Guernsey: Media Spotlight!! Seeking Top Tips??

From the London/UK Daily Mail today, they this headline: "Let's go channel hopping: Jersey and Guernsey don't like each other, but they prove the perfect holiday match" with one of these sub-heads included: "In Guernsey, her family marvelled at the historic Castle Cornet and went sailing"

Here are some of the story highlights, including those that focus more on Guernsey: "The keys to Jersey life are fiendishly exclusive - only those who were born on the island, who are married to a native, or have a cool £1.75 million in the bank are automatically entitled to live here. The rugged beauty of these islands was dazzlingly clear. French author Victor Hugo, who spent 15 years in political exile on Guernsey, described them as ‘fragments of France which fell into the sea and were gathered up by England’. Few guidebooks cover both Jersey and Guernsey. Talk of one while in the other and a certain prickliness may well be encountered. And this applies to the whole island chain. I had only to mention I’d heard Alderney was good for puffin watching for one Guernsey local to liken the island to ‘2,000 alcoholics clinging to a rock’. With its pretty marina, promenade of pastel-fronted townhouses, streets festooned with bunting and the spectacular backdrop of the 800-year-old Castle Cornet, Guernsey’s capital, St Peter Port, is truly charming. We stayed at the historic Old Government House high on the hill overlooking the harbour. Grandeur is rarely welcoming, but OGH, as it’s affectionately called, is the exception. Its 63 rooms transport you to another era."

Friday, June 23, 2017, we will be in St Peter Port, Guernsey, from 8 am to 2 pm. We are doing a very port-intensive cruise sailing from Lisbon to Rouen and am looking for great ideas for these parts of Europe where we have not previously sailed or visited. We will not make it to Jersey, but am happy to have this stop in Guernsey on our schedule.

Any special tips, ideas, suggestions, secrets, etc., for Guernsey?? Great taxi guide drivers to suggest? Are both the Victor Hugo house and the historic Castle Cornet high priorities? Other locations that are important and especially interesting/photogenic?

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-4142700/Jersey-Guernsey-make-perfect-holiday-match.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 167,241 views for this posting.

From today's Daily Mail travel story, here are a couple of the fun and interesting visuals that they posted. First is the 800-year-old Castle Cornet in Guernsey’s capital, St Peter Port, which overlooks the sea. Second is the historic Old Government House hotel in Guernsey. Look good? Worth visiting?:

Hi Terry: I remember using many of your "down-under" tips. We have visited Jersey a few times as my Dad's cousin had a small hotel there -- he was born on Jersey and a member of the Royal Jersey militia! The intriguing things to us about the Channel Islands are their history and the beautiful country roads and beaches. As St Peter Port is only accessible by tender we have chosen a ship's tour based on the book " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society". It will give us a taste of what we want to see and connect back to the German Occupation. Should not matter if you read the book!

Other options we looked at are: to take the round-island public bus; walking tour with Annette Henry of St Peter Port; if a pretty day--a walk along the cliffs adjacent to the port; or simply wandering on our own with a guided tour of Castle Cornet.

Hi Terry

Pleased to hear you are visiting our island. As I can see you have researched, and picked up previous threads, I am not sure how much more I can add. With the ship departing at 2pm, if you manage to get on a very early tender, you could do the round the island bus (for GBP1) when you immediately land, as not all of the attractions will be open at 8am. Then on your return, you could visit Castle Cornet and Victor Hugo's house on your own. Castle Cornet have a guided tour at 10.30am. Victor Hugo's house have their own tour guides, with local guides not allowed to take visitors around the attraction. As this is very popular, you may wish to book before you arrive.

I came across this website, which gives some guidance on timing and how to reach various places.

http://www.guernseywalker.me.uk/Cruise%20walks.html

Our local tourist website is http://www.visitguernsey.com which is very informative.

There are guided town walks everyday leaving the tourist information centre at 10.30am, costs GBP7, no need to book, however I would presume are very popular on cruise visit days.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to post, and I will try to assist. Enjoy your visit.

Guernseycruiser

Hi Terry: I remember using many of your "down-under" tips. We have visited Jersey a few times as my Dad's cousin had a small hotel there -- he was born on Jersey and a member of the Royal Jersey militia! The intriguing things to us about the Channel Islands are their history and the beautiful country roads and beaches. As St Peter Port is only accessible by tender we have chosen a ship's tour based on the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society". It will give us a taste of what we want to see and connect back to the German Occupation. Should not matter if you read the book! Other options we looked at are: to take the round-island public bus; walking tour with Annette Henry of St Peter Port; if a pretty day--a walk along the cliffs adjacent to the port; or simply wandering on our own with a guided tour of Castle Cornet.

Guernseycruiser: Hi Terry Pleased to hear you are visiting our island. As I can see you have researched' date=' and picked up previous threads, I am not sure how much more I can add. With the ship departing at 2pm, if you manage to get on a very early tender, you could do the round the island bus (for GBP1) when you immediately land, as not all of the attractions will be open at 8am. Then on your return, you could visit Castle Cornet and Victor Hugo's house on your own. [b']Castle Cornet [/b]have a guided tour at 10.30am. Victor Hugo's house have their own tour guides, with local guides not allowed to take visitors around the attraction. As this is very popular, you may wish to book before you arrive. I came across this website, which gives some guidance on timing and how to reach various places.

http://www.guernseywalker.me.uk/Cruise%20walks.html

Our local tourist website is http://www.visitguernsey.com which is very informative.

There are guided town walks everyday leaving the tourist information centre at 10.30am, costs GBP7, no need to book, however I would presume are very popular on cruise visit days.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to post, and I will try to assist. Enjoy your visit.

Appreciate so much both of these wonderful posts. Great info and background. Very helpful. Fortunately our ship is not that large. Maybe only having 400 passengers. As I understand we will be docked to eliminate the hassles from tendering. Will check more on these links and keep looking for more tips and suggestions. Keep it coming!! Might have more questions as we get closer to mid-June and narrow our options

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,639 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate so much both of these wonderful posts. Great info and background. Very helpful. Fortunately our ship is not that large. Maybe only having 400 passengers. As I understand we will be docked to eliminate the hassles from tendering. Will check more on these links and keep looking for more tips and suggestions. Keep it coming!! Might have more questions as we get closer to mid-June and narrow our options

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 207,639 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

If you are docking rather than tendering, then the ship will be at the other side of the harbour. If you go to goole.maps, the tenders dock at Victoria Pier which is the pier to the north of Castle Pier, whereas the ships dock at St Julians Pier. It will therefore be quite a walk to Castle Cornet and Victor Hugo's house. I would add a good 10 to 15 minute walk to anything previously quoted from the tender dock.

Forgot to mention, The Guernsey Tapestry is also worth a visit.

BTW you have a beautiful ship to be cruising on, I will be very jealous watching your ship from my office window, when sailing past Castle Cornet.

If you are docking rather than tendering, then the ship will be at the other side of the harbour. If you go to goole.maps, the tenders dock at Victoria Pier which is the pier to the north of Castle Pier, whereas the ships dock at St Julians Pier. It will therefore be quite a walk to Castle Cornet and Victor Hugo's house. I would add a good 10 to 15 minute walk to anything previously quoted from the tender dock.

Guernseycruiser: Forgot to mention' date=' The Guernsey Tapestry is also worth a visit. BTW you have a beautiful ship to be cruising on, I will be very jealous [b']watching your ship from my office window[/b], when sailing past Castle Cornet.

Appreciate this great added info. Yes, I did check the Google Maps site and it provided very helpful insights into the "lay-out" of the town and certain key highlights. As I checked, it looks like it would be about a one mile walk from roughly where we dock in going to the historic castle. Lots of options to consider here. But only a short time here. Glad that you will be keeping an eye on our ship while we are docked and walking around.

How flat and/or hilly is this town if we would want to walk up to Old Government House, etc.?

THANKS for your wonderful follow-up and suggestions! Will probably have more questions as we get closer to June. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 47,068 views for these postings.

From Google Maps, it shows the large red dot for where our ship would dock in late June along with other key highlights in town, the castle at the bottom right, etc.:

How about taking a taxi to OGH for breakfast then walking back to the port https://www.theoghhotel.com/~/media/ttc/rch/the%20old%20government%20house/pdfs/170116_ogh_breakfast_menu.pdf?la=en

Appreciate this great added info. Yes, I did check the Google Maps site and it provided very helpful insights into the "lay-out" of the town and certain key highlights. As I checked, it looks like it would be about a one mile walk from roughly where we dock in going to the historic castle. Lots of options to consider here. But only a short time here. Glad that you will be keeping an eye on our ship while we are docked and walking around.

 

How flat and/or hilly is this town if we would want to walk up to Old Government House, etc.?

 

THANKS for your wonderful follow-up and suggestions! Will probably have more questions as we get closer to June. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Naturally, the waterfront is quite flat, and the walk to Castle Cornet is not bad at all. A rather pleasant walk along the waterfront, I think, though not short if you're docking rather than tendering.

Town itself is quite hilly.

This is Havelet Road, which is a bit steeper than the road up to Hauteville House (Victor Hugo's)

This is High Street in St. Peter Port, which is pretty typical of town

This is the walk up to Hauteville House. It's actually one of the more gradual walks actually since it's walking a bit parallel to the coast vs directly inland.

Another picture showing elevation, taken from about where your ship will dock. The Old Government House is essentially adjacent to the low stand of trees at the dead center of the photo, between the towers. Elizabeth Tower is on the right. Elizabeth College is the towers on the left.

How about taking a taxi to OGH for breakfast then walking back to the port https://www.theoghhotel.com/~/media/ttc/rch/the%20old%20government%20house/pdfs/170116_ogh_breakfast_menu.pdf?la=en

D C: Another picture showing elevation' date='[b'] taken from about where your ship will dock[/b]. The Old Government House is essentially adjacent to the low stand of trees at the dead center of the photo, between the towers. Elizabeth Tower is on the right. Elizabeth College is the towers on the left.

Appreciate this great added info, insights, pictures, etc., etc. Very helpful!! The menu at OGH looks good and interesting. The visuals are wonderful!! A picture is worth a thousand words and really helps give a sense of this town, its lay-out, character, etc.

Keep it coming!! Love seeing any and all ideas, tips and secrets for this unique island.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 28,757 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

Oops. Victoria Tower and Elizabeth College. That'll teach me to slowly create a post and not proof-read.

It's too bad you don't have longer to spend on the island than a 2:00 departure. That does limit your ability to see much of the island.

Personally, my favourite jaunt from town is a morning walk along the cliff paths to Fermain Bay for a nice lunch.

If one wanted to generally avoid walking, I would consider a guided tour of the island from one of the tour companies, such as Intransit.

I often hear mention of the round-island bus route (bus 91 or 92, same route, opposite directions). While it's a nice way to get a quick view of the island, it's completely without narration. Understanding the history of the island and what you're seeing is, I think, an important part of the trip if you want more than "the coast looks nice".

If you decide to take the bus, you can look up timetables at buses.gg And you can also pick up a bus quite near the quay where you'll be docking. No need to walk to the town terminus, unless the bus you want doesn't pass by the quay.

To walk to the Old Government House, since you're already at the quay, I would recommend a walk up St Julian Avenue as the most direct and least-strenuous way to get there. Least confusing as well. Go uphill on the main road from the roundabout. Once you pass the Boer War memorial on your left, continue just ahead to the stoplight at Ann's Place. Make a left and you'll find OGH just ahead on the left. To get back, I would recommend continuing downhill on Ann's Place, then straight on to Smith's Street, which will take you to High Street. A right turn and a walk down High Street to the church, then make a bit of a u-turn and walk along the waterfront to get back to the pier.

We did a great bike tour that covered about half the island. Good way to see the island and burn some calories.

It's too bad you don't have longer to spend on the island than a 2:00 departure. That does limit your ability to see much of the island. Personally, my favourite jaunt from town is a morning walk along the cliff paths to Fermain Bay for a nice lunch. If one wanted to generally avoid walking, I would consider a guided tour of the island from one of the tour companies, such as Intransit.

4774Papa: We did a great bike tour that covered about half the island. Good way to see the island and burn some calories.

Super appreciate these excellent' date=' added suggestions[/i'] and smart ideas from our Michigan and Georgia neighbors. WOW!! Some much to consider and do. Not sure my legs are as fit and fast in doing the bike riding idea. Nice thought!! Let's see if I can more fit to consider such an option. Plus, much would depend on the weather that day while visiting Guernsey.

Keep up the great sharing!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 64,783 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

After enjoying all your great suggestions and anticipating a great walk...and relearning about victor Hugo our ship is now going to stop in jersey. More research!

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

After enjoying all your great suggestions and anticipating a great walk...and relearning about victor Hugo our ship is now going to stop in jersey. More research!

 

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

We have visited Jersey twice on extended holidays --lovely place and lots to see and do.

After enjoying all your great suggestions and anticipating a great walk...and relearning about victor Hugo our ship is now going to stop in jersey. More research!

 

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

When will you be there and for how long? I've spent a good bit of time there as well.

We will be there for a day in mid April.

We will be there for a day in mid April.

I think I found your cruise. Looks like a nice selection of excursions offered on the Viking site. I've done many of those things if you have any questions. :)

Thank you

I am sure we will enjoy our time!

Getting ready in six days to be departing for Lisbon and our first visit to Portugal. Then, we will be seeing NW Spain, Bordeaux and Brittany also for the first times in these charming regions. Appreciate these various responses on Guernsey. Looking forward to being there for the first time and seeing its history and sights. Will do a live/blog for these "adventures". Join in and feel free to ask any questions as we sail. It will be on the Silversea Cruise Critic board.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580