Country number: 1 (UK)
Territory number: 47
When? August 1994
How? By car
Who? With Chris
“The Noble Little Nation of the Sea”
Victor Hugo
Guernsey is the second largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel, closer to the Normandy coast than England.
Guernsey and its islands came under the control of William Longsword, son of Rollo the first Duke of Normandy, in 933. It was annexed from the Duchy of Brittany. With Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, and associated islets, it forms the Bailiwick of Guernsey and is a self-governing British Crown dependency. Its assembly is presided over by the bailiff of Guernsey.
The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles occupied by the Germans in World War II
Guernsey’s tidal range of over 11 metres is one of the largest in the world.
One of the island symbols is the donkey. People in Jersey say the donkey is a symbol due to the stubbornness of the residents! In return, Guernsey dwellers call Jersey dwellers, crapauds, or toads.
Channel Islanders believe they are descended from ‘pouques’ – or fairies. Legend has it that fairies, witches and elves met at the Table des Pions, or Fairy Ring,. Many of the houses in Guernsey’s west have granite “witches’ seats sticking out of them – so that the witches could stop and rest, rather than causing havoc. The last reported fairy sighting on the island was in the early 1900s!’
The Guernsey cow produces some of the most sought after dairy products in the world; this is because of the high butterfat and protein levels in its milk.
Sorry – I didn’t keep a record of my trip to Guernsey and I don’t have any more good images. I shall have to go back – one day. My blogs vary considerably in length but I have much more to say and show in most of my other country posts. Please have a look!