th Century, to fortify an existing tower house belonging to the financially straitened lord of the manor at the time.

Interestingly, Grosnez was not your conventional castle, it was more a place of refuge, built around 1330 for the local farmers, who were under threat from the French.

There were a few issues with this. There were no sally ports where the castle defenders could launch counter attacks. Even more fundamentally, there was no water supply within the castle walls. It has been a ruin for getting on for 500 years!

It is a nice spot for a photo, though.

We had a quick stop at Greve de Lecq for what is euphemistically called a comfort break. For tour guides, toilet locations are the first thing they learn. It would have to be said, this is not too difficult in Jersey as they seem to be found at 500 metre intervals. The beach was nice here.

By now we were running out of tour time. Nonetheless, Tracey managed to squeeze one further site into our trip. We travelled from north to south to visit what is known as the Glass Church. This is a reasonably plain and simple church in Millbrook. The importance of the church dates from the 1930's. At that time Florence Boot, wife of Jesse Boot, of Boot's the Chemist fame, paid for restoration of the original 1840 building. She commissioned her friend Rene Lalique to do a bit of glasswork. What you see now is the most complete remaining example of Lalique's Art Deco work. It is truly amazing. Here are some photos.

That was, essentially, the end of our fascinating tour. We had asked if Harry and Tracey could take us to the Jersey War Tunnels rather than back to our hotel, which they happily did, and there we said goodbye and thanks for a great tour to them both. 

The war tunnels were designed as a vast underground shelter for the occupying Germans to shelter from bombardment and air raids, if the Allies tried to recapture the island. In 1943, the tunnels were converted to an underground military hospital. This was a significant engineering exercise, undertaken in difficult conditions. However, the achievement is completely overshadowed by the way in which the work was accomplished. The bulk of the back-breaking manual labour was done by forced labourers shipped in from Europe. Some skilled workers were also imported or found locally. The forced labour workers were Polish, French, Russian, Ukrainian and Republican Spaniards. Death from malnutrition and exhaustion became commonplace, particularly the Russians and Ukrainians, who were the worst treated. Deaths from these causes far outnumbered deaths due to accidents through the construction process.

The tunnels tell their story and that of the islanders who also endured occupation.

Whilst the museum and café is a modern building, there are reminders of what this is all about scattered everywhere.   

Once inside the tunnel complex, you are given a random, replica Identity Card. You can find out the story of what happened to the person depicted on your card during your visit.

My card was for 16 year old Dennis Le Cuirot.

Sharon had 51 year old Maud Elizabeth Otter.

What I think I was most unprepared for, was the extent and uncluttered nature of it all. Now, I knew that the tunnels had been cleared out and stripped of a lot of material at the end of the war, but it did have a sort of antiseptic feel to it all. This might have been enhanced by the fact that we were lucky with our timing and there was nobody with us. 

There were ante rooms off the main tunnels ,with displays exhibiting various aspects of the tunnel history. This was the hospital phase of operations.

This was one of the escape ways. Frankly, I would have been dead by the time I got to the top of these stairs.

There were really interesting displays setting out the details of the invasion and occupation of the islands and the realities of life throughout the war. Some island tradesmen worked in the tunnel complex and they were well paid for it. Whilst many were reluctant to work for the Germans, this became more difficult as the war progressed. Rationing and increasing privation made it much harder to resist the offer of work.

How on earth do you fit 150 people into this air raid shelter?

Whilst fatalities during construction were not huge, the work of cutting the tunnels was inherently dangerous and certainly hard and exhausting, especially combined with poor living conditions and long shifts.

This was especially so for the Russian and Ukrainian forced labourers, depicted here almost as ghostly sacks.

For the civilian population, every aspect of life became governed by increased regulation, some of which verged on the bizarre! Some, such as the ban on Jewish businesses were a bit more sinister and threatening.

Eventually, the Allies invaded Normandy and the islanders expected early relief from occupation. In fact, this did not happen and things became increasingly desperate. Supplies of food for the island population were running out and people faced starvation. Churchill would not let food be sent to the islands for fear that the Germans would use the supplies for their own troops, prolonging their resistance. 

Eventually, agreement was reached allowing the Red Cross to deliver relief for the civilian population. The German soldiers helped with the unloading of supplies, but were not permitted to divert any foodstuffs for their own use. This lead to the situation where the islanders were in a better position than their erstwhile oppressors.

It appears that my alter ego Dennis, escaped from Jersey, ultimately joining the RAF.

Dennis was lucky, many of the workers on the tunnels never got home.

Somewhat oddly, there was a reference to one forced labourer who escaped and was sheltered by Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe in their house in St Brelade's! How strange that we had been looking at that very house this morning!? 

Pyotry was one of the lucky ones. Maud, on the other hand was not. What I suspect many people do not know was that nearly 1200 islanders were forced into camps in Germany. Indeed, the British Government suppressed the information. Maud was one of those deported by force and she died in Biberach internment camp, in Southern Germany

Lucy Schwob also featured in the "Faces of the Occupation".

Jersey was eventually liberated by Allied troops on the 9th May 1945, one day later than Victory was declared in Europe!

What an amazing place this was and we would thoroughly recommend anyone to visit. Like a lot of tourist sites in Jersey it is easy to get to and we used the bus to get back to St Helier.

We had time to freshen up and get ready for dinner, which in many ways was a bit odd after the sobering afternoon that we had spent in the war tunnels.

Our restaurant of choice was very close to the hotel. It was called La Bastille. We had called in to reserve a table on our way to the hotel from the bus. There was a larger than life Caribbean guy having a drink at the bar and he had regaled us with how good the food and cocktails were, so we had booked. He wasn't wrong!

We shared a starter of spicy pork bon bons, with sriracha and apple. We were not supposed to be sharing, but our host said they were so good, that Sharon would want some. He even brought her a plate! She did have one and we both agreed that they were really good.

Sharon had an enormous plate of a very good crab linguine. It wasn't exactly Italian, coming with fresh lime, chilli and garlic.

I had the posh not fish and chips - crispy pan fried plaice, potato croquette, pea puree and home-made tartare sauce.

The food was all fabulous, We got talking to the manager, who it turned out was a world famous Bajan mixologist. Honest. His name is David Barker - you can look him up!

We couldn't leave without having a cocktail, so we did.

Sharon had a Coco Espresso Martini, which she had a tiny sample of before I took the photo!

I had a Cosmopolitan, to which I am rather partial. Can you tell?

That was a rather fine end to a full and fabulous day. A real joy all round.

Day 6 Tuesday 24th September.

We had a rather less hectic day planned for today. Essentially, we were getting a bus to a vineyard, perhaps having a spot of lunch and then a tour and tasting.

However, that would have meant lazing about for a little while, so we had a wander round the centre of town, where we found some cows.

These were not real, of course. They were representations of the famous Jersey Cow. Jersey cows are a dairy breed and they are smaller than most cows, but the milk they produce is higher in butterfat and protein.

The breed is peculiar to Jersey and the purity of the breed has been protected since the 1700s. A ban on cattle imports protected the purity of the gene pool for 200 years.

Most of this is academic to me as I do not like milk or cream at all.

Is it me , or does the cow at the front look like it needs a good feed of grass?

We also had another quick look round the market - mainly to find a toilet, but you have to look at cakes when you get the chance.

Or Fish!

We then wandered down to get the bus, passing by this V in the street. If it had not been for Tracey yesterday, we would probably have not paid any attention to this. However, it was a sign of passive resistance to the German Occupation. The Germans wanted the town square tarted up a bit and asked a local stonemason to do the job. He did, but allegedly included this V sign as his message to tell the invaders to F off!

It took a while for the bus to get us to La Mare Wine Estate. It seemed as if everyone else on the bus had the same idea. However, we could walk faster than most of them, so we got to the restaurant first, where we had a nice cup of tea and a scone as neither of us was ready for lunch. It turned out that the estate was not quite as extensive as we thought, so we had much more time on our hand than we had expected.

We decided to go for a wee walk round the surrounding narrow country lanes. First we had to pass through to the old manor house, which was very attractive architecturally. 

There was next to no traffic and there were some fine views over the sea, allegedly to Guernsey. At least, that is what the brochures said.

For some of the residents, we were the view!

Everywhere you go in Jersey, we came across these striking flowers. This isn't really surprising as they are Amaryllis belladonna, or The Jersey Lily.

They are very showy flowers, native to South Africa. They have becomes naturalised to a number of countries throughout the world, including the Scilly Isles. They are toxic to humans and most animals, but they do contain chemicals which may be effective against malaria!

We knew we were soon to be back to the vineyard as we could see vines growing.

Sure enough!

We were still way ahead of our allotted tour time, so we decided we should sample their cider. Cider used to be a huge industry in Jersey as you will know if you've been paying attention further up the page! Some people were even paid in cider, which sounds attractive, but not much use when you want to buy bread in Tesco!

Just as we were approaching our allotted time a huge bus party arrived for the same tour! That came as a bit of a surprise to us, but we coped.

We were shown round the vines. If I remember these were Rondo, a cooler climate grape and one that was developed in the 1960s.

Rondo is used mainly for red wines, but it is also used in La Mare's Rose wine.

Once we had seen the raw materials, it was inside for the more scientific bits. Most of the wines are fermented in steel vats and some is stored in oak barrels.

We tasted a the estate's red, rose and white wines.

Our preference was for the rose.

Next we moved on to taste two of the ciders that they make here. One, the Branchage Prestige, is given a second fermentation in the bottle using the champagne Methode Traditionnelle. It was very good indeed. We were also given a chocolate cup filled with their Apple Brandy Cream Liqueur. I managed to keep that down despite my aversion to cream. It seemed a logical thing to marry an old established dairy industry to a new venture like Apple Brandy making. Apple brandy is geographically close to Normandy Calvados, but it can't legally be labelled as such.

They also make gin and as we had paid a little extra, we had a wee taste of the gin and the Apple Brandy once the bus party horde had departed. Very good it all was too, with some croutes and a very nice olive tapenade.

Then it was off to the bus stop, which to be fair is really just a white line and a number on the road. Sure enough, though, the bus came and took us back to town.

Once again, we had time to sort ourselves out before dinner. We had originally intended to get fish and chips and eat them outside near the sea. However, it was a tad cold for that, so we ate in. It was good, but not great. The chips were not really chip shop chips, so I was a little disappointed in that. I had a large haddock and Sharon had scampi.

The end of another different day out.

Day 7 Wednesday 25th September

Our last full day in Jersey.

We were going to have a quiet day today after all our adventures and before we flew home tomorrow. I hadn't quite thought it would be dead quiet, but we had noticed this little cemetery near our hotel, so we thought we would have a look around.

This is the Green Street cemetery which opened for business in 1827.

There's always something interesting in a cemetery and this one was no exception.

This is the biggest tombstone and it remembers George Le Cronier who died in 1846. He was doing his duty as an officer of the law. He attended an alleged house of ill repute and was stabbed by the lady of the house and died the day later. I should emphasise that he was there to arrest the owner and his wife, not to avail himself of anything else that might have been on offer.

We carried on with our wandering and found ourselves in Howard Davis Park. This was once the site of a large house. Legend has it that Davis was hunting for conkers in the grounds of the house and was caught and chastised by the then owner. He apparently vowed that he would one day buy the house and knock it down - which he did!

On the edge of the park stands St Luke's Church. It looks like an interesting church, but what really catches the eye is the external bell tower. I've never seen anything like this before. On researching it, I find that these things are more common than you might think. Every day really is a school day.

Next to the church is a small cemetery where British and Allied troops killed in WW2 are buried. This cemetery came about following the loss of HMS Charybdis in 1943. Over 400 men lost their lives when the cruiser was hit by German torpedoes. Bodies of Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel were washed ashore in Jersey and other Channel islands and elsewhere. They were buried with full military orders by the occupying German forces.

One grave was set apart from the others. It commemorates Maurice Jay Gould. There had to be a story here, I thought and there sure was. Maurice and his friends Peter Hassall and Dennis Audrain tried to escape the German occupation of Jersey by boat. Unfortunately the boat capsized and and Dennis drowned. The other two came ashore and were arrested. They were ultimately deported to Europe, where they underwent a regime of torture and forced labour. They ended up in Wittlich Prison where they were made to work in a basket factory. This was much less horrific than the places they had previously been held. However, harsh treatment for Maurice in particular led to him contracting tuberculosis and he died in October 1943. He was buried in the camp cemetery against Gestapo orders. Then his body was unceremoniously moved to a military cemetery. His friend Peter survived the camp and the war. Aged 91, Peter made good on his promise to Maurice and had his body exhumed and repatriated to Jersey and buried here in 1997 with a special ceremony. 

From the park, we made our way to the front and walked back towards the town. This took us into an industrial area, which seems to have grown around the port over many decades. We came across a couple of memorials. The first related to the sinking of the Paddle Steamer Normandy in 1870. She had collided, in fog, with the steamship Mary. The collision resulted in the loss of lifeboats on the Normandy. The captain and men ensured that the women and children passengers were given the remaining lifeboats and the crew went down with the ship.

Nearby was another memorial to the gallantry of John Westaway, a passenger on the Normandy.  He gave up his place on the lifeboats. The board of inquiry later found the Normandy to blame for the collision. The company operating the Normandy had a contract to deliver mail and there were penalties for lateness. The Normandy had, until the fateful day, never been late. It was apparently going at a fair rate of knots when the collision occurred.

The crest of St Helier is two crossed axes. St Helier was born in Belgium and met his end at the hands of the Vikings in about 550AD when he was decapitated. I assume that would not be the fate of anyone who fed the seagulls, but it is a bit of an ominous warning!

Just along from the Normandy memorials is a plaque and a list of Islanders who served in the Forgotten Army. This refers to the British 14th Army. They fought in dreadful conditions to defend India from Japanese forces. The fighting there continued well after Europe had been liberated from the Germans and so the soldiers were known as the Forgotten Army. Over 50 Islanders served in the Forgotten Army.

It had begun to rain, so we hastened to the Jersey Museum and Art Gallery, where we had a look around and a bite of lunch.



The museum has recently opened a Victorian House. This is actually a real house, preserved almost untouched. The owner, a French Homeopathic Doctor was exiled to Jersey for being a socialist in the 1850's. However, his business went bankrupt and he fled to escape his creditors. His bank had prevented him from selling the house and the contents. The house is preserved as it was when the owner was about to flee back to France. It was bought a few years after he fled and then passed to Jersey Society to turn into a museum. Many of the contents have auction labels on them and are described in the sale papers. It is quite fascinating.

The staircase is particularly impressive.

Whilst Sharon is not of Victorian vintage, she certainly seemed very familiar with some of the toys on the nursery!

Out of one of the windows in the museum you can see a signal mast at Fort Regent. The Fort dominates St Helier. The Fort was built largely in the 18th Century, to protect against French invasion. The signal station is thought to pre-date the substantive building of the fort. The purpose of the signal station was to alert the whole island and neighbouring Guernsey to any threat. It was built by the Royal Navy as they had expertise in using codes and flags to convey information over long distances.

We were not being invaded by aliens - there was a bit of glare from the museum lights on the window glass!

The station is still used on special occasions and can indicate gales or when particular ships are in port.

Once we had had lunch it was still raining, so we braved the elements and headed for the hotel and, we hoped, a hot bath. On arrival it turned out that housekeeping had found a problem with our shower screen and they wanted us to move to another room. Given the need for a hot bath, we quickly decamped with some help.

Eventually, we were suitably refreshed and ready for what we thought might be a highlight of the trip - dinner at Bohemia Restaurant, the only Michelin starred restaurant on the island. It was also within our hotel, which is why we were staying there, to be honest.

Alex, our sommelier friend, showed us to our table and we both chose the tasting menu with accompanying wines. We started with the same canapes we had in the kitchen a few days before. They were just as good as we remembered.

We were brought some bread and butter, which was delightful and very moreish.

Our first course was a local tomato salad, with burrata, nasturtium and a yellow tomato and Scotch Bonnet sorbet. This came with a very refreshing glass of Loire Valley Saumur.

Next up was Jersey white crab meat and a  brown crab and almond pannacotta, grape and verjus. This was outstanding. The whole dish had a covering of picked white crab meat dusted with finely shaved almond. 

Underneath was the brown crab and almond pannacotta. It was sublime with a good Spanish Albarino.

The next course was roasted veal sweetbread, hen of the wood mushroom, butternut and parmesan puree, pumpkin seeds and a chicken jus. The jus was quite the most intense sauce I have had in a very long time. Another great plate of food with a surprising white South African blend called Orbitofrontal cortex. This clearly was a nod to the sweetbreads, but it was remarkably good and an unusual seeming choice, given the richness of the food. Certainly, we were expecting a red wine, but this was very good.

The main was a saddle of Welsh lamb, barbecued Merguez sausage and a mini pitta bread, aubergine and cumin, Baba Ghanoush, Jersey yoghurt, Romanesco and lamb jus.

We definitely had red wine with this -  a Chateau Pineraie Cahors from the south west of France.

We had a bit of a rest with the remains of our wine.

The pre-dessert was labelled as Kir Royale. It turned out to be a very intense cherry centre covered with a champagne mousse. Goodness, but it was tasty.

The dessert was a confection of caramelised pear and mascarpone cremeux, fresh pear, roasted hazelnut and white balsamic, served with a lovely glass of Sauternes.

As if that was all not enough, Alex arranged for us to have a box of chef's chocolates while we had our digestifs. This was a very nice surprise and great end to a fabulous meal.

That was the end of a really fine meal and the end of our break in Jersey. We had a great time, some fabulous food and wonderful trips. 

Our journey home was delayed in both Jersey and Heathrow. Food and drink in both airports was problematic due to flight confusion.

Nonetheless, we will definitely go back!