Day Ten - Guernsey - 12 April

We woke to a lovely sunny day with a maximum of twelve degrees. This maximum temperature seems to be the norm and is similar to the temperatures in Cornwall when we were walking there at this time of year three years ago. After two days visiting the islands of Herm and Sark we thought we had best visit some of the other parts of Guernsey before we left for Jersey on Sunday. At ten o’clock we were at the Castle Cornet which was originally an island at the opening of the harbour.

It was built by the English Crown in the 1200s after King John lost Normandy. The fortress has had a chequered history as it was taken over by the French in 1338, a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War when the remainder of Guernsey supported Cromwell, the victim of an explosion in 1672 and occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. Following the war King George VI gave the castle to Guernsey with the proviso that the flag of England would always fly over the castle. We joined a guided tour of the castle at ten thirty and we were very pleased we did as Tom, our Scottish guide who has lived on Guernsey for forty years, brought the castle alive with his extensive knowledge. The tour finished at noon in time for the gun which is fired daily over the harbour from the battlements.

It was incredibly loud and we were pleased to have heeded their advice and covered our ears. Before and after lunch at the castle café we visited the five excellent museums which are housed within the castle.

These are the Story of the Castle Cornet, the Maritime Museum, the 201 Squadron Museum, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Museum and the Royal Guernsey Militia Museum. The personal stories of the men of Guernsey during World War 1 were particularly poignant and brought alive through their letters from the front and audio points throughout the museum. We didn’t emerge from the castle until three o’clock. It was a visit well worth doing. We walked back along the harbour wall to the High Street and Henk bought some walking shoes to complement his walking boots at our favourite outdoor shop, Millets. Before catching the bus back to our hotel we had a coffee overlooking the harbour.