FAMOUS for its Jersey Royals, honey-coloured cows and international finance industry, Jersey is perhaps less well known for its rich history and distinct culture. Evidence of human activity dates back 250,000 years (the caves at La Cotte de St Brelade are associated with mammoth hunting) and its more recent Norman links give it a very French feel. Electric bikes, available to rent, are an ideal way to explore the landscape, as you lookout for a glimpse of a bottle-nosed dolphin, red squirrel or puffin, or you could simply take to your feet to stroll around the island and drink in the magnificent views.
Seymour Tower
Off La Grande Route des Sablons, Grouville ( facing page)
Completely surrounded by the sea twice a day, this granite tower stands on a rocky outcrop a little more than a mile off the south-eastern corner of the island. Visiting it involves a walk across an almost lunar landscape, although tide times must be consulted —many have been caught out, as the tide rushes in along gullies ‘at the speed of galloping horses’, as the saying goes. The tower was built in 1782 after the Battle of Jersey (when French forces tried to gain control of the island) and is the only square fortification out of the 23 built, five of which are lined up along the coast facing Seymour itself. For the adventurous, it sleeps seven people (plus a guide), who can view the low-water flora and fauna or simply enjoy the solitude before the receding tide once more reconnects civilisation.
La Hougue Bie
La Route de la Hougue Bie, Grouville
Denne historien er fra July 14, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 14, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Give it some stick
Galloping through the imagination, competitive hobby-horsing is a gymnastic sport on the rise in Britain, discovers Sybilla Hart
Paper escapes
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For love, not money
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Mary I: more bruised than bloody
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A love supreme
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Private views
One of the best ways-often the only way-to visit the finest privately owned gardens in the country is by joining an exclusive tour. Non Morris does exactly that
Shhhhhh...
THERE is great delight to be had poring over the front pages of COUNTRY LIFE each week, dreaming of what life would be like in a Scottish castle (so reasonably priced, but do bear in mind the midges) or a townhouse in London’s Eaton Square (worth a king’s ransom, but, oh dear, the traffic) or perhaps that cottage in the Cotswolds (if you don’t mind standing next to Hollywood A-listers in the queue at Daylesford). The estate agent’s particulars will give you details of acreage, proximity to schools and railway stations, but never—no, never—an indication of noise levels.
Mission impossible
Rubble and ruin were all that remained of the early-19th-century Villa Frere and its gardens, planted by the English diplomat John Hookham Frere, until a group of dedicated volunteers came to its rescue. Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe tells the story
When a perfect storm hits
Weather, wars, elections and financial uncertainty all conspired against high-end house sales this year, but there were still some spectacular deals
Give the dog a bone
Man's best friend still needs to eat like its Lupus forebears, believes Jonathan Self, when it's not guarding food, greeting us or destroying our upholstery, of course
