36 | JERSEY AND THE ISLES


Make your money go further in Jersey. 9 tips for doing Jersey on a budget.


www.nitravelnews.com


Lacing up your walk- ing shoes, spreading out a picnic blanket, gazing out to sea and watching the most spectacular sunset you’ve ever seen — that sounds like a pretty perfect day in Jersey. And


you’ll barely need to spend a fiver.


JUMP on a short flight from over 20 UK airports, or hop on the ferry, and you could be here in time for golden hour in the sunniest spot in the British Isles. If you’re craving an escape but feeling the squeeze there are lots of ways that can make your holiday in Jersey more affordable. Here are some tips on making your money go further.


1. Get outside and walk.


Beach walks. Cliff path walks. Green Lane walks. Jersey is an island best explored on foot. So lace up your walking shoes and get ready to see some spectacular sights. All without having to open your wallet.


2. Buy yourself a bus pass.


Getting around on the cheap is easy thanks to Jersey’s reliable and affordable bus service. When you arrive, get yourself a ‘Discover Jersey’ pass and choose from one, two, three and seven-day passes that will mean you can hop on and hop off the buses as many times as you need. A family of four can get unlimited bus travel for seven days for just £65.


3. Plan a perfect picnic.


Picnic blanket, baguette and a bottle of something sparkly,


set


against a backdrop of blue skies and even bluer seas. I think we’ve just described the perfect lunch. Need some ideas for picnic spots? We’ve got you.


4. Eating out (or in).


While supermarkets might be the most purse-friendly option, you are on holiday after all, so treating yourself to a meal out is almost obligatory. Lots of restaurants offer set menus, especially at lunchtime which will make your money go further. Depending on your accommodation, you could also make some traditional Jersey dishes yourself. The island is awash with amazing local produce, you just need to know where to find it.


5. Invest in a Heritage pass.


From a 400-year-old castle to a neolithic passage grave, Jersey’s not short on heritage sights, and the Jersey Heritage pass will get you access to four sights for the price of three.


6. Hop on a bike.


Hiring a bike in Jersey is a great way to save money on transport costs, see the island from a unique perspective and get some exercise at the same time. Whizz past white sandy beaches, coast along scenic country lanes and stop for photo opportunities at some of the island’s most scenic spots. For a car-free route from St. Helier to La Corbière, follow the cycle track along St. Aubin’s Bay before heading up the railway walk.


7. Try your hand at petanque.


In Jersey, we love to play petanque. Which is why you’ll see gravel terrains dotted around the island (at least one in every parish in fact). They’re free for anyone to use, just bring your own balls. And be prepared to banter with the locals.


8. Take advantage of off-peak prices. Consider visiting outside of the summer holidays, when


accommodation is cheaper and there are more deals on hotels. From a walking holiday during February half term to a weekend break in spring, Jersey is not just a summer destination. Some of the hotels offer half- board options over the winter months and the island’s more unusual accommodation options are up to half the price over winter.


9. Roam around the central markets.


The Central Market in St. Helier and the Fish Market opposite are a real feast for the senses. Wander around the stalls, taking in the sights and sounds of the butcher, the baker and the cupcake maker before sitting down for a coffee at one of the many cafes. The markets are also an excellent choice for lunch on a budget.


BY NIGEL HEATH


THE saying about it being an ill wind that blows nobody any good, sprang easily to mind in a recent visit to the paradise isles of Scilly. My wife Jenny and I experienced the tail end of a particularly violent storm on our voyage out from Penzance to this small archipelago aboard the passenger and supply ship RMV Scillonian 111.


Stepping ashore in Hugh


Town on St Mary’s, the largest of the five inhabited islands of St Agnes, Tresco, Bryher and St Martin’s, we always feel like we have made landfall on some sub-tropical paradise of dazzling white beaches, suspended between blue skies and turquoise seas.


On this most recent visit, the more settled weather represented the calm that had prevailed aftxaer that fierce storm, which had blown a particularly


rich harvest of


seaweed ashore in The Great Bay on St Martin’s, hence that reference about I’ll winds. For nature’s bounty was most welcomed by a small group of enthusiasts on a seaweed foraging and pressing course in the island’s community hall. It was being run by seaweed enthusiasts, Mel Molesworth, and Julia Bird, who were invited over to St Martin’s by islander Ella McLachlan, whose own enterprise called Phoenix and


Providence, produces a range of skin care products made from seaweed.


Their workshop was all part of the annual Walk Scilly Week, staged to showcase much of what these beautiful islands have to offer. We passed the community hall on our walk up from St Martin’s Higher Town Quay and


on our way along the island’s single- track road, with its many fabulous views and vistas, to the Karma Hotel, which was to be our base for the next four days. Had the tides been more favourable, then we and our luggage would have landed on The Lower town Quay, which is right outside the hotel at the top of a white, sandy beach, which would more than do justice to any desert island.


Built to resemble a row of stone-built cottages overlooking a myriad of islands, this hotel has arguably one of the best locations in the UK. That afternoon we did a short walk over the headland to the sandy, and almost always deserted, Great Bay,


returning hotel’s


before the sea


shore facing gardens for tea and later pre dinner drinks.


Setting out again


the following morning, we called in at the bakery, where Ella McLachlan’s husband, Barney, is the island’s baker, and treated ourselves to crab- filled roles.


They would certainly keep us going on our traditional circumnavigation of the island which takes us passed the St Martin’s vineyard and out along a sandy track that eventually trends around and up through riots of yellow coconut scented gorse to the islands unmistakable red and white ringed day mark.


This cone shaped structure was built back in 1683 as a navigational aid for seafarers and attracts island wanderers like bees to a honeypot. From the day mark, the up and down, narrow and often


rocky coastal footpath around a series of bays with magnificent ocean and island views and garlanded with an abundance of wild flowers, brings one back to the Karma Hotel.


All too soon our time on St Martins was over for another year, but this time the tide was in our favour and we had to walk no further than the slipway in front of the hotel to board the launch taking us back to St Marys.


Here we planned to complete the principal objective of our holiday, which was to participate in one of the main events of the Walk Scilly Week, namely the walk between the islands if Tresco and Bryher, which is only possible at times when the tide is at its lowest possible state.


Islanders celebrate by staging a festival or summer style fete midway between the two islands with


live music a pop-up bar and cafe selling fresh crab rolls. So, in order to make the very most of the experience, we joined a small group rock pool and seaweed foraging cross island expedition run by husband-and-wife team, Scott and Samaya Reid, and their young family, who live on St Mary’s where he is responsible for monitoring the archipelago’s water quality. The family like nothing better than to spend their free time looking for crabs and a myriad of tiny sea creatures inhabiting pools and clusters of seaweed around the island shores and their enthusiasm for showing friends and visitors what was to be seen, eventually led to a business opportunity.


June 2023


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