Sunday 29 April 2018

Ilse of Sark










In my Guernsey travel post which you can read here, I mentioned that we went on a day trip to the Isle of Sark whilst on our holidays in the Channel Islands. It is a small island which has a population of just 425. We got the boat over from Guernsey which took about 40 minutes. A return ticket costs £30, which was a very pleasant journey. We were told to look out for bottlenose dolphins and puffins, and on the day we went the weather was beautiful but unfortunately we did not see any on the journey there or back.

Once on the island their main tourist attraction is to get a horse drawn carriage around the island with a tour guide. They have no forms of transport except bicycles to get around. The roads are that narrow nothing would ever get down, and the island is so small I reckon you could walk from one end to the other within two hours. The island is under the state of Guernsey, however has its own parliament to oversee the overall running of the island.

We booked on to a horse drawn carriage tour and went for a look around the island. Some of the houses are beautiful all in the traditional cottage style, most houses are passed down the family line and house prices were expensive. We went on a one and hour tour around the island stopping off along the way to take in the views and take some photos. The tour was a great way to see the island, but lots of other tourists hired bicycles.

What I really found interesting was how different life on the island really was. They have a row of shops as soon as you get on to the island with a supermarket and post office. They have only one doctor and one dentist, and any kind of in depth treatment takes place on the mainland in Guernsey. They have a fire brigade and police service who work part time. They also have a two person prison but they try not to use it due to the costs, and I got the impression it is barely ever used. There are a few little tea shops to stop and have cake and a drink at. We stopped at a little cafe which had an outdoor garden where we ate a lovely dinner in the sun. For the size of the island the church is large, it  is beautiful and you can go inside to have a look around.

There is a campsite and some guest houses which you can stay at on the island if you want to stay a little longer and explore the island further. It was a lovely day trip to the island and if you are visiting The Channel Islands, a visit to Sark is definitely worth it.

Lucy
xoxo
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