Guernsey is 60 miles South West of Weymouth, about 26 miles West of Normandy and 21 miles from Jersey. It is about 12 miles long, nine broad, and 30 in circumference, containing 50 square miles and is divided into 10 Parishes.
These Parishes which are like little villages and have the same friendly rivalry as village life are:- St Peter Port which is the capital of Guernsey and is the main town. It is also the shopping centre and the place for the offshore finance industry. The harbour boasts 3 marinas and is where people leave by sea to get to the neighbouring islands of Herm and Sark; St Sampson's, Vale, Castel, St Saviours, St Peters in the Wood, Torteval, Forest, St Martin's and St Andrews. The Bailiwick of Guernsey also includes the islands of Herm, Sark and Alderney.
Alderney is the most northern of the Channel Islands. It is 8 miles from France and the closest of the Islands to England. Around the coatline lie many shipwrecks, and still to this date this stretch of water cause many Captains a bit of a headache trying to get through in their boats.
Herm is a beautifl little island just off St Peter Port, and it takes roughly about 20 minutes by boat to get there. There are no cars on Herm only one or two tracts so this adss to the peace and quite. It is one and a half miles long, by half a mile wide, and boasts sheer cliffs to the south and beautiful white sand beaches around the north. It is an excellent place to walk and the views are breathtaking. If you visit Guernsey you must go to Herm. You can either stay in the hotel which is the White House, camp or stay in self catering chalets. During the summer months it gets very busy with tourists going across and many loal company's go over for BBQ's at the Mermaid Tavern.
Sark lies nearly eight miles east of Guernsey. It is another jewel in Guernsey's Crown, and again you have to catch a boat to get there. There are no cars on the island only a few tractors. On arriving in Sark you will get dropped off by the boat at Harbour Hill, and have to make your way up the hill to your hotel, or you can get a lift in the tractor. Bicycles are the key thing in Sark everybody cycles around all day and suffers the next morning after not having riden a bicycle for so long. You could easily spend two days in Sark exploring all the bays and not forgetting Little Sark, which is joined by a very narrow isthmus called the Coupee.
I hope you like the following local scenes ...........
