Photos of the week: the beautiful Channel Islands

West coast of Herm, the Channel Islands. credit: Chris George Photography/Coast Media/Visit Guersey
West coast of Herm, the Channel Islands. credit: Chris George Photography/Coast Media/Visit Guersey

Liberated from German Occupation in 1945, we visit this archipelago in the English Channel: a collection of British Crown dependencies that includes the isles of Guernsey, Jersey, Sark, Herm and Alderney.

Fort Raz, Longis Bay, Alderney. Credit: Neil Howard/Visit Alderney
Fort Raz, Longis Bay, Alderney. Credit: Neil Howard/Visit Alderney

The Channel islands form a special pocket of Britain that reaches out towards the coast of France, providing all the charm you should expect from a British territory, with the benefit of an improved climate – the Channel Islands enjoy more sunshine hours each year than the rest of Britain.

From the moment you arrive there are remnants of the islands’ heritage all around you – from fortifications that were built to ward off would-be intruders during the English Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars, to its Neolithic burial sites, and castles that predate the Tower of London.

Here are some of our favourite photos of the Channel Islands

West coast of Herm, the Channel Islands. credit: Chris George Photography/Coast Media/Visit Guersey
West coast of Herm. Credit: Chris George Photography/Coast Media/Visit Guersey
Herm Hedge veg stall, the Channel Islands. Credit: Visit Guernsey
Herm Hedge veg stall. Credit: Visit Guernsey
Cottage on the west coast of Guernsey. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
Cottage on the west coast of Guernsey. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
La Coupee, Sark, the Channel Islands. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
La Coupee, Sark. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
Victor Hugo's home, Hauteville House, Guernsey, the Channel Islands. Credit: Chris george Photography/Visit Guernsey
Victor Hugo’s home, Hauteville House, Guernsey. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
Inside writer Victor Hugo's former home of Hauteville House, Guernsey, the Channel Islands. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
Inside writer Victor Hugo’s former home of Hauteville House, Guernsey. Credit: Chris George Photography/Visit Guernsey
Devil's Hole, Jersey, the Channel Islands. Credit: Danny Evans/Visit Jersey
Devil’s Hole, an impressive blowhole on Jersey’s coastline. Credit: Danny Evans/Visit Jersey
Jersey cows, the Channel Islands. Credit: Gareth Sambridge/Visit Jersey
The famous Jersey cows. Credit: Gareth Sambridge/Visit Jersey
Fort Les Homeaux Florains, Alderney, the Channel Islands. Credit: Neil Howard/Visit Alderney
Fort Les Homeaux Florains, Alderney. Credit: Neil Howard/Visit Alderney
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The local puffin population delights visitors to the Channel Islands. Image credit: Getty images.

Book a room

There are lots of lovely places to stay on the Channel Islands but if you want to escape modern life for a few days then a stay at La Sablonnerie on the island of Sark (which has no cars – just tractors) is a great place to unwind.

This intimate hotel’s approach to hospitality appears to be based on doing a few simple things very, very well. The rooms are comfortable and homely, while the restaurant serves up locally sourced produce, such as butter and meat and vegetables that largely come from the hotel’s owns gardens and farms, plus fresh lobster plucked straight from the sea.

Related articles

The Channel Islands
Guernsey in pictures
The allure of Alderney
Jersey in pictures

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