Jersey Cycling Holiday - tips please

[Paul Walters]

Hi everyone.

I'm off to cycle in Jersey at the end of April for two weeks. Apart from yellow stop lines, and "filter in turn" at road junctions, is there anything else I might need to be aware of before I go ?

Things such as :-

Do I legally have to wear a helmet (as in some European countries) ?
Are road signs etc the same as UK ones ?
Is there a lot of car traffic ?
Is it as expensive as people have said ? Actually ?
What is the current level of Goods and Services tax (their version of VAT)

And anything else anyone can add will be gratefully acknowledged.

Thanks

Paul and Teresa

 

[ChrisKH]

Two weeks? You could do a very leisurely end to end in less than a day.

Haven't been there for yonks though. Some very lovely country lanes and it can get hilly in certain parts. Sorry I can't help you with your queries, but will be interested to see the answers.

 

[upsidedown]

Hi
Cycling in Jersey is fantastic. The shared path along the south coast is completely flat and traffic free from St Helier to St Aubin. Any journey inland will mean a good climb.
There is a good network of green lanes that you can get to most places on, just don't assume that drivers will stick to the speed limit , particularly if they're on mainland plates.
There is a lovely bridleway that takes you from the south coast all the way to Corbiere lighthouse, well worth checking.
Helmets are not compulsory.
Prices about the same as the mainland.

Have a great time !!

Paul

 

[Wardy]

I did a wee bit of cycling there about two years ago. At that time there was no requirement to wear helmets and I was there for a (non-cycling) week last year and many (there were LOTS!) cyclists weren't wearing helmets. Road signs were pretty much similar to ours. Most of the streets and places had French names. The main roads could be busy, especially at peak times, but there are myriads of quiet "green" lanes where the speed limit is supposed to be 15mph. You could practically spend all day on these and the many minor lanes all over the island. I was there in June both times and traffic was no worse than at home so if you're going in April it should be quieter. Everything is so compact (there's that word again!) you could easily stay at one base and make daily forays to different parts of the island every day. Lots of nice places to eat and from what I saw, no more expensive than on the mainland. Stacks of clean, well appointed toilets. Cycle hire outlets and at least one good cycle shop in St. Helier. Lovely parks and plenty of places to visit - I can particularly recommend the Gerald Durrell zoological park even though I normally hate the concept of zoos. Loads of B&B's and hotels. Lastly (and definitely by no means least) there's a very good 1:25000 Official Leisure Map issued by the States Planning Dept., South Hill, St Helier.

 

[Brains]

I'm off to cycle in Jersey

I always cycle in Jersey. Usually a yellow one

 

[scraynes]

Hi Paul,

I think your specific questions have been answered above.

As a local could I just add the following:

there can often be lots of traffic in and around St Helier - just like any town be on your guard.
The route along the sea wall from St Helier to St Aubin in lovely - especially early morning with a high tide.
That route joins onto a disused railway that will take to Corbiere in the SW corner of the Island

Here is a link to the Jersey Tourism Website: you might also be interested in the Walking pages too.

http://www.jersey.co...es/default.aspx

http://www.jersey.co...es/default.aspx

As you're here for 2 weeks, you might want to do a day trip to Granville in Normandy.

There are looks of possiblities for a day tour and the boat times tend to give you a good amount of time over there.

http://www.manche-iles-express.com/

They are closed at the moment until the end of Feb and then the timetable should go live for March onwards.

Here is a link to a site with a booklet with some suggested routes - 6 of them are do able in a daytrip from Granville:

http://www.mancheran...uits_cyclo.html

I hope you have fun - the country parishes are a joy to explore.

Spencer

 

[Paul Walters]

Spencer, thanks for all the local info. I will follow the links you've posted.

Hi Maggot, the Blue Soleil campsite (I think that's what it's called) is open all year according to my GF.... if I can find their email to her, I will post it on here later.

 

[ChrisKH]

One thing I would add is that Jersey may be south of the UK, but it can remain cold there well into April. Spent a fair amount of time there in March, April & May once and the chill surprised me.