I SIT at a trellis table, tucking into plates of Padrón peppers, chipirones, and patatas bravas as my children dig in the golden dirt with a stick and the sun's rays, refracted through the branches of tall pine trees, create patterns that dance on the faces of passing walkers. The Spanish food, the rural setting, and the blazing sunshine create the illusion of being somewhere considerably more Mediterranean than the Off The Rails café, a wooden shack about halfway along Jersey's Railway Walk, a four-mile, off-road path that follows the route of an old railway line.
The first train ran from St Helier to Corbière on August 5, 1885, and riding the railway became one of the highlights of a sojourn to the island for the tourists that flocked here from the late-Victorian era- I have a photograph of my paternal grandparents laughing in a carriage as they journeyed along the coast during one of their many holidays. My grandmother's cloche hat dates the picture to the 1930s, probably just before the railway closed in 1936.
During the Second World War, the German occupying forces briefly resurrected the railway and extended it east to Grouville and north to Ronez quarry, so that they could easily transport the sand and stone they needed to build their fortifications. Some of these German remains are still visible, including an embankment at what was Pont Marquet Station, about half a mile from Don Bridge.
Denne historien er fra July 20, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 20, 2022-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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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
