1. The Private Gardens of Jersey

Jersey has some beautiful gardens that are rarely open to the public. These short breaks will give you the chance to get to see four  of the best.

NEW:  14 - 17 June 2010

Three-day break staying at Les Charrieres Country Hotel, St Peter on a bed-and-breakfast basis and including this two-day guided tour - only £217.00 per person.  To book, or for more information, either contact us or email the hotel at enquiries@lescharriereshotel.co.uk 

15 June:  Morning visit to Le Clos du Chemin,  St Peter

 This medium-sized garden is situated on a windswept hillside overlooking St Aubin’s Bay.  The lawns, which sweep down from the terrace in front of the house are surrounded by wide herbaceous borders which are home to a variety of shrubs and trees, including some twenty magnolias.  A small memorial garden can be found towards the bottom of the garden and adjacent are several beehives situated in the middle of a small wildflower patch where daffodils, bluebells and various other wild flowers bloom in succession.  A dramatic end to any tour is in the formal Italian garden with its pond, a cunningly-positioned mirror and a recently-acquired and quite beautiful statue ‘Angels’.    Pub Lunch (at own expense)

 Afternoon visit to Radier Manor, Grouville

16 June:  Morning visit to Creux Baillot Cottage garden, St Ouen

After leaving Creux Baillot Cottage, there will be a visit to Le Noir Pré, if the wild orchids to be found there for several weeks from mid-May are still in bloom.   The rare Jersey wild orchid, the Spotted Orchid and the Southern Marsh Orchid are to be found in this field which is owned by the National Trust for Jersey.

 A snack lunch (at own expense)  will be at a beach café in St Ouen’s Bay.

 Afternoon visit to Les Vaux, Rozel.

Situated in its own steep-sided valley in Rozel, this beautiful informal garden has been developed by Lady Guthrie over the past 40 years.  The water garden was constructed in 1971.  A small stream runs through a series of pools at the foot of the granite wall to one side of the drive and is fed by natural drainage from the lakes above.  Les Vaux is a garden planted for all year round colour and effect.  There are also many fine specimen trees from all over the world and several years ago, Lady Guthrie purchased the land at the head of the valley and developed it into what is now a wildlife haven.  Finally, there are the peacocks, bantams and hens who inhabit the courtyards and garages, the life-size sculptures of animals and birds and the handrails made from old fork and spade handles.  All add up to the wonderful sense of fun incorporated into this stunning garden.  

2.  Liberation Tour

The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans during World War II.  This very special holiday will take you right back to those times, with the chance to speak to a number of people who lived through the Occupation, an opportunity to get behind the scenes and see things not normally open to the public and the chance to celebrate, with those who still remember the first Liberation Day – May 9^th 1945.                                                     

Day 1:  Visitors arrive and settle in

Early evening welcome drink and introductory talk by Beth Lloyd of Jersey Heritage Holidays.  Beth set up Jersey Heritage Holidays, bringing special interest groups to Jersey, after a career as a broadcast journalist with the BBC and a senior manager at Jersey Heritage.  She has a keen interest in the history and heritage of the Island and has written several books on the subject.

Day 2: Visit to Jersey War Tunnels – the multi-award winning exhibition detailing an account of the five dark years of German Occupation. Using a rich diversity of audio visual techniques and first hand testimonies, the ‘Captive Island’ exhibition brings to life this important period of British history.  The complex was initially constructed as an artillery barracks but was converted into a casualty clearing station in 1943 to house up to 500 patients.  To enhance your experience, exclusive access has been granted to their extensive archive of documents and artefacts along with a personal guided tour by their Curator. 

Lunch at own expense in War Tunnels café.

In the afternoon, a private guided tour of Noirmont headland, the site of Batterie Lothringen, the only naval coastal artillery battery in Jersey which has been painstakingly restored by the Channel Islands Occupation Society, the Chairman of which will be our guide.    This series of bunkers and guns is situated on a headland in the south-west of the Island which was bought by the States of Jersey after World War II as a permanent war memorial. 

Day 3:  Today the transport is a beautiful vintage Bedford coach driven by Gerald Le Marrec, who was born in 1932 and was a lad in Jersey during the Occupation, so has many stories to tell.  Our Blue Badge Guide is Paul Nicolle,  who is also knowledgable and enthusiastic about the period.  First we head West for a tour that takes in Moltke Battery Les Landes, Strongpoint L’Etacquerel, the Anti-tank wall in St Ouen’s Bay, the Channel Islands Military Museum and the German fortifications at Corbière.  Lunch at the Corbière Phare restaurant enjoying the amazing views out to sea in the company of David Gainsborough Roberts, a local collector of Third Reich memorabilia, who will talk about and show some of his collection during coffee.

In the afternoon  we head east to La Hougue Bie, one of the finest Neolithic sites in Europe and the site of a German Command Bunker.  This now houses a moving memorial dedicated to the suffering and courage of the thousands of forced workers brought to the Island during the war.  Our guide here will be Bob Le Sueur who, as a young man, got to know several such people.

Day 4:  Day at Leisure to enjoy the shops of St Helier

Day 5: Depart

 

3.  SPRINGTIME IN JERSEY 

This short break is designed to shake off the cobwebs of winter and enjoy Jersey at its most beautiful, and before most other holidaymakers have arrived. There will be moderate walks and sturdy shoes are recommended.

Day 1: morning ramble along north coast footpaths to enjoy spectacular views, historic sites and spring flowers. Afternoon stroll up Rozel Valley for a visit to the gardens of Les Vaux, the home of Lady Guthrie who will also show her dolls house collection to anybody interested.

Day 2: Morning visit to St Ouen’s Bay with Mike Stentiford MBE, best known as the Birdman of Jersey, but also the Vice-President of the National Trust for Jersey and extremely knowledgeable about all the Island’s flora and fauna.
Afternoon visit to Manor Farm, St Peter, home of the Classic Herd, where award-winning cheese, clotted cream and other dairy products are produced.    Here you will be shown round by either Darren or Julia Quénault and will see the free-range pigs and piglets and the cows and calves as well as having a tour of the factory with a detailed explanation of the processes involved
 
Day 3: Historic walk round St Helier.

Lunch and afternoon at leisure.

4.  JEWEL IN THE CROWN: 

The things that make Jersey different and special – its independence from the UK Parliament, its ancient laws and customs, its status as a leading finance centre – in other words, its freedoms are, to a very large extent, the result of its special relationship with its monarch, Elizabeth II. In these short breaks you will explore the history behind this relationship, visit places not normally open to the public and go inside some of the fortifications created to protect the Island against invasion.
     
Day 1: Private visit to States Building and Royal Court to hear about about Jersey’s constitution and its links with the Crown. This will be followed by visits to other sits of interest in St Helier. In the afternoon there is a trip to St Lawrence where we visit Hamptonne – home of Laurens Hamptonne 17th century Vicompte of Jersey who proclaimed King Charles II king immediately following the execution of his father. Hamptonne is now a Country Life Museum.

Day 2:    Guided tour of Mont Orgueil castle, built in the 13th Century to keep the French at bay, once King John had lost mainland Normandy to France. We then go west to see Grosnez Castle, a Norman church and an ancient Manor House.

Day 3: visit to Elizabeth Castle, built in St Aubin’s Bay when Sir Walter Raleigh was Governor of Jersey. The day continues with a visit to Fort Regent followed by a couple of ‘royal surprises’.

4.   Genuine Jersey 

Jersey is justifiably proud of its farming and fishing heritage. It these short breaks you visit dairy farms and oyster beds as well as the multi-faceted La Mare, and the best of our arts and crafts. In the spring, there’s a chance to enjoy nature with the charismatic Mike Stentiford and in the autumn there’s a trip to the Lavender Farm.


 

Example itinerary:
 

Day 1:   Special guided tour and tasting at La Mare Vineyards led by Tim Crowley, Managing Director La Mare.followed by visit to their chocolate factory to meet the chocolatière. Afternoon visit to Manor Farm, home of the Classic Herd, where award-winning cheese, clotted cream and other dairy products are produced

Day 2: Wildlife walk in St Ouen’s Bay with naturalist Mike Stentiford MBE. Mike is affectionately known as Jersey’s birdman. He will give an introduction to Jersey’s fauna and flora in one of Jersey’s foremost beauty spots. A gentle walk with no hills – but sturdy shoes are recommended all day today.

Afternoon tour and tasting at Royal Bay Oysters. Again, wear appropriate footwear for the beach.

Day 3:   Morning visit to Theresa Robinson Pottery. Theresa trained as aproduction potter, the primary focus being speed and accuracy in throwing a large number of pots.   We move on to The Harbour Gallery, St Aubin which is Jersey’s largest exhibiting and selling gallery, with over eighty exhibiting artists and craft workers.   Enjoy the exhibitions and browse at your own speed. Afternoon at leisure.