‘The Excellent Day’ in Summary
Ah, this proved to be ‘the most excellent day’…after today, everything else would be referred to as ‘Not Quite Jersey!’
Tim, Nickey & myself woke up rudely early at 5.20am – less than 5 hours after our heads had hit the pillow following an ‘unplanned’ drinking late night (although with WC around, it should have been expected!) – to catch the 7.30am ferry. This arrived only an hour later at 8.30am – owing to the 1-hour time difference…which we’d completely forgotten about, and which being a Sunday morning made everything slightly more problematic since nothing appeared to be open.
Anyway, we eventually managed to liaise in a coffee shop with Diamond Dog Dave who’d arrived on the island yesterday (long story) and set off to first the most southerly, then the most easterly point of the island…we couldn’t be bothered with the most northerly point – too rocky, too up & downy, and too hungry by that point.
Arrived at the much-vaunted El Tico for lunch on the west coast in brilliant sunshine and ate, drank & swam there for 3 hours – it didn’t disappoint!
Back to the ferry terminal via a lovely old railway track cycle path through the woods followed by an ice cream & snooze on Saint-Ouen Bay before the usual schlep of ferry boarding and back to St Malo before dark.
Quotes
“It’s not quite Jersey!” [For everything after Jersey, as half the group chose not to come]
Highlights
- Cycling the lanes of Jersey, which seemed more open and agricultural than Guernsey – I guess that milk and those potatoes don’t grow themselves?!
- El Tico – a beachfront restaurant on the west coast with amazing food, beer, and views.
- Paddling in the sea whilst watching The Chuckle Brothers attempt to bodysurf the breakers
Lowlights
- Waiting on an exposed concrete apron in the rain for an hour to board the ferry back to Jersey, being processed first but loaded last for some reason?
- Arriving back at our AirBnb in St Malo to find everybody out and no key under the rock…so had to ride out and collect it from where they were eating.
Interesting Facts about Jersey
We met Nick – who lived in Jersey – in the ferry boarding queue, returning from a hardcore week’s bikepacking round France, and who proved to be a font of information on the island:
- Jersey has some of the biggest tidal swells in the world – around 12 metres – meaning that at low tide, Jersey is about 1/3rd larger than at high tide.
- Jersey (like Guernsey) is a British Crown Dependency – it is defended and diplomatically represented by the UK govt but is self-governing with its own financial and legal systems.
- Hence, there is no VAT (wahay!) but instead a 5% Goods Service Tax (GST).
- It has its own currency – the Jersey £ (pegged to the UK £) – and if you pay in cash, you’ll get this as change…oh, and they also still have £1 notes here!
- More on Jersey here.
The Day in Pictures
- The route • Rode along coast to most southerly point• Titanic / Hard Rock• Green routes• Mont Ortgeuil• Jersey Zoo – chimp dressing• On your right! • Tim’s Jersey cow spotting• Lunch at El Tico• Baywatch brothers / bodysurfing / tide coming in / Liberation Ale• Railway path / lovely down• Ice cream & snooze on beach• Pain in arse waiting in rain for DFDS loading• Notes – the rubbish day• Slept in• Went to supermarket• Lazy arses – took ferry across to Dinart on Matt’s suggestion Ice cream – The Kiosk