A welcome weekend thanks to a short trip to Jersey with Julie and Ben. We stayed at the Radisson Blu on the harbour in St Helier, which turned out to be a superb hotel with attentive staff, stunning views from our room across the bay, and ideal facilities by the way of its fitness suite and a pool.
Having arrived on Friday evening from Gatwick – it is such a quick journey – we were soon up and about on Saturday morning and walked the causeway at low tide to Elizabeth Castle.
The Castle is an island fortress built across twenty-four acres and several centuries. The battlements date back to the 1590s, when Sir Walter Raleigh was the Governor of Jersey from 1600 until 1603. Plus the grounds gave refuge to King Charles II during the English Civil War and still feature the bunkers, which were re-fortified to command the sea approaches to Jersey during the German Occupation in World War II.
Having appreciated a relaxing break at the hotel in the afternoon, we then we explored the city centre in the evening and enjoyed a drink in the Dog & Sausage with its fascinating military memorabilia and an excellent dinner at Indian Ocean in La Motte Street.
Sunday saw us catch a bus to the timeless village of Gorey on the east coast of the island, before we returned to St Helier and boarded the Jersey Duchess in the harbour. This took us on a two-hour seaborne circuit of the south west corner and offered views of the many bays and rock formations, which are a key part of the Channel Islands geography.
Upon our return we appreciated the wonderful hotel terrace overlooking the Elizabeth Marina for an hour, before taking our taxi to the airport and flight home. Thanks Jersey, it was certainly a lovely couple of days.
