Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
September 2009 : Guernsey
Although I had been to the largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey, on a few previous occasions, this trip gave me my first opportunity to visit Guernsey. As the second largest of the islands, Guernsey gives its name to one of the two so-called Bailiwicks that, for the purposes of government and administration, comprise this remnant of the former Duchy of Normandy. Legally, the Channel Islands are now British Crown Dependencies, self-governing in all matters except defence and foreign policy.
My time in Guernsey was confined to the island's little capital, St Peter Port. I found it very much quieter than its Jersey equivalent, St Helier, and felt that it had a certain 'olde worlde' charm. A profusion of police notices marking out alcohol-free zones did, however, indicate that the island is not entirely immune from 21st Century social problems.
