Between Sunday July 16th 2012 and Monday July 23rd 2012, we visited the Channel Islands and stayed at the beautiful island of Herm. The words on the front of the holiday brochure said ‘Welcome to Paradise’ and they were right.
We caught the daily Aurigny flight from East Midlands Airport in the early afternoon and flew to the island of Guernsey. We stayed overnight in the Duke De Normandie Hotel in St Peter Port as we didn’t have enough time to make the last ferry over to Herm.
Herm harbour at low tide.
The Duke De Normandie was ok to spend one night in, but the church bells ringing hourly until midnight kept us awake. The highlight of the day was a meal in The Boathouse restaurant which occupied a spot on the harbour. The food was excellent but the waiting staff were a little slow and inexperienced. It didn’t spoil the meal though.
After a pleasant breakfast the following day, we had a stroll around St Peter Port before catching the 12:15 Trident Ferry to Herm. The journey was only 20 minutes long and we were soon in Paradise.
The scene that greets you as you leave the harbour.
We were met at the harbour steps by a porter on a quad bike who took our cases up to our room. We didn’t know at the time, but our self catering cottage was at the top of a very steep hill called ‘The Drive’. It only took about 10 minutes to walk up it, but it became tedious having to walk up this hill everytime we visited the bar, restaurant and shop, all of which were at the bottom.
We stayed in Upper Bailiffs Cottage which was very pleasant and well equipped, although there was no microwave and electric kettle. There was, however, a quaint whistling kettle which was unusual. There were two bedrooms, both en suite, and a bed settee in the lounge meant that the cottage could accommodate six people, though I would imagine that would be a little crowded.
The Manor Village where the self catering cottages are situated.
During the week, I walked the entire island, with Sandra joining me on the less energetic bits. Herm is only a small place, about 1.5 miles long and 0.75 miles wide. You could have walked the entire island in a couple of hours, but that would mean you would miss one of the delights of the islands, which is the slow pace. I did a little each day, stopping regularly to absorb the magnificent views and take some photos.
Everywhere you looked, every corner you rounded, led to more photo opportunities. You could clearly see all the other Channel Islands and the sunsets over Guernsey were spectacular. The weather was kind to us and we had only a brief light rain shower on one day, which sent us to the pub, but didn’t stop us doing what we wanted to do. The last four days of the holiday were very warm with temperatures in the 20s.
Sunset over Guernsey viewed from outside our cottage.
There are three restaurants to choose from on the island. The Conservatory Restaurant in the White House Hotel had dress restrictions at night, so we didn’t eat there. The Ship Inn, part of the hotel, had a tasty, but limited menu, but at the Mermaid Tavern, we were spoilt for choice. They had pub grub, a brasserie serving meals cooked by yourself on hot volcanic rock and a barbecue. They also had a snack bar and shop.
We ate at the Ship once and the Mermaid the rest of the week. All the meals were excellent, especially the volcanic rock meal in the Black Rocks Grill and the seafood salads.
On the Wednesday, we were surprised to find that Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were visiting the island on a brief tour of the Channel Islands. With so few people on the island, security was almost non-existent and we were able to get within touching distance of the couple. The couple walked from their helicopter to the reception in the hotel and shook hands with everyone who wanted to greet them. They met all the residents of the island.
Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visit Herm.
As with all holidays, this one was soon over and we had to pack to make the return journey to ‘normal’ life. I could have stayed forever. This was one of the best holidays we have had in a long while and we will certainly be returning, although we will stay at the hotel in future so we don’t have to negotiate that hill. I can see us making this the place for our summer holidays.