Jersey

Hi There

Well, here we are back on Badger Sett following our trip back to Jersey and as promised here’s a bit about Jersey.

For those of you that are not local, known as Jersey Beans or Crapauds (pronounced as Crap O’s, if you’re sounding the ‘d’ your saying it wrong) then a quick run down of Jersey.

We’re about 100 miles south of the UK that’s about 4-5 hours by fast ferry or about 50 hours if we set sale in Badger Sett with no tide against us! but only about 15 miles from France. There are about 98,000 of us living on an Island that covers about 45 square miles, but whilst quite a large population, there are large areas of countryside and unspoilt areas. Of that population, about half of us were actually born in Jersey.

 

Jersey is the largest of the ‘Channel Islands’ with Guernsey being the next largest. Some of you will be familiar with the saying ‘Red sky at night, shepherds delight’ well in Jersey ours is ‘Red sky at night jerseymens delight’ (because Guernsey's on fire)! Am I jealous of them, cos not, there’s nothing to be jealous about! I have to say though that in business I did actually work with some very level headed Guernseymen, they used to be the ones with a chip on both shoulders! Anyway enough of that, if I haven’t got rid of any Guernsey readers of my blog by now I guess they’re here for the duration of this post so best say welcome fellow Islanders I suppose.

The Island is split into twelve parishes, similar I suppose to counties as in the UK, with the main one, known as our Town, being St Helier. Each parish has a bit of coast, some as you'll see with more than others. Our ‘government’ is known as the States of Jersey and is made up from a mixture of parish elected Constables and Deputy’s as well as Senators that are voted in by an Island wide mandate.

 

 

We print our own pound sterling currency and still have a pound note that disappeared from the UK a while ago, although we also have pound coins. Other dominations of coins and notes are the same as the UK and whilst we accept UK coins and notes in Jersey, our own coins and notes are not accepted in the UK.

Jersey is probably best known by some of you for ‘The Jersey Royal’ potato

or maybe by John Nettle’s ‘Bergerac’ TV program from the 80’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But enough of the school lesson, I’ll just take you on a bit of a pictorial journey around Jersey and hope my camera and not so nice a day does it justice.

 

In the west of the Island and looking north from Corbiere across St Ouens bay

Corbiere lighthouse itself that you can walk to along a causeway when the tide goes out.

Bit of a windy and rough day when I took these photos. Even had to hold the camera strap in my hand to try and stop the wind making it move.

 

St Brelades Bay in the South West of the Island, very popular and busy in the summer and where I spent my summer holidays as a boy. Well, just round the corner off to the right actually around the rock pools and gullies.

Up on Mount Bingham looking west with St Helier Harbour below and Elizabeth Castle in the bay.

Again from Mount Bingham and looking East.

Jersey has I believe about the third highest tidal range in the world. I think one is in Japan, but I'm not sure where the other one is. The tide can rise/fall as much as 40' on a spring tide and at high tide all you'd see in the photo would be the bit of harbour to the right of the picture and the tower on the skyline towards the top left hand corner.

In the East of the Island now and looking at Gorey Castle. This and probably Corbiere lighthouse I'd expect to be the best known landmarks if any of you have been to Jersey.

Looking down on Long Beach from behind Gorey Castle and Bink's favourite beach. Loves running in the surf and chasing the small birds that skim across the surface of the seaweed on the beach. We were in our sons car today, so no wet doggies aloud.

Looking down from behind Gorey Castle across at St Catherine's Break Water. On a clearer day you'd be able to see France.

Came across this little chap on our travels.

Typical north coast view of Jersey with cliff paths along the full length if you're up for a bit of exercise. Not for the faint hearted though . . .

Back to the beginning now at St Ouens Bay and the sand dunes that the boys had most of their walks at whilst we were over.

 

And last but not least, our cold looking driver for the day, Aaron our eldest son.

As I said at the start, we're now back on Badger Sett and about to start heading across the Pennines towards Leeds so we'll being doing our first lock of the year (Lock 64 on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal) with another six after to help burn off the Christmas calories.

Hope you all had a good Christmas and all the very best for 2014.

And so in signing off,

Day 397 in the Badger Sett Narrowboat -  770 miles and 323 locks further on from when we started.