WK_Jersey

This half-day driving or cycling tour of 14 miles (22km) takes in Jersey’s most dramatic coast, where surfers ride the big Atlantic swell on a spectacular 4-mile (6km) beach.

The wild and windswept bay of St Ouen’s dominates the entire coast. This is a surfers’ paradise, with championship-size waves and Bondi Beach-style lifeguards on patrol. On the landward side, Les Mielles is the largest remaining area of unspoilt countryside on the island, its sand-dune system rich in flora and fauna.

Marking the southwestern tip of the island is La Corbière 1 [map] , or haunt of the crow, once considered a bird of ill omen. This is a wild and desolate corner, abounding in tales of ships that have foundered on the treacherous rocks and sailors who have drowned. The first recorded disaster on the rocks here was a Spanish vessel carrying a cargo of wine in 1495. Among the many other shipwrecks was the Royal Mail Steam Packet in 1859.

However, it was not until 1874 that a lighthouse, the first in the British Isles to be made of concrete, was built here. Perched on jagged rocks and often lashed by waves, this makes a dramatic scene at any time of day. There are still occasional accidents here, such as one involving a French catamaran, en route from Jersey to Sark, which struck a rock north of the lighthouse in 1995. The sculpted pair of clasped hands on the headland commemorates the rescue of all 307 passengers and crew.

Anti-Tank Walls

The 6ft (2-metre) -thick concrete wall along the entire bay of St Ouen’s was one of many anti-tank walls which were built by the Germans on the Channel Islands. Orders had been given to transform the island into ‘an impregnable fortress’, and thousands of foreign forced labourers and Russian prisoners-of-war were imported to construct the walls, gun emplacements, artillery batteries and bunkers. Over half a million tons of concrete were used around the coasts, with narrow-gauge railways built specifically for its transport.

If the tide is right, you can walk across the causeway to the lighthouse, but the incoming sea is treacherous, and you should check the tides before setting out. A carved stone on the causeway recalls the fate of an assistant lighthouse keeper who drowned while trying to save a visitor stranded by the incoming tide. Nowadays a siren warns visitors when the tide approaches the causeway.

Originally manned by four keepers, the lighthouse today is remotely operated, and there is no access inside for visitors. During World War II the Germans built bunkers at La Corbière and a great grey observation tower on the clifftop overlooking the lighthouse. This was used as a radio tower and, more recently, converted by Jersey Heritage into self-catering accommodation, in German modernist Bauhaus style. The tower is over six floors and commands a wonderful 360-degree panorama of the island from the top.

For St Ouen’s Bay 2 [map] to the north, continue around the headland, passing above the rocky Petit Port Bay, and in about a mile (1.6km) turn left on to the B35 (if you’re cycling, keep following the signs for Route 1). The longest bay in the Channel Islands, the swathe of sands stretches in a great 4-mile (6km) arc, all the way from La Pulente in the south to L’Etacq in the north. This is a beach which is never crowded.

Throughout the year surfers make the most of the rollers on the incoming tides. Bodyboarding is hugely popular too. Surfboards, body boards, skim boards and wetsuits can be all hired at various points along the beach or, for those who prefer just to sit and watch the action, the sea wall affords shelter, and there are occasional cafés above the beach with sea-view terraces. Elsewhere the beach is very exposed and not ideal for sunbathing; and when the weather is inclement, the bay is far from welcoming. All but experienced surfers should heed the danger warnings and keep to the areas between the flags where lifeguards are on duty during summer. The bay is notorious for rip tides and strong currents.

The most sheltered section is La Pulente in the south, where, at the right tide, children can enjoy sandy pools in the rocky outcrops.

The main road skirting the bay, La Grande Route des Mielles, is also known as Five Mile Road. On foot it may feel like at least 5 miles (8km), but it is in fact less than 4 miles (6km). On the landward side, the sand dunes of Les Mielles Conservation Zone 3 [map] are the habitat of a wide range of birds and plants, including several endangered species. La Mare au Seigneur, colloquially known as St Ouen’s Pond, was, until World War II, used to stock fish for the Seigneur of St Ouen, and the reeds used for thatching and bedding. The land was purchased by the National Trust for Jersey in 1972 and is now a nature reserve. A rich diversity of flora surrounds the pond, and the nearby field called Le Noir Pré or ‘The Orchid Field’ is one of the last strongholds of the Jersey or loose-flowered orchid (Orchis laxiflora), providing a blaze of colour in May and June.

The reed beds and marshy surrounds of the pond attract a large variety of birds. Since 1992, 188 species have been recorded at the site and, with changes in climate, an increasing number are arriving each year. Among the breeding birds are Cetti’s warbler, reed and sedge warblers, bearded tit and reed bunting. A pair of marsh harriers bred here for the first time in 2002, and the species can often be spotted soaring overhead. The National Trust’s Jersey Wetland Centre (www.nationaltrust.je/project/the-national-trust-for-jersey-wetland-centre) has panoramic views of the reed bed and pond, and is equipped with binoculars and a live-feed reed bed cam. Access is via a tunnel, entered on La Grande Route des Mielles (park at the Watersplash, cross the road, and it’s just to the north).

A large part of the land running alongside Five Mile Road is given over to golf courses, including Les Mielles Golf and Country Club, which also has an activity centre with lots of things to entertain children, including minigolf and a fun zone.

At the southern end of the bay, out to sea, La Rocco 4 [map] tower is the oldest of nine towers which were built to defend the bay during the Napoleonic Wars. Damaged by German target shooting during the Occupation, the tower underwent renovation in 1969. Only three of the other towers survive, including Kempt Tower (1834) on the seafront further north. This is one of the few examples of a Martello tower to have survived in a good state of preservation. The ground floor was used to store weapons and armour; the upper floor housed the troops. Today the tower provides self-catering accommodation for up to twelve people.

At the north end of the bay, Lewis Tower stands on the site where the local rector set up a cannon in 1779, in anticipation of the capture of the island by the adventurer, the Prince of Nassau, with a French force of six thousand. The invasion was repulsed by the Jersey Militia and the French warships were forced to return to St Malo, where five of the boats were destroyed by the British. The structure you see today is a Martello tower of 1835. This was used by the Germans in World War II, who constructed an extension at the base to house a searchlight.

For centuries vraic (pronounced ‘rack’) or seaweed from the beach has been collected for use as a fertiliser on the farmland bordering the coast. Horses and carts were once used for the job, gaining access to the beaches via slipways which you can see all the way around the Jersey coastline. In 1600 laws were passed to guarantee farmers equal rights to the free fertiliser. Today it is a free-for-all but nowadays you rarely see tractors going down to collect the vraic.

Follow La Grande Route des Mielles to the end of the main beach for the Château complex and the former Jersey Woollen Mills.

Knitting is one of the islands’ oldest traditions, and records date back to the sixteenth century when women would knit sweaters to keep their menfolk warm on their long journeys to the cod banks in Newfoundland.

Jersey became famous for the trade, and knitted goods, especially stockings and waistcoats, were exported to England and France. According to the records of an early seventeenth-century Lieutenant Bailiff of Jersey, the majority of the islanders (children included) were knitters, and over ten thousand pairs of stockings were produced weekly. The noise of knitting needles during sermons became so prominent that vicars put a stop to knitting inside the church.

The harvest and vraicing (seaweed collection) began to suffer and in 1608, in order to encourage more workers onto the land, an act was passed prohibiting those over the age of 15 from knitting during the harvest. The penalty was imprisonment.

Each jersey made on the Channel Islands had its own distinctive style. Legend has it that if a sailor was lost at sea and his body washed ashore, he would be identified by his sweater and returned to his native parish. Sadly, these days, jerseys are no longer made on the island.

Apart from anti-aircraft guns, soldiers in uniform and military motorcycles, there is a rare Enigma decoding machine, a series of Red Cross letters to relations and friends in England and Christmas and birthday cards made by Jersey internees at the Worzach and Bieberach camps in southern Germany. Orders of the Commandant include a notice of a Jersey resident, Louis Berrier, being charged with espionage for releasing a pigeon messenger for England. He was court-martialled and executed.

Relics of Red Cross food parcels that arrived by ship towards the end of the German Occupation include tins of dried egg. Food was severely rationed during the Occupation, but the islanders were resourceful, creating coffee from parsnips, tea from peapods and toothpaste from crushed cuttlefish and ivy.

Another tourist attraction of a different nature is Jersey Pearl (www.jerseypearl.com), just across the main road. In this spacious, plush showroom you can watch pearl-threading, have your own necklace made or choose from a wide range of cultured, freshwater or simulated pearls.

German Relics

Instead of destroying the conspicuous evidence of an unhappy episode in its history, Jersey retained its German relics after World War II. Apart from becoming tourist attractions, they have been put to good use. The sea wall along St Ouen acts as a barrier against the Atlantic, one of the bunkers is home to the Channel Islands Military Museum, another a restaurant and retail outlet for freshly caught lobsters, while the six-storey, sea-view observation tower at Corbière has been converted for holiday lets.

The main road heads inland after Jersey Pearl. The B35 takes you to L’Etacq 6 [map] , a vast expanse of reefs better suited to rock pool exploring than swimming. A forest close to L’Etacq was submerged when the sea level rose after the Ice Age, and on rare occasions when the sands have been washed away by storms you can see the remains of ancient tree stumps. At the far end of the bay, and accessible by road, an old German bunker sells lobster, crabs, prawns and fresh fish. For a gourmet picnic, order ready-cooked lobster (Faulkner Fisheries; www.faulknerfisheries.com) or enjoy delicious and affordable barbecued seafood at wooden benches overlooking the coast. Don’t be put off by the occasional bad odour on the coast here – it’s only accumulated weed from Le Pulec to the north – familiarly known as Stinky Beach.

To enjoy some spectacular views from castle ruins you could head on north up to Grosnez on the north coast – a diversion of approximately 3 miles (5km). Otherwise retrace your steps along the B35 and join the B64 to reach the village of St Ouen.

The parish church of St Ouen 7 [map] is one of the finest on the island, and lies southwest of the actual village, on the crest of a hill overlooking the sea. To get there take the A12, then the C117 marked to the right. Notably, the church was mentioned in a charter signed by William the Conqueror prior to his conquest of England. Major alterations and extensions took place between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. The original building, possibly a chantry chapel erected by a group of monks from Normandy in the seventh century, is thought to have been rebuilt or enlarged by a member of the historic de Carteret family, Seigneurs of St Ouen, whose nearby ancient seat can be seen from the main A12.

The magnificent Manor of St Ouen 8 [map] (closed to the public), owned by the family for more than 800 years, was used by the German army during the Occupation. Inside the grounds, the Chapel of St Anne, built at the same time as the manor, was turned into a storeroom and butcher’s shop. The manor is now a popular wedding venue.

The next village along the A12 is St Peter’s, whose parish church has the tallest spire on the island and so flashes a warning red light for planes landing and taking off from the nearby airport. A church has stood on this site for over one thousand years, like St Ouen’s, pre-dating the Conquest. It has some unusual stained glass windows, including one about the airport.

Return to St Helier by continuing south along the A12 and turning left on to the A1 when you come to the main junction.

Eating Out

St Ouen’s Bay

El Tico Beach Cantina

La Grande Route des Mielles; www.elticojersey.com.

A familiar landmark of St Ouen’s Bay, and a favourite surfers’ haunt. The original café here dated back to 1948 but was rebuilt in Art Deco style. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with plenty of vege options, it’s also a surf school and is a great spot to watch the waves roll in. ££

Faulkner Fisheries

La Grande Route des Havres; www.faulknerfisheries.com.

Faulkner Fisheries’ Summer BBQ turns out freshly grilled seafood served at simple tables overlooking the beach, beside their shop housed in a WW2 bunker at L’Etacq. Expect the likes of seared local scallops, grilled lobster or fish of the day, and a vegetarian dish. Weather dependent. ££

Le Braye

La Grande Route des Mielles; www.lebraye.com.

Gaze across the huge bay of St Ouen’s and stoke up on big breakfasts before hitting the waves. Or come for crustaceans, Jersey beef or falafel burgers or Jersey cream teas. This is one of the safer areas for swimming at St Ouen’s so it’s very popular with families. ££

Ocean Restaurant

Atlantic Hotel, La Mont de la Pulente; www.theatlantichotel.com.

Enjoy sublime views of St Ouen’s Bay in a chic blue and white room, while eating award-winning cuisine based on the finest Jersey produce. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. £££

Sands

La Grande Route des Mielles; http://sands-cafe.co.uk.

Formerly known as Big Vern’s and overlooking the rollers of St Ouen’s Bay, this is the favourite restaurant of local surfers and a great spot for brunch. Choose from fourteen-hour slow cooked pork tacos, breakfast burritos, burgers, sandwiches and several vegetarian options. ££

Watersplash Beach & Bar Diner

La Grande Route Des Mielles; www.watersplashjersey.com.

With gorgeous views of the bay and a laid back vibe, Watersplash is open for breakfast, light bites and main meals with plenty of vege options, as well as drinks at the bar. £–££