Walking on Guernsey. Paddy Dillon
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summer period can be very hot and busy, which may not suit those looking for peace and quiet. The shoulder seasons, spring and autumn, are generally ideal for walking, with bright, clear days and temperatures that are neither too high nor too low. In fact, these are the times of year that the Guernsey Walking Weeks are arranged, featuring plenty of guided walks led by local experts.
Accommodation
Guernsey offers every type of accommodation to suit every pocket, but over the past few years prices have risen as hotels have moved up-market. Choose an accommodation base carefully, thinking primarily about how you intend to organise your walks. If you are hiring a car, then any base anywhere on the island will be fine. If you intend using the bus services to travel to and from walks, then the best base would be somewhere central in St Peter Port, handy for the bus station. An annual accommodation guide is produced, which can be obtained by post from Visit Guernsey, or browsed online at www.visitguernsey.com.
Walking and cycling are popular, especially on the coast where there may be shared use paths
Health and safety
There are no nasty diseases on Guernsey or, at least, nothing you couldn’t contract at home. Domestic water supplies are fed from either reservoirs or underground sources, but there has been no desalination plant in operation for decades. Treated water is perfectly drinkable, but some people don’t like the taste and prefer to buy bottled water, which is quite expensive. There are no snakes and no stinging insects worse than wasps and honey-bees.
In case of a medical emergency, dial 999 (or the European emergency number 112) for an ambulance. In case of a non-emergency there are chemists, doctors, dentists and a hospital. At the time of writing (and this may change) there is no reciprocal health agreement between Guernsey and the United Kingdom, nor is there any point in carrying the European Health Insurance Card. If emergency treatment is required it will be provided, but in order to avoid charges it is necessary to carry appropriate insurance.
Food and drink
Guernsey has long prided itself on being intensively agricultural, although this is waning and farmers face an uncertain future. In the past, people would think of ‘Guernsey tomatoes’, when the island was famous for its tomato greenhouses, but production has become uneconomic and many greenhouses now lie derelict or have been demolished. Some greenhouses are now purely involved in the production of flowers. At one time, Guernsey was the world’s leading producer of marmalade!
The name ‘Guernsey’ also conjures images of contented brown-and-white cows giving rich, creamy milk for butter and ice-cream. Guernsey cows have a long pedigree, having apparently lived on the island for over 1000 years and have always been immensely important. Guernsey herds are admired and renowned and have been exported world-wide. They even have their own website, www.guernseycattle.com.
Naturally, Guernsey offers good seafood, but one of the greatest delicacies is unlikely to be savoured by visitors. The ‘ormer’, or abalone, is a marine mollusc that can only be gathered at certain times and there are plenty of restrictions in place to conserve the species. As a result it tends to be eaten primarily by Guernsey folk, with nothing left over for commercial restaurants.
One of the most notable staple Guernsey foodstuffs is a moist fruit loaf known as ‘Guernsey Gâche’, whose flavour allows it to be eaten with a range of sweet and savoury food. Of course, it goes very well spread with rich Guernsey butter and eaten with a slice of Guernsey cheese. When fresh fruit and vegetables are required, visitors are often surprised to find these for sale from unmanned stalls beside roads all over the island. The idea is to help yourself to home-grown produce and leave payment in an honesty box, although judging by some of the notices attached to the stalls, some people simply steal from them, raising a question mark over how long this mode of selling can endure.
Of course, Guernsey also imports plenty of food and drink, both British and international goods, from simple, low-priced products to expensive quality items. On the whole, expect things to cost a little more than in Britain, and bear in mind that most supermarkets and shops are in St Peter Port, and not every village has a shop. On the other hand, pubs, restaurants, cafés and snack kiosks are regularly encountered while walking round Guernsey, and places offering refreshments are mentioned in the route descriptions. Food offered ranges from basic snacks to haute cuisine, and as it is easy to get from place to place for food and drink, you need only be guided by your palate and spending limits.
Parlez-vous Franglais?
For centuries the language commonly spoken around the Channel Islands was a Norman–French ‘patois’ which had distinct forms from island to island. The Guernsey form is known as Guernésiaise, or even Dgèrnésiais and, while it is rarely heard, it is still spoken and some people are keen to preserve it. Sometimes it is referred to as ‘Guernsey French’, but a French person would struggle to understand it. It also goes by the name of ‘Guernsey Norman French’. The Alderney form of Aurignaise has perished and the Sark form of Sercquaise is spoken only by a handful of people.
Guernsey cows feed on lush grass and give rich and creamy milk for butter and ice cream
Visiting walkers may hear nothing of the language, but will be very aware of the roots of the language preserved in place-names all over the islands. Motorists on Guernsey struggling to find a place to park will often be confronted by signs warning ‘ces premises sont terre à l’amende’, followed by a threat of a fine levied by the Royal Court. If you are lucky, the notice may also state ‘no parking’ in English.
Visitors with a good knowledge of French will probably pronounce the place-names with a French accent, but in fact the ‘correct’ pronunciation would be different. In all other respects, English is spoken, written and understood everywhere, but there are also sizeable resident, working and visiting nationals from many other countries. It is increasingly common to hear several languages spoken on the streets. If assistance is needed with the pronunciation of a place-name, the best person to ask is a Guernsey person!
Money
The States of Guernsey issue their own banknotes and coins, which are inextricably linked to Sterling and come in exactly the same denominations. However, Guernsey £1 and £2 coins are rare, while Guernsey £1 notes are common. Bank of England Sterling notes and coins can be spent in Guernsey, and currency issued by the States of Jersey is also accepted. In theory Sterling banknotes from Scotland and Northern Ireland are accepted, but this depends on whether the person to whom they are being offered is familiar with them. Some businesses will accept Euros, but the rate of exchange may be poor.
Change given at the close of a transaction may be a mixture of Guernsey and British currency. Remember that Guernsey currency is not legal tender in Britain, although British banks will change notes at face value. It is common for visitors approaching the end of a holiday in Guernsey to request British currency only in their change. Your last few Guernsey coins can be dropped in a charity box on departure, or saved as mementos of your visit.
Guernsey specialises in financial services, and banks from all over the world are represented on the streets of St Peter Port. ATMs are common and a wide variety of credit and debit cards are accepted by businesses. There is no VAT added to purchases and the island enjoys a low rate of tax. There is an advantage in purchasing some high-value items on the island, but the cost of transporting goods to Guernsey can make some of the benefits marginal.
Communications
If taking a mobile phone to Guernsey, check in advance about roaming charges, or you might find yourself paying a high price for calls. The local provider is Sure, www.sure.com. There is generally good mobile coverage around the islands. Telephone kiosks are located in many urban and rural locations, where emergency calls (999