What to do on the island of Jersey? Beaches, food, hotels and tunnels
It’s an island that is closer to France than to England — yet it is part of the British Isles.
It’s home to miles of tunnels built during World War II — but by German rather than British soldiers.
And it has lower taxes than the U.K. and its own financial rules.
The island of Jersey, in the English Channel, is only five miles long and nine miles wide but has plenty for visitors to see, according to Amanda Burns, CEO of tourism agency Visit Jersey.
“We pack quite a big punch,” Burns told CNBC by phone. “What’s really interesting is … the geological uniqueness of the island, through to the history and the heritage,” she said.
Located about 120 miles from England — and 14 from France — Jersey attracts visitors who travel to the island via ferry or a short flight.
Quirky Jersey
Though English is mainly spoken, Jersey has its own language, which isn’t used anywhere else in the world. Jerriais, sometimes known as “Jersey French,” developed over several centuries and is still used on the island.
A recent tourism campaign that highlights Jersey’s quirks has made the island’s mainland European influence a point of attraction.
“Curiously Brit…(ish),” is how the campaign describes the island — “the air of British familiarity gives way to a curiously continental feel,” it continues.
Visitors are also encouraged to explore Jersey’s food, such as the island’s potatoes, called Jersey Royals.
The potatoes can be bought only in Jersey or on mainland Britain. Although there’s no official connection with Britain’s royal family, Jersey Royals had Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO, a label given by the EU to food products that have the strongest links to the place in which they are made. Since Brexit, the potatoes have been placed in a similar U.K. program.
Jersey Royal potatoes are available only in Jersey and the mainland of the United Kingdom.
Source: Visit Jersey
Jersey business owner Marcus Calvani founded a company on the odd-shaped Jersey Royals that don’t pass selling standards — he makes vodka with them, bottled under the name Fluke.
“It takes 11 kilos of Jersey Royals to make one bottle,” Calvani said. “It’s got a beautiful mouthfeel that’s … kind of silky and viscous. And the weird thing you get from it is a slight honeydew melon vanilla on the nose.”
Calvani borrowed the name from the potatoes’ original moniker: Jersey Royal Fluke, named when farmers were experimenting with growing the vegetable in the early 19th century, after the decline of cider orchards. Bottles will be available in the upscale department store Harrods later this year, priced at around £50 ($61) each.
Is Jersey part of the U.K.?
The short answer is no — but it is a “British Crown Dependency.”
- The relationship is explained on the British Royal Family’s website as follows: “There are three island territories within the British Isles that are known as Crown Dependencies; these are the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey which make up [the] Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom, but are self-governing possessions of the British Crown.”
- The Channel Islands formed part of the Duchy of Normandy in the 11th century — Normandy being a region in northern France — ruled by Henry I from 1106. Today, Queen Elizabeth II is referred to as the Duke of Normandy on the islands.
- Jersey is self-governing, with its own rules and administrative systems. While it is not part of the United Kingdom, the British government does have responsibility for defending it as well as maintaining international relations.
History and Hogwarts
Jersey became a Crown Dependency in the year 1290, not long after Mont Orgueil Castle, on the island’s east coast, was constructed.
Burns described it as a “Hogwarts kind of castle,” referring to the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter franchise. It sits above Gorey Harbour, which Burns called a “spectacular and iconic location.”
The 800-year-old Mont Orgueil Castle in Jersey, with The Moorings (blue building) in the foreground.
Source: The Moorings, Jersey
There are also ancient sites on the island, and in July, the Prince of Wales was named patron of La Cotte de St. Brelade, a settlement in southwest Jersey that was inhabited by Neanderthals up to 250,000 years ago.
More recently, Jersey was occupied by the Germans during World War II — the only part of the British Empire to be taken over by the Nazis — who built underground tunnels that travelers can visit.
The tunnels were created to protect the Germans from Allied air raids, and parts are open to the public between March and October.
Friendly competition
Another quirk of the small island is the good-humored competition between its east and west sides, according to hotelier Iselin Jones, who with her husband Matthew runs The Moorings Hotel and Restaurant, close to Mont Orgueil Castle.
The harbor at St. Aubin, Jersey on the southwest of the island.
Source: Visit Jersey
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