is well interpreted at a number of interesting visitor sites.
The best place to start enquiring into history is the Guernsey Museum, Candie Gardens, St Peter Port, GY1 1UG, tel 01481 726518, www.museums.gov.gg. This is also the place to enquire about La Société Guernesiaise, tel 01481 725093, www.societe.org.gg, and the Guernsey Museums and Galleries service. A ‘Discovery Pass’ can be purchased, allowing entry to all the sites managed by the service. 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 of Guernsey, 26 Cornet Street, St Peter Port, GY1 1LF, tel 01481 728451, www.nationaltrust.gg. The Trust owns land and properties around Guernsey, several of which are visited on walks throughout this guide. Some properties are leased to tenants and cannot be visited, while others may have limited opening times. The National Trust of Guernsey has reciprocal agreements with the National Trust for Jersey, 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 form 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, but not to Parliament.
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 Guernsey’s affairs are quite separate from the Bailiwick of Jersey. 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. The Bailiwick of Guernsey embraces Alderney and Sark, but those islands have their own governments. For further information check the States of Guernsey government website, www.gov.gg, the States of Alderney government website, www.alderney.gov.gg and the Chief Pleas of Sark website, www.gov.sark.gg. Sark was the last feudal state in Europe, but embraced democracy by holding its first general elections in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Guernsey is not part of the United Kingdom, but owes its allegiance to the British Crown
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, with hundreds of species growing around the islands. Bear in mind that the sea is also a bountiful source of plants, with the tiny Lihou Island surrounded by 130 species of seaweed. Add to this the plants that are cultivated in greenhouses and gardens and the study of Guernsey’s floral tributes becomes a vast undertaking!
Even walkers who have no great interest in flora cannot fail to be amazed at the sight of rampant flowers growing around the rugged coast and hedgerows of Guernsey. Add abundant swathes of sea campion and red campion, blazes of gorse and broom and 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 Guernsey. La Société Guernesiaise, www.societe.org.gg, gathers plenty of information about Guernsey’s botany.
Fleshy-leaved mesembryanthemum is common and was once used to camouflage concrete bunkers
Animals
Mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and deer are known to have flourished on the Channel Islands, but today the islands are 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. 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, although 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 that probe the beaches and rock pools for food. The cliffs and pebbly beaches provide safe nesting places for a variety of gulls and terns. At the right time of year puffins can be seen on some of the smaller islands and stacks, while a large population of gannets can be seen near Alderney. There are small areas of heathland where the rare Dartford warbler may be seen or heard, and there are a few areas of dense woodland, marsh and grassland 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.
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 which are specific to the Channel Islands. The Guernsey Museum has exhibits relating to the natural history of the island. La Société Guernesiaise, www.societe.org.gg, collects information for the annual Guernsey Bird Report, or see www.guernseybirds.org.gg for information. Similar organisations include the Alderney Society, www.alderneysociety.org, and La Société Sercquaise, www.socsercq.sark.gg.
Protected areas
There is no national park on Guernsey, but there are several small nature reserves, ranging from marshland to woodland. The National Trust of Guernsey has already been mentioned, which is dedicated to preserving areas of land around the island. There are also large and very important marine reserves, some of which are particularly difficult to access. These include an area around Lihou and an area stretching west of Alderney.
The National Trust of Guernsey is a major landowner, maintaining some interesting short walks
Getting to Guernsey
The popular little aircraft ‘Joey’ flew for the last time in 2015
A map of transport routes makes Guernsey look like the centre of the universe, with ferries and flights converging on the island from all points of the compass. Bear in mind that there are seasonal variations, with more services available in the summer months
