For the last three years, we have had one of our holidays in Herm during June. It is not very busy then and the weather is usually fine. However, this year, we decided to have an extra break on the island in September so that we can see what the place is like when it really is quiet.
Usually, we stay overnight in Guernsey and get the Trident ferry over to Herm the next morning. The flight from East Midlands doesn’t give you any spare time to catch the last ferry at 17:15, and if the flight is delayed, you have no chance of making it to the harbour in time. This time, we decided to take the chance and try to catch the last ferry, but with the flight leaving East Midlands half an hour late, we were on a loser before we left the ground.
Harbour Cottage
Fortunately, the White House Hotel on Herm were very helpful and arranged us a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) to get us to the island. This was an adventure in itself and very exhilarating. We even helped to rescue a stranded French boat in the harbour at St Peter Port.
Herm sunset
After all this excitement, we finally arrived in the hotel at around 19:00 and we settled in to the Harbour Cottage in time to see the sun setting. The Harbour Cottage is a serviced cottage a few metres from the hotel, positioned at the busiest point on the island where four tracks meet. We didn’t consider this would be a problem when we booked the room, but we did have a disturbed night’s sleep on one night due to some inconsiderate people walking down to the beach in the early hours.
Deckchairs on Shell Beach.
Fortunately, this was the only low spot of the holiday and the rest of our time on the island was very relaxing. We were worried about what to do in the evenings with the Sun setting shortly after 19:00 and no televisions to keep us occupied. We needn’t have worried however as we took the opportunity to do some reading and having some early nights.
Again the weather was perfect. This was our fourth holiday in Herm and we haven’t got wet at any time. The temperatures are usually a couple of degrees warmer than on the mainland, and this was again the case this time.
A lone walker on Fisherman’s Beach.
We chose the bed and breakfast option as evening meal at the White House is a formal affair with jackets and ties needed. I don’t dress like this at home, so I’m sure not going to do it when on holiday. Instead, we dined at the Mermaid Tavern and the Ship Inn, the two pubs on the island. The food in both places was excellent, but neither of us enjoyed eating so late at night, something we aren’t used to.
Kayaks for hire on Shell Beach.
On our five night stay, we did exactly what we normally do in Summer. I did a bit of walking and photography while Sandra spent the day relaxing in the cottage garden reading her books. The cottage garden was the perfect place to relax surrounded by tropical plants and birds. When the nights started to get chilly, the sofa and chairs in the cottage were more than comfortable.
If you’ve yet to visit the island, I urge you to try a few days there. If you like amusements and bingo, it isn’t the place for you, but if you want a few days away from the rat-race, there is nowhere better.
