I'm touring Normandy later in the summer with a mate and then he's going back to the UK and I'm going to carry on for a bit. I'm thinking of heading from Normandy to Brittany by way of Guernsey and/or Jersey. Any thoughts on cycling in Guernsey and Jersey?
Cycled all around Jersey in about 2 days. There's a shared cycle path from St Helier all the way West then it's mainly quietish lanes. There are some surprisingly steep but short hills around the coast. There are a lot of mainland cars taken over on the ferry so expect some mainland car is king attitude and associated inconsiderate driving. On the whole very nice, there's normally quite a few Dutch and German cycle tourists around too.
What he said about the steep hills on the coast! After a while I reaslised if the street was named 'Mont' they meant it We went last June, it was really nice. It's completely flat from St Helier to St Aubins, nice gentle pedal along the beach, but further north the island really does rise out from the sea. There are cycle maps available from the tourist info, which they'll send you for free.
Most cyclists who make it over to the islands really enjoy their time here. The roads are pretty busy with cars during the summer months especially around St Helier and St Peter Port, but if you buy yourself large scale maps and get out of the towns you will find that there are a myriad of small, quiet lanes with great views, criss-crossing the islands and ideal for bikes. Guernsey has a ‘Green route tranquil scheme’ where in most narrow country lanes cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders have priority over cars, this works reasonably well, although of course we also have our fair share of inconsiderate motorists. I think Jersey has something similar. The islands are an interesting contrast after Normandy and Brittany but don’t forget to ride on the left….I know it sounds obvious but visiting cyclists get caught out every year
If you want to know anything about Jersey, I can help.. but feel free to have a look here: Jersey Tourism - Cycling Lots of self guided routes etc, and also details of guides. have a look here too: Arthur the blue guide
Forgot to mention to get from Normandy to Jersey, best is from Granville which is a lovely fishing port. the ferry company is here: Manche Iles Express Internet timetables are slow to be undated so best to ring. For english speaking ring Jersey office on 01534 880756 psCarteret is much less frequent than Granville, but just as lovely if it all fits together.
If you a looking for a nice off road route in Jersey, you can cycle along the sea front from St Helier to St Aubin's, then up the 'railway' walk to corbiere light house. The railway walk is a gentle rise all the way to corbiere. Get an ice cream at Corbiere and sail back down to St Aubins. My son (10 at the time) and I had a really nice day out doing this on hire bikes CS
Thanks for all the info, just what I was looking for. I was initially thinking of doing both islands, but I'll probably only do one and carry on to Brittany from there. As I get closer to nailing down my route I'll probably be pm-ing some of you. Couple of comments on driving, last year a mate and I went from Kent (where he lives, I an American living in Hong Kong) to France and Belgium touring the Western Front of WWI. As you leave the ferry at Dunkirk there is a longish (~3K) straight road from the ferry. My mate reckoned he could tell the nationalities of the drivers passing us by how close they came to running us down, close were Brits and those giving plenty of room Euros. Cheers, Drew
It's true thoughout northern continental Europe, the British drivers come uncomfortably close to cyclists, but then they can, as they are sitting on the 'wrong' side of the car and can see the exact distance between car and bike. It may not be nice, but it's not dangerous.
It seemed to me, when we were riding in the UK, the drivers also tended to come closer to us than the Euros did on the Continent. That's not from driving on the "wrong" side of the road.
Guernsey for us this summer, really looking forward to a few days there. Does anyone have some favorite sights we should maybe HAVE to see whilst there...?
Not been to Guernsey but saw this today and thought you might enjoy a read: http://www.planetconfidential.co.uk/UK-and-Ireland/Guernsey-Ghosts-And-A-Fruitcake-Called-Gache
When you get back from there you can tell us about both of them There's only so many candle shops and jewelry shops you can visit before Guernsey gets monotonous. I spent a fortnight there which was twelve days too many.
I worked in Jersey a few years ago and bought my present bike there as VAT did not exist at the time. Now sales tax is 5% so it is worth buying items such as cameras, mobile phones, watches etc. I have never declared the goods to Customs and have never been searched, but I hope you will be honest.
