Karla GlobalWays: Guernsey, a Channel Island

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Guernsey, a Channel Island

Channel Islands—Guernsey—Saint Peter Port

The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, north of St Malo. It is a tender port with a 15-minute ride (from our lifeboats that hold 100 passengers at a time) across the channel, into town.

The capital of Guernsey, St. Peter Port, is one of the prettiest harbors in Europe and it’s spectacular coast line is dotted with castles and forts. In the past, the Island bounce back-and-forth between the super powers of France and England. After the battle of Hastings in 1066, Guernsey became the permanent property of the English crown. Both British and French influences abound throughout the island.

Guernsey is a small island only 9 miles long and 5 miles wide.

Here are a few facts:

The term Channel Islands began to be used around 1830 possibly by the British Navy.

The term Channel Islands is purely a geographical term, not a political unit.

The Channel Islands include two Crown dependencies, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Both pledge allegiance to the crown but are considered independent and completely self-governing. Neither is part of the United Kingdom. Both are members of the British-Irish Council. Each has its own governing body, the equivalent of Parliament – – the states of Guernsey/Jersey and it’s deputies pass legislation which broadly follow that of the UK, but “they are not committed to doing so.”

Yes, it gets way more complicated than these classifications. There are the British Isles and the British Islands.

The British Isles include Islands of Great Britain and Ireland along with a few smaller islands including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

The Isle of Wight is not a Channel Island although—since it is in the English channel, it is a Channel island.

Did you get that?

Alderney, Sark, Guernsey and several smaller islands form a jurisdiction within the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The island of Sark offers a traffic-free society; cars and bikes are banned.

This is a special tax-free territory located within the continent of Europe but it is not a member of the European Union. Duty-free shopping is found throughout the island.

It’s official language is English and French is often used in business.

Guernsey’s heritage is linked to its strategic coastal location in the English channel and near the Atlantic ocean. It’s history of shipbuilding privateering/smuggling trades are due to its position near European mainland and the Atlantic Ocean.

On the drive on my tour, we saw rocky cliffs alternate with stretches of beach and sand on the dramatic western coast. We traveled through the island center and viewed scenic villages, stone-built farm houses, Guernsey cows grazing, and picturesque, narrow country lanes.

One of the most significant periods in the history of the channel islands was the German occupation during World War II. They are the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans during World War II. During the occupation German troops invested a lot of time fortifying the island and building reinforced bunkers, many of which are still scattered throughout the island. Before the occupation, thousands of school children were evacuated to England and Scotland for protection. Some of those children were never reunited with their families.

Victor Hugo spent many years in exile first in Jersey then in Guernsey. He completed writing Les Miserables while in Guernsey. The home where he lived between 1856 and 1870 remains as Hugo decorated it with eclectic furniture and artifacts. It is open for guided tours.

The impressionist painter Auguste Renoir spent a month in Guernsey in late 1883. There he created some of the most valuable and recognizable paintings of the island’s south coast cliffs and bays.

BTW-I will reorder the photos later.