Jersey – Island of Beauty

Channel Islands Day 1 – Jersey  (51 Km) Mon 6 August 2018

Weather: 17⁰C min – 28⁰C max, sunny

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“Life is short and the world is big and we want to make the most out of our youth and good health before they’re gone” ~ Jay Austin, American cyclist slain by ISIS in Tajikistan

To say my first day of riding on Jersey Island far exceeded my expectations is an understatement. Put simply, just a marvellous day of riding!

The 50 Km route I uploaded to my Garmin Edge GPS was a concatenation of the East ‘A’ and North ‘A’ routes taken from the Standard Jersey Loops. Whoever came up with these loops really knows their stuff because they are cleverly designed to showcase the very best of Jersey.

Leaving Saint Heliers in perfect sunshine just after nine, I headed off along the coast in an easterly direction. For the first few kilometres traffic was a bit heavier than what I expected for an island, but after all it was peak hour on a Monday morning. Safety was not a concern though, because I drew comfort from having a rear vision mirror mounted on my helmet.

In spite of sticking closely to the coastline, the first 10 Km or so was underwhelming. Housing stretched right along the coast but the dwellings could best be described as plain but adequate. On my right was the sea (or should I say mud, because it happened to be low tide). Boats lay high and dry stranded on their keels, causing me to ponder on the importance of looking at the tide map before deciding to go out fishing for the day. Did you know that Jersey becomes 20% bigger when the tide is at its lowest?

It all turned around in a big way after I came to the very pretty little seaside village of Gorey, overlooked by the imposing Mont Orgueil Castle, Jersey’s most iconic monument and a symbol of the island’s unique relationship with the English crown. The castle contains buildings from the thirteenth century right up to the German occupation from 1940 to 1945.

One thing I couldn’t help noticing today is that almost all the streets and villages have French names, even the men’s toilet has a bilingual sign “Men” and “Homme”. I am confused! What is the governance status of Jersey? Wikipedia explains that Jersey is actually a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. The Lieutenant Governor on the island is the personal representative of the Queen. Jersey is not part of the UK, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK, but the UK is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Still confused?

Currency is also confusing here. Jersey shops, restaurants etc accept UK sterling, but give change in Jersey sterling. The currency here is sterling but Jersey has it’s own notes and coin designs. You cannot spend Jersey or Guernsey notes in the UK as they don’t say ‘sterling’ on them anywhere, but you can change them over at any bank. I’ll just have to spend it all before I leave the island, which shouldn’t be too difficult with coffee shops like the one I went to in Saint Helier yesterday!

Refreshed by a large latte, I charged up the hill leading out of town. Don’t tell my legs they will be 73 years old in two weeks!

The adjective “stunning” is sometimes overused, but from up on high this word perfectly describes the coastal vista in this corner of Jersey. Simply stunning! Being a clear day there were views right across to the other Channel Islands and France.

It doesn’t get any better than this … ocean vistas, panaromaic countryside, perfect roads, glorious sunshine, delightful villages, crooked laneways winding around charming flower-adorned houses. If you have been toying with the idea of getting into tour cycling, my advice is to heed Nike’s motto … JUST DO IT!