I’m lucky enough to have a friend that has just landed herself a job in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands that boast of having the ‘best weather of anywhere in the British Isles.’ So with the bank holiday looming I thought where better to hop over to and enjoy some sunshine for a few days. As the bank holiday approached and the British Isles (including Jersey) were battered with wind and rain I was beginning to think my dreams of a weekend on the beach had been scuppered…
I needn’t have worried. Landing on Jersey after a short 50 minute flight from Liverpool the sun was shining brightly on the island and my vision of Jersey as a rich green island with wide sandy beaches was indeed true! My friend lives in the capital of Jersey, St Helier which is a mix of old and new, and British and French influence (like most of the island really.) The streets are all immaculately clean and locals were sitting outside Portuguese and French influenced cafes and bars sipping on cool drinks, I really did immediately feel like I was on holiday.
On the first day of my trip we decided to hire bikes (for a very reasonable £12.50 per day) and cycle over to one of the prettiest beaches on the island at St Brelade’s Bay. The cycle ride was very leisurely and we mainly followed the ‘millennium trail’, a purpose built gravel walkway through woodlands, to get over to St Brelade’s. If you make this trip be warned that it’s pretty much all uphill for the first part of the cycle ride back so young children probably wouldn’t manage it. St Brelade’s Bay is picture postcard pretty with a wide sandy beach, well preened parks and shops and restaurants dotted along the seafront. We ate at Pizza Express (I know not very adventurous!) which boasts of having the best view of any of this chain of restaurants and they are not wrong! You look right over the beach as you scoff your pizza and dough balls, a very enjoyable experience!
We had a day of relaxation on Sunday (after a few too many cocktails on Saturday night) but we headed over to St Ouen’s Bay late afternoon to experience a ‘pop up feast’ held by the famous ‘Le Don Hilton’ or ‘The White House’ by the beach. A huge paella with king prawns, mussels, squid, chorizo, chicken and clams was cooked and served to all ‘guests’ along with salad for a very reasonable £10 per head. This was the first of these feasts to be held and it was a roaring success (largely due to fantastic weather!) Guests bring their won picnic rugs, camping chairs and drink whist the hosts provide the delicious food. The evening was a great idea and provided fun for all the family. They even provided games for the kids and a giant ice bucket for the wine! The stunning sunset at the end of the day was the icing on top.
When the time came to return home on Monday I was more than a little disappointed. I felt like I had so much more I could have seen and Jersey really does feel like a lifetime away from Manchester, which incidentally was pouring with rain when I landed up back home, this really didn’t help my post-bank holiday blues!
I would highly recommend Jersey for anyone looking for a peaceful break, lovely clean beaches, fantastic food (the local produce is renowned for being amazing) and family friendly parks and attractions. I’ll definitely be back again!
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