Idyllic island with glorious beaches & fab food – just two hours from Scotland

OUR first visit to glorious Guernsey was way back in 2018 and, having discovered Britain’s best kept secret, we vowed then to return as soon as possible.

However, Covid struck before we could fulfil that dream, so when an opportunity came up to spend a few nights on the island again, my husband Alistair and I jumped at it.

And getting there couldn’t have been easier. We hopped on Aurigny airline’s new direct service from Edinburgh and were at Guernsey airport just two hours later.

We collected our bag, picked up the hire car and were checking into the luxurious Duke of Richmond hotel before you could say welcome to the island.

The hotel is perfectly located just a short walk from St Peter Port and our spacious room had a fabulous view across the sea.

For dinner we took a leisurely stroll into St Peter Port to JB Parkers Bar and Cellar. Its contemporary style and relaxed atmosphere was the perfect mix.

The food was sensational and tasted every bit as good as it looked. The highlight for Alistair was the Guernsey crab and cheddar bake starter.

For me, it was the seabream which melted in my mouth. The banana and chocolate ice cream came a close second.

Breakfast at the hotel next morning set us up for the day. Now I’m normally a cereal and toast type of gal. But I just couldn’t resist the French toast, crispy bacon and maple syrup. Delicious!

We’d booked the day with guide Amanda Johns from Tours of Gurnsey, who took us on a ‘Highlights of Guernsey’ tour, beginning with a drive past Victor Hugo’s House, where he lived when he finished writing Les Miserables.

Then we stopped off at the beautiful Little Chapel, a unique work of art built by monk Brother Deodat. It’s actually the third chapel on the site.

He demolished the first after it was criticised, then the second when the Bishop of Portsmouth was unable to fit through the doorway!

A short drive from there and we arrived at the German Occupation Museum, a fantastic, must-see. The Channel Islands were the only British places Germany occupied during WWII.

It’s like a Tardis inside. There are so many rooms packed with all sorts of fascinating things. Incredible to think it’s a private collection started by one man, who you can see at the reception.

There’s even a famous Enigma coding machine, one of three used at the Naval Signals HQ in Guernsey for transmitting secret codes out of the island.

A drive through Guernsey’s beautiful countryside took us to Pleinmont Batterie, one of the largest and most complete structures left intact on the island.

Amanda took us below to give us an idea of how vast it really is. Above us, the sun shone through the original covering, which created an eerie, but strangely picturesque, reflection on the ground.

We stopped for a lovely lunch at The Imperial Hotel, a great place to relax and enjoy delicious food while admiring the stunning sea views.

After a fabulous feast, we headed to Batterie Miru, the largest gun emplacement site on the island. From above, it looks like a gigantic crater and Amanda showed us the most incredible photos of the Germans transporting the gun there.

Others, taken by locals as they watched from behind the scenes, gave us an idea of how frightening it must have been living under Nazi occupation.

We were shown the vast area below, where the underground accommodation was located and couldn’t believe the size of it. There are so many rooms, some with original drawings still on the walls.

All that effort and work to construct it and yet the gun was only used on 15 occasions!

After a fascinating day discovering Guernsey’s history, we were ready for dinner at Pier 17, an elegant restaurant located in the heart of the harbour where Alistair thoroughly enjoyed the sea bass and I opted for the fillet steak, which was cooked to perfection.

We both finished off with some Guernsey ice cream — well, when in Rome!

Located close by the hotel is The Priaulx Library, which is committed to cataloguing and preserving records and books that document Guernsey’s history.

They have a fantastic Family History room where you can research local families and also holds fascinating court records, plus there a room full of print copies of old newspapers.

After lunch we got kitted up for an adrenaline-fuelled adventure with Island Rib Voyages and boarded the boat for the Sark Coast and Caves tour.

We bounced across the water, taking in the stunning views as the waves sprayed us — thank goodness for the waterproofs.

Our final tour was just what we needed to calm our nerves after the thrills of the sea — a cider-tasting experience at Rocquettes Cider Farm.

We joined a walking tour round the orchard, where Andy explained how it all started, the different types of apples they use, where they come from and how they’re grown.

Then we saw the processing side of things and lastly, of course, the taste testing, where for 45 minutes we sampled the different types of cider they produce, along with some cheese and chutneys.

Not too hungry after that, we opted for a pizza for dinner at Otto. Perfectly crispy and oozing oh-so-moreish toppings. I highly recommend.

After an amazing sleep and a final tasty breakfast and it was time to head home.

‘A la perchoine’ as they say in Guernsey but, unlike before, we won’t leave it so long ‘until next time’!