Sunflower Books: Landscapes of GUERNSEY, WITH ALDERNEY, SARK AND HERM: WALKS AND CAR TOURS
Guernsey (with Alderney, Sark and Herm), 3rd edition, 2003, updated 01/02/05
(To visit the web page for this book on our main site, click here )
Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)
Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).
Now that Updates are online, it is possible to include colour images. There was insufficient space in Landscapes of Guernsey to include a photograph of the remarkable 600-year old wall painting of The Last Supper which can be seen at the Chapel of St Apolline which features in Walk 10. This is a detail from the painting. There is no charge for entry to the chapel.
Bus services
There is a web site devoted to Guernsey's bus services:
www.buses.gg
Concessionary fares: a flat rate fare of only 60p per bus
journey applies irrespective of the distance you travel, i.e.
you pay just 60p whether you travel from one stop to the next
or from one end of the island to the other. (Services 7 or 7a
provide a complete circular coastal tour of the island for the
standard 60p fare but you should note that you cannot break your
journey. You will have to pay another 60p if you rejoin the bus
service.)
There are concessions that reduce the cost even further. If you
purchase a block "Wave & Save" card covering several
journeys you simply wave the card in front of the ticket reader
by the driver and one journey is automatically deducted from your
card. Cards are available for 10, 30 or 50 journeys. A 50-journey
card at £15.00 reduces the cost of travel to only 30p per
journey. Definitely worth considering if you are not hiring a
car and plan to get around by bus. The buses are modern and services
are frequent and reliable.
Pensioners should note that UK free bus passes are not
valid in Guernsey - only Guernsey residents of 65 or over are
entitled to free bus travel.
General reminder: Those who don't live near the sea should read carefully the notes about tide tables on pages 20 and 21. This is especially important on the walk to Lihou.
Maps: It is no longer possible to obtain the HMSO/OS/MOD detailed military survey map 1:25 000 referred to on page 13, which makes the maps provided in Landscapes of Guernsey even more valuable. (User, 2/05)
Although the HMSO/OS/MOD map is no longer available, three competing maps have since been published. (And if you don't need a great amount of detail you will find that perfectly adequate maps are given away free of charge at the airport and port when you arrive on Guernsey.)
1. The Official States of Guernsey 1:25,000 map is intended to replace the HMSO map but although it uses the same scale, in our opinion this map is not as good as the original official map. The size of type used for many of the place names and labels is so small that many users could find it difficult to follow.
2. The Insight Flexi Map of Guernsey has the advantage of being laminated on both sides, making it durable even in wet weather. However, it uses a smaller scale (1:35,000) and is therefore is very similar to the island maps that are given away to visitors on arrival at the airport or port.
3. The International Travel Map of Guernsey
Users who would like the most detailed map of the island are recommended
to order a copy of this map from The Map Shop at Upton upon Severn
(telephone 0800 085 4080). This map has a scale of 1:20,000 so
it includes plenty of detail - in some instances even more than
is shown on the HMSO/OS/MOD maps used in the book.
Also readily available on the island is the Perry's Professional guide - a 50-page A4 size book containing maps of the entire island at a scale of seven inches to the mile, This is the ultimate choice for those seeking maximum detail.
Petrol
Up to 2003, the sale of petrol was not permitted on Sundays, but
you are now able to buy petrol on Sundays.
Camping
For the benefit of those who would like to camp, the following
are approved sites:
Castel: Fauxquets Valley (Tel. 01481 55460; fax 51797)
Vale: La Bailloterie (Tel. 01481 43636; fax 43225)
Vale: Hougue Guilmine: L'Etoile (Tel. 01481 44325)
Route de Vaugrat, St Sampson's (Tel. 01481 57468; fax 51841)
Herm Island: Herm Camping (Tel. 01481 722377)
For conventional self-catering apartments, etc see the official
guide issued by the Tourism Department.
Picnic fare In addition to Marks & Spencer's store in St Peter Port, there are also M & S Simply Food stores at L'Islet and St Martins, both well stocked with sandwiches, salads and other picnic food.
Walk/Picnic 6: Here's a short walk for motorists or bus users to a perfect picnic location. Although it is covered in Picnic 6 and the much longer Walk 6, the interesting Table des Pions and tiny Fort Pezeries can be reached in a 20 to 25min walk from Portelet Harbour (bus 7/7A; plenty of parking spaces for motorists - park near the Imperial Hotel). Some clarification may be helpful, however, as there is a notice near the beginning of the walk indicating that the route is private. This might deter some visitors. It's a linear walk, so allow a total of 40-50 min walking plus however long you plan to spend looking around or picnicking. With the Imperial Hotel on your left and the sea on your right, start by walking along for some 300 yards to the end of the promenade. Then veer left up a slight gradient on a surfaced road (the route is on tarmac all the way, but you can also walk on grass verges much of the way and in any case there is virtually no traffic.) As you turn up this road you will see a notice indicating that there is no through road, that the route leads only to private residences and that there is no entry for vehicles. (This is true, but the route runs through Guernsey National Trust land and IS open to pedestrians.) Soon come to the barrier preventing motorists from driving any further but continue walking. Staying on the same road you will after around 20 minutes come to Fort Pezeries, just a few yards off to the right. This must be one of Guernsey's smallest forts - you can explore it and read an information board explaining its history. Returning to the road, you almost immediately reach the Table des Pions. Around here, as mentioned under Picnic 6, are plenty of options for picnicking, either on grass or sitting on rocks overlooking the sea. Go back the same way.
Walk 9: L'Ancresse Bay Apartments and the L'Ancresse Bay hotel have been demolished and (in June 2009) a new block of residential apartments was under construction. The site office was unable to say what name would be given to the new building when completed.
Walk 10: The German Tunnels referred to at the top of page 51 have been sealed and it is no longer possible to visit them. It seems unlikely that they will ever be accessible again.