Guernsey, from L'Islet to St Peter Port

We completed our walk around Guernsey on the final full day of our 2015 holiday. It was dry and sunny, and although it was windy, the wind wasn’t as strong as when we were walking from Pleinmont to L’Islet on Sunday. We caught the bus back from St Peter Port to L’Islet and the bus driver told us that the French-sounding pronunciation is the correct one. Once in L’Islet, we walked backwards and forwards trying to find the M&S Simply Food outlet that we had passed when we were here on Sunday – we found it eventually, but the range of sandwiches etc. was rather disappointing when compared with the M&S in St Peter Port, where we had bought lunch provisions on previous days. Eventually we set off walking…

Back on the route of the Channel Island Way, we walked alongside Le Grande Havre, past Vale Church and then around towards Chouet Tower, with a golf course to our right. There were lovely views back across the bay to Rousse. The path doesn’t go quite all the way to Chouet Tower (presumably because it is next to a land-fill site…) but cuts back across the golf course to higher ground. We reached the La Varde Passage Grave and nearby the Millennium Stone, erected in 2000.

We continued across the golf course and down to Pembroke Bay, a delightful sandy beach that forms part of L’Ancresse Bay. We crossed L’Ancresse Common, past several martello towers, and at the far end of the bay we stopped to watch a wind-surfer speeding along.

We walked onto the headland leading to Fort le Marchant, and we were able to go down towards the Fort because the nearby rifle range was not in use. We turned right alongside Fontenelle Bay and walked towards Fort Doyle. There were good views to the Platte Fougère Lighthouse out to sea; it’s not a pretty lighthouse, but the sea crashing around the Brayes Reef on which it stands was spectacular.

From Fort Doyle, the path headed inland, passing behind the Beaucette Marina, then following minor roads back towards the coast, then away again, then back to a track alongside Petil’s Bay. Here we found a bench on which to sit to eat our lunch, close to the little island of Houmet Paradis and with good views to Jethou and Brehon Tower.

We continued on around Bordeaux Harbour, past Vale Castle, and into the busy port of St Sampson’s. There is heavy industry here, but also an attractive harbour with lots of pleasure craft. We walked around the harbour, then through another industrial area, emerging near BBC Guernsey with good views to Belle Venue Bay and the smaller islands.

We stopped for a cup of tea at the Halfway Café, then continued south to St Peter Port. We went back to the Hotel de Havelet to get changed then returned to the town centre because I wanted to do some shopping. After buying a new summer dress and a pencil case, we walked out past the harbour and the Model Yacht Pond to Castle Cornet. Richard continued onto the breakwater. I was wearing a dress by this stage and it was still windy, so I decided that following him was not a good idea!