Tour of Jersey, Channel Islands

Jersey is made up of 12 parishes: Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement, Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Ouen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour & Trinity.

The parishes to the north only have very small villages.

The island is 9 miles by 5 miles with the main resorts and beaches on the south side. The northern areas are more rugged.

The main roads run all the way around the island through all the towns and villages, B roads lead out to the coast.

The island has a speed limit of 40 MPH, and you drive on the left side.
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UK Map . Google Map .

St Helier is the capital of Jersey, situated in St Aubin's Bay on the southern side of the island. Most of the Hotels are situated here, or in St Aubin's across the Bay.

The town has a British feel with French and Portuguese influences.

The town centre has a good variety of shops, restaurants and cafes. The central market is a good place to by Jersey's own produce, such as flowers, Jersey Royal potatoes, and fresh fish. The market has been here since 1882.

The harbour and marina are normally busy with ferries, yachts and small fishing boats. You can also take a walking tour around the historic harbour led by a guide.

The view right is of Liberation Square, built in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jersey being liberated from Nazi occupation.

Elizabeth Castle is situated on the tidal island L'Islet, in St. Aubin's Bay. Construction of the castle began in 1594 and was completed in the 1600s. The governor of Jersey when the castle was completed was Sir Walter Raleigh. He named the castle Fort Isabella Bellissima, meaning the most beautiful Elizabeth, after Queen Elizabeth I.

Access to the castle is across a causeway from St Helier beach at low tide, or in a wading vehicle that can travel through the water, as long as the weather is not to rough.

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The Jersey Museum and Art Gallery in St Hellier, tells the story of Jersey from neolithic times to the present day. Here you can view the island's finest treasures, including a priceless Bronze Age gold torque/neck ring, and Millais' famous portrait of Lillie Langtry.

The Jersey Museum covers from 250,000 years back to when the first people arrived, and documents the key factors and people that shaped the island over the following centuries.

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The Maritime Museum at St Helier's harbour covers Jersey's maritime past. You can see, touch, hear and even smell the exhibits.

The Maritime Museum mainly covers seafaring, navigation, and the elements. The exhibits allow you to experience the force of a gale, learn about the tides, and see how to design a ship that floats.

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Taking a tour of the island anti-clockwise that covers 48 miles of coast.

Saint Clement is one of the twelve parishes in Jersey. It is situated just east of Saint Helier, in an area tha contains some of the suburbs of St Helier.

Samares Manor and Gardens are situated in St Clement. These impressive gardens were created in the 1020s for the shipping magnate, Sir James Knott.

Here you can visit the Manor House, The Rural Life and Carriage Museum, Herb Garden, Herb Garden Cafe, and more.

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Grouville Parish is situated just east of Saint Clement Parish in the south east of the island. The view left shows the Royal Bay of Grouville with the Village of Gorey in the distance.

In the area is La Hougue Bie, one of Europe's best preserved passage graves. This site gives an insight into Jersey's neolithic community 6,000 years back. Also in this area is a command bunker built during the German Occupation, and a memorial in the memory of slave-workers in the Channel Islands during WWII. Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

Also in the area is the Royal Jersey Golf Club . Google Map .

Gorey is a village in the parishes of St. Martin and Grouville on the east coast of Jersey. It is one of the three main harbour's on the island.

As Gorey has the closest harbour on the island to France, it has a history of conflict dating back to the Iron Age.

After the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204, this castle of Mont Orgueil was built to protect the island against the French.

The castle also served as residence for Governors of Jersey until Elizabeth Castle was completed at Saint Helier in the 1600s.

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Heading west along the north of the island is the Parish of Trinity. This is where you can find the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society at the Royal Jersey Showground, the States Farm, and Jersey Zoo, now known as Durrell Wildlife. Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

Also in the area is the Pallot Steam, Motor & General Museum. This Museum was founded by the late Don Pallot. Google Map .

www.pallotmuseum.co.uk . Visitor Reviews .

Next traveling west is the Parish of St John, then the Parish of St Mary. On the north coast of the Parish of St Mary are the Greve de Lecq Barracks.

You can explore The Barracks whenever the doors are open. Here you can find information on Jersey's north coast, Greve de Lecq's history, scenes from 19th century military life, and the story of the defence of the island. Also, a collection of horse-drawn vehicles are on display and local artists exhibit their work. The Barracks also house the National Trust for Jersey shop. More Information. Google Map .

Another attraction in the area is Le Moulin de Quetivel, a water mill situated where there has been mills since the early1300s. The mill has been restored to working order by the Trust and grinds its own flour to this day. The mill also has a display of Neolithic quern stones found in Jersey, an exhibition showing the history of milling, and a video room where you can watch a film about Quetivel. Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

St Ouen is situated in the north west of the Island, the largest parish by surface area. St Ouen's Bay, as seen left, is a popular place for water sports.

Also in the area, on Mile Road, is the Channel Islands Military Museum. The collection has been built up over the years to allowing visitors to see items that are still in the same condition as when they were when last used over 60 years back.

With the museum set in one of Hitler's former Atlantic Wall defences, it gives visitors a true feeling of life during WWII in the 1940s. Visitor Reviews. Google Map .

The Battle of Flowers Museum is also in the area. This museum was opened in 1971 by Miss Bechelet's. The museum has 23 part or complete floats built entirely by Miss Bechelet. Each float can take up to 1400 hours to construct and is completely covered in wild flower. Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

More Information on the Channel Islands Military Museum . Les Mielles Golf and country Club.

Saint Brelade Parish is situated on the south west of the island. St. Brelade has some of the most popular bays in Jersey, with St. Brelade's Bay, Ouaisné, Portelet, and parts of both St. Ouen's Bay and St. Aubin's Bay.

In the area is the Noirmont Command Bunker, a German naval command bunker that controlled the artillery battery named Lothringen from 1944 to 1945. The bunker is on two floors with a large number of exhibits. Guided tours are available on request. Most of the artillery battery has also been restored. Google Map .

See also: La Moye Golf Club. Booking.com . Google Map .

St Aubin is the main town in the parish of St. Brelade, a popular holiday resort. It is situated on the south coast looking over St Aubin's Bay to St Helier. There is a long sandy beach that connects St Aubin to St Helier.

St Aubin's scenic harbour has a large number of small yachts and cruisers, and the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club is situated here.

A short distance offshore, that can be reached during some low tides, is St Aubin's Fort built in 1542. The fort was built for Henry VIII 1509 - 1547, for protection against sea raiders.

Late Rooms . Booking.com . Google Map .

Just north of St Aubin & St Helier, at St Peter's, is the Living Legend Village, nine acres of entertainment for all ages, an extremely popular island attraction.

There are two challenging 18 hole adventure golf courses, a go-karting track, craft and shopping village, outdoor play area, live entertainment, restaurants, and a creperie.

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Just north of St Aubin & St Helier is Hamptonne, a museum of country life. The museum gives information on almost 300 years of rural heritageon the island. The museum covers characters from the past, by-gone skills, and a variety of farmyard animals. You can aslo view the buildings, kitchen garden, orchard, and meadows. More Information . Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

Also in this area is the the German Underground Hospital, or Jersey War Tunnels Museum. Thes are a partially completed underground hospital built by German forces during their occupation of Jersey in the midst World War II. Over 1,000 yards of tunnels were completed. More Information . Visitor Reviews . Google Map .

There are a few boat trips you can take from Jersey, such as the most popular beingthe Jersey - Guernsey ferry that takes about 1 hour in the fast craft as seen right leaving St Helier Port, or 2 hours on a conventional ferry. Price is about £36 return per person booking direct at : www.condorferries.co.uk.

For information on all the destinations in the Channel Islands, France, England and Ireland that the ferries travel to, visit: www.jersey.com/english/transport/bysea.

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St Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey, where the St Helier ferries dock.

Guernsey’s capital has been a busy port since Roman times. The harbour is deep and well protected, so became the main port in Channel Islands for the various countries that controled the islands over the centuries. The pert also has a history of ship building, privateers, and merchant adventurers.

The towns premeier buildings are mainly Georgian and Regency styles, with some French styles.

Shopping in Saint Peter Port is one of its top attractions.

The most popular shopping goods available at low prices are: electronics, photographic, jewellery, perfume, wines, spirits, tobacco, clothes, shoes, leather goods, antiques, and the famous Guernsey jumper.

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For more information on Jersey, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey.

Sea Fishing out of St Helier: www.tarkaseatrips.com .

Boat Trips out of St. Helier: www.jerseyseafaris.com .