it caters for a multitude of tastes, with an emphasis on sun, sea, fun, family, good food and the outdoors. In the financial services sector the low rate of taxation has brought in billions of pounds of investment and attracted a population of millionaires. The Channel Islands retain some quirky laws and customs, enjoy a low crime rate, issue their own currency and postage stamps and enjoy a unique history and heritage that is well interpreted at a number of interesting visitor sites.
The best place to start enquiring into history is the Jersey Museum, The Weighbridge, St Helier, JE2 3NG, tel. 01534 633300. This is also the place to enquire about La Société Jersiaise, tel. 01534 758314, societe-jersiaise.org/, and Jersey Heritage, www.jerseyheritage.org. The ‘Jersey Pass’ can be purchased, allowing entry to all the sites managed by Jersey Heritage. There are numerous publications available examining all aspects of Channel Islands history. Detail is often intense, and any historical building or site mentioned in this guidebook probably has one or more books dedicated entirely to it.
Another organisation involved with heritage matters is the National Trust for Jersey, The Elms, La Chève Rue, St Mary, JE3 3EN, tel. 01534 483193, www.nationaltrust.je. The Trust owns land and properties around Jersey, several of which are visited on walks throughout this guidebook. At the last count the trust owned 16 properties, cared for a number of others, and owned 1.6% of the land in Jersey, making it the biggest landowner after the States of Jersey. The National Trust for Jersey has reciprocal agreements with the National Trust of Guernsey, National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and National Trust for Scotland, allowing members free entry to properties that normally levy a charge.
Government
The Channel Islands are a quirky little archipelago, with startling divisions among themselves. They are neither colonies nor dependencies. They are not part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. They have been described as ‘Peculiars of the Crown’ meaning that they are practically the property of the Crown, and they owe their allegiance to the Crown, and not to Parliament.
Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom, but owes its allegiance to the British Crown
There are actually two self-governing Bailiwicks whose law-making processes are quite separate from those of the United Kingdom’s Parliament. Furthermore, the Bailiwick of Jersey’s affairs are quite separate from the Bailiwick of Guernsey. A thorough investigation of Channel Islands government is an absorbing study, which anyone with political inclinations might like to investigate while walking around the islands. Check the States of Jersey government website for further information, www.gov.je, as well as the States Assembly website, www.statesassembly.gov.je, and the Jersey Legal Information Board, www.jerseylaw.je. Legal documents are traditionally prepared in ‘Jersey Legal French’, but since the year 2000 there has been a drive to make these more accessible to the public by presenting them in English.
Wildlife
Plants
The Channel Islands are noted for their flowers, and it is possible to find wild flowers in bloom at any time of the year. The southerly, maritime disposition of the islands and their range of habitats, from fertile soil to barren rocks, ensure that a wide variety of species can thrive. Even attempting to shortlist them is a pointless exercise. The sand dunes of Les Quennevais support around 400 species, and even an old cemetery in the heart of St Helier is graced with 100 species. Bear in mind that the sea is also a bountiful source of marine plants. Add to this the plants that are cultivated in greenhouses and gardens: there are 60 varieties of roses in the Howard Davies Park, and orchids from around the world bloom at the Eric Young Orchid Centre. The study of Jersey’s floral tributes becomes a vast undertaking!
Spring and early summer are the best times to visit Jersey to see wild flowers at their most colourful
Even walkers who have no great interest in flowers cannot fail to be amazed at the sight of narcissi and bluebells growing on the northern cliffs of Jersey. Add abundant swathes of sea campion, red campion, blazes of gorse and broom, nodding ox-eye daisies, and the result is a riot of colour. The sight of fleshy-leaved mesembryanthemum colonising entire cliffs is impressive and unusual. A comprehensive field guide to wild flowers is an essential companion on any walk, but make sure that it encompasses not only a good range of British plants, but also plants from the Mediterranean, which are at their northernmost limits around Jersey. La Société Jersiaise, www.societe-jersiaise.org, gathers plenty of information about Jersey’s botany.
Animals
Mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and deer are known to have flourished in the past on the Channel Islands, but today Jersey is devoid of large wild mammals. Rabbits do well almost everywhere, but little else is likely to be seen except for evidence of moles and small rodents. Red squirrels were introduced to Jersey by local naturalists in 1885. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust features a splendid range of exotic species, but look to the sea for other species, such as dolphins. Local differences occur between the islands, such as the fact that toads are found on Jersey, but not Guernsey, though green lizards live on both islands. Insect life is abundant and varied, with a range of colourful butterflies.
The birdlife is amazingly rich, with a range of residents and a host of migratory species. While the landmass is rather small to support many raptors, there are owls, kestrels and sparrowhawks. The coastal margins abound in interest, attracting a range of waders which probe the beaches and rock pools for food. The cliffs and pebbly beaches provide safe nesting places for a variety of gulls and terns, and puffins can be seen on some of the smaller islands and stacks. There are areas of heathland where the rare Dartford warbler might be seen or heard, and there are a few areas of dense woodland, marsh and grassland sites which attract particular species. The range of bird habitats is under pressure from human development and recreation on such tiny islands but, even so, there is plenty to see.
A gull perches nonchalantly on a German gun at the Batterie Möltke at Les Landes
Listing a couple of hundred species of birds is a pointless exercise, and so much depends on the time of year and prevailing conditions. A good field guide to birds is useful, and there are titles specific to the Channel Islands. The Jersey Museum has exhibits relating to natural history, and visitor centres such as the Kempt Tower offer specific information about the plants and animals. La Société Jersiaise, www.societe-jersiaise.org, produces the annual Jersey Bird Report, or see www.jerseybirds.co.uk for information.
Protected areas
There is no national park on Jersey, though for many years the species-rich sand dunes of Les Blanches Banques near Les Quennevais have been regarded as a ‘special’ area, even referred to as a ‘trainee national park’. There are several small nature reserves on Jersey, from marshland to woodland. The National Trust for Jersey has already been mentioned, owning 1.6% of the land area of Jersey, which they are dedicated to preserving. There are also large and very important marine reserves, some of which are particularly difficult to access. They include the south-east coast and the rocky reefs of Les Ecrehous, Les Minquiers, Les Pierres de
