Seas the day

On Jersey, you're never more than 10 minutes from the sea. Adam Hay-Nicholls explores the beauty of her coastline

- Adam Hay-Nicholls

THE most southerly of the British isles, Jersey benefits from more hours of sunshine than anywhere in the UK and its 48 miles of rugged shoreline provide a coastal playground for swimmers, sun-loungers and watersports lovers. Each side of the island has its specialities: surfing in the west, oyster-harvesting in the east, quiet and secluded coves brimming with wild flowers in the north and jet-skiing and sailing in the busier south and its sweeping St Brelade’s Bay. This is very much the ‘activity’ beach.

Along the west coast, the Watersplash Bar and Diner on St Ouen’s Bay has been a surfer’s hangout since the 1960s (there’s a handy surf cam on its website, so one can keep an eye on the conditions—www.watersplashjersey.com). Almost any day of the year, you’ll see dozens of hardy locals braving the rip tides. Located on the slipway at Le Braye, Jersey Surf School will give instruction to the uninitiated (www. jerseysurfschool.co.uk).

More tranquil waters are to be found on the north coast. Hidden away is Plemont Beach, flanked on either side by steep cliffs. On a clear day, there are spectacular views across to the other Channel Islands—Guernsey, Herm, Sark and, in the far distance, Alderney —and you’ll probably have nothing but the calls of the gulls for company on the golden sands. There are archive photographs of Victorian and Edwardian women being carried through rock pools to view an enchanting waterfall and it is still an explorer’s paradise, home to the island’s biggest caves.