Life’s a beach on Jersey

Slow it down and soak it up on this stunning location.

Scary I know, but it’s been more than 20 years since Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac and his iconic ’47 Triumph Roadster last took to the meandering highways and byways of Jersey.

The charming crimebuster’s exploits had a generation of TV viewers settling down to enjoy Sunday night escapes to the sun-kissed island.

Fast forward to 2013 and we hopped on board a Flybe flight out of a drizzly Edinburgh and 90 minutes later found this Channel Islands gem living up to its billing as the warmest spot in the British Isles.

Within minutes I had the keys to the pre-booked Hertz rental in my hand and we were hitting the road in a smart eco-friendly Fiesta rather than the vintage sports car favoured by Bergerac.

But with a top speed of 40mph and more modest limits on narrow country lanes and spectacular cliff-top routes, it was ideal for Blue Badge guide Hugh Gill’s delightful insiders’ tour of the Crown Dependency.

We hooked up with Hugh over coffee at the plush 123-room Grand Jersey Hotel and Spa on the St Helier esplanade, the previous evening having relished the impressive Michelin-starred culinary credentials of award-winning chef Richard Allen.

Restaurant manager Shaun Corrigan is a man who knows his way round a wine list and Tassili comes highly recommended for spoiling that special someone, while the five-star hotel’s spa is perfect pampering territory.

Long-time resident Hugh knows his stuff. We were already aware of Jersey’s reputation for life being a beach, with countless ways to enjoy being on, in or under the Channel waters. So we opted for a heritage and food theme in the company of a guide with an encyclopaedic knowledge of island life and history.

First stop was the extraordinary Neolithic tomb and chapel-topped mound at La Hougue Bie, with archaeologists still perplexed as to how farmers hauled a vast 20-ton stone into place at the end of a 17-metre passage which saw us stooping and waddling our way into the dimly lit chamber.

Then it was on to Mont Orgueil, an awe-inspiring medieval castle perched precariously above the picture postcard quayside cafes and restaurants of Gorey, a harbour which sprang up on the back of 19th Century oyster fishermen.

Occupied just twice in 800 years, the last occasion by the Nazis in 1940, the fortress is a must-see for any visitor.

Nowadays, the labyrinth echoes to the click-clack of high heels rather than jackboots as wedding guests in all their finery make their way to the chapel.

Jersey may extend a modest nine miles by five but it’s location just 15 miles from France has given it strategic importance down the centuries.

Fortifications abound, ranging from lookout towers to gun emplacements thrown up by occupation forces during the dark days of the Second World War. That grim period in Jersey history is remembered in the ‘Jersey War Tunnels’, an underground complex carved out by a slave labour force.

Two hours sped by as the lives, sacrifices, privations and moral dilemmas facing islanders who opted to stay rather than join the overnight exodus to England are recalled in fascinating detail. Make sure you leave time to take it all in.

The rental car was ideal for making the most of our sightseeing ‘Jersey Pass’, but the local bus service is tourist-friendly and there are miles of cycle paths and ‘green lanes’ dissecting an island whose high point is little more than 300ft.

Of all the captivating beaches and bays, stunning St Brelade’s tops international polls and it’s no wonder.

There’s rarely a week goes by that Jersey doesn’t celebrate one festival or another walking, floral, fish, jazz and a whole lot more and we were lucky enough to savour the ‘Tennerfest’, with more than 100 restaurants signing up to six weeks of fixed-price dining.

Inflation has edged up many of the fixed menus, but it’s a wonderful way to sample island cuisine and save a few bob at the same time.

Hugh signed us in for lunch at the St Helier Yacht Club and we took a peek at the chartroom as he proudly pointed out the defaced Ensign celebrating past members’ roles in the wartime evacuation of St Malo.

Time was against us so we missed the famous Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust but enjoyed a look at doe-eyed additions to the Classic Manor Farm 60-strong Jersey herd and rounded off a fabulous day by popping into La Fais’sie d’Cidre at Hamptonne country life museum.

As we looked over the traditional horse-drawn wheel and apple press, Carolyn from Jersey Heritage proffered a glass of cider. It was only later we spotted the sign cautioning it was unpasteurised!

After apple-juggling and enjoying traditional cabbage bread, the fruit of 23 local orchards and some 4,000 trees tempted me to toast a short break which is going to live long in the memory.

Worth knowing Ramsay World Travel have been selling Dundee to Jersey holidays for 22 years. The flights operate from May to September and prices start from £425 per person for a one-week holiday, bed and breakfast.

The holidays are sold exclusively through all branches of Ramsay World Travel. They also offer free car parking at Dundee Airport for any of our customers who book to go to Jersey.

FACTBOX

Jersey Tourism and Jersey Pass, from £42 for two days jersey.com or phone 01534 448 877.

Grand Jersey Hotel and Spa grandjersey.com or phone 01534 722301. Rooms from £240. Tassili lunch from £19.50 and dinner from £49.

Flybe flights to Jersey from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness flybe.com or phone 0871 7002000. Edinburgh flights from £60.

Hertz Rent-a-car Jersey hertzci.com or phone 0800 7351014. One-week economy-sized car from £120.

Hugh Gill, Blue Badge Guide email hugh.j.gill@gmail.com or phone 07797720192. £115/£200 half/full day for individual or groups.