Georeactor Blog

I recently visited Guernsey and the nearby car-free islands of Herm and Sark.

Guernsey

My first impression on the bus route from the airport "to Town" was of narrow roads through hedges and fences. I've learned this is a temporary detour.

During World War II, the Channel Islands were partially evacuated before being occupied by Nazis. This year is the 80th anniversary of their liberation after V-E Day. It remains a sore subject because of Britain's inability to defend the islands, and the perceived limited resistance by residents. Some islanders were imprisoned in Germany, and three Jewish refugees were sent to Auschwitz (three others would be deported in 1943 and survive). Both civilians and German troops suffered near-famine in late 1944 until the arrival of a Red Cross relief ship.

I did a quick circuit of Guernsey from the German communications bunker (which was preserved with the help of its former commander), to the downtown museum (a small collection of artifacts, foreign curiosities, and paintings), and Castle Cornet (a fort and prison at times taking sides against the Guernsey government).
Everywhere accepted payment by card. Restaurants included a 10% service charge, except for my hotel's dining room. When I started using cash, I was asked if I wanted "English change" (Guernsey-marked money, particularly the £1 note, is not accepted elsewhere). Guernsey is outside the UK and NHS, so I maybe should have gotten insurance. For more info on the Crown Dependencies, the House of Commons Library recently posted a report.

It's easy to get to airport, town, and coasts by bus. The driver expects you to use a transit card and may take a moment to toggle to credit card tap-to-pay. Pedestrian infrastructure was very limited in the interior or along the western beach. During the airport detour, the bus and opposing traffic would ride up on the little sidewalk.

Sark

Before arriving, I was hopeful for at least one sign encouraging visitors to use the new Sark emoji. I saw a promotion for their new TikTok, but no luck.

In September, the ferry to Sark varies between two and three roundtrips per day. On the week that I visited, there was only one sailing on Monday due to wind, Tuesday was unaffected, and my return Wednesday was in question on the website until the day before (normal schedule, but we got rocked quite a bit). I included some slack in my return to London and onward to Boston, just in case.
On a typical day, a group of elderly tourists arrives in the morning and leaves in the late afternoon. When I arrived about an hour early for the Tuesday morning boat, there was already a waitlist. I'd estimate max capacity on both boats as 50–70 passengers? A resident pleaded for the one Sark-based ferry employee to add special pricing plans for residents, so I guess they don't have discounts?

Boats load and unload onto steps. Because of limited medical facilities, you would need special insurance for medical or evacuation coverage.

There are no cars, so you can pay for a tractor-pulled trolley and luggage delivery. My Airbnb was worried when I did not contact them or show up in their deliveries. The journey up the hill is always commented on in reports of royals and celebrities visiting, so FYI I hiked up.
There are many bike rentals and I saw people on e-bikes, including someone going over La Coupee. Emergency services have a bike and an ambulance trailer.

Quick shout-out to whoever designed the green cross / Sark map logo.

The prevalence of bikes means there is more bike infrastructure, but also many signs about how to act on a bike (the harbor is trying to stop bike riders).

This is late in the season, so there was only one other group in the Airbnb (former monastery), and downtown had shut down when I walked in at 5pm. You can call to confirm dinner reservations. I was leaving the island early but I was able to pick up local Caragh Chocolates from the food shop.

There is a school, but most people who I saw were elderly. I saw a couple of houses are falling apart, even on the main roads. The libertarian relocation scheme seems farfetched (especially with long journey to leave Sark for London or other larger cities).

Herm

Herm is a smaller island that's sometimes listed with Sark and Alderney as a Crown dependency, but it's been politically incorporated into Guernsey and leased to various people and entities since the 1800s.
Sailing times are posted on traveltrident.com around 8am. Early Monday morning this read "expect cancellations & quiet possibly just one sailing" and eventually they posted two trips. Tickets are not attached to a specific time.
After failing to get on the Tuesday morning boat to Sark, I spent a couple of hours on Herm. There was a gift shop with beach equipment, Herm merch (cartoon map with "Herm is where the heart is" for £27), etc.
Bikes are forbidden on Herm. The main activities are to walk a trail around the island, or to visit the beach.

Herm has two ports which switch off with tides. I arrived on these precarious stairs on a rock shelf, and departed from the port. It did not look easy for the tourists with a stroller, small child, walking sticks, etc. so plan ahead. There is this all-terrain wheelchair (?) at the main Guernsey and Herm ports.

Alderney

I didn't have time for Alderney. While I was at the Guernsey airport, one of two Alderney flights was cancelled. They told people to come up and get seats on the ferry!

Though most Sark residents stayed through the war, Alderney was mostly evacuated, and the Germans used it as a prison camp. An inquiry last year reported that as many as 1,000 people died there. Residents also found it difficult to restore their homes after the occupation.

Internet

When I land at an airport, Google Fi takes about a minute to update its international plan. It has only failed me in disputed northern Cyprus and a weirdly long time after crossing into Slovenia. In Guernsey, it told me that I was in Jersey.
Where does Google Fi get its mega list of countries including Sark and Herm? I would look to the International Telecommunications Union or a similar entity or standard. When Googling, I see that telecom contracts for Guernsey typically include requirements for coverage on population centers of all islands.

Web domains seem particularly vulnerable to failing to renew their hosting or certificate.

In London, Bluesky notified me that I would need to go through some process to prove I'm an adult. After landing in Guernsey this went away, because Guernsey is not part of the UK.