Across the Channel to Jersey

After our French adventures, it was time to move on to the final leg of our cycling. This morning we all boarded the large ferry for a short voyage to the nearby Channel Islands. Although these islands lie close to the coast of France, they are actually a British dependency.

During World War II they were captured by the Germans in 1940 and remained occupied till 1945. This was a terrible time of starvation and hardship for the locals and you can still see many signs of this harsh period. The Germans heavily fortified the islands during their occupation in an attempt to create an impregnable fortress. Many of their huge fortifications are still clearly visible.

We arrived at St Helier, the capital of Jersey and took a taxi to our hotel. The driver was quite difficult to understand as we were unused to his unfamiliar accent. He referred to this as "Jersey French".

After checking into The Monterey Hotel we made our way to a wartime underground hospital which has now been converted to a museum. On our way back to the hotel we discovered that we had arrived in time to watch the Jersey Marathon race. Judging by the crowds and the media coverage, it must be one of the biggest sporting events on the islands.

Of course, if we were going to complete a cycling exploration of Jersey, we needed some bikes. We had been given directions as to where to collect them from the supplier. It was only when we found the place that our concern grew. The owner explained that he had been "operating for over 40 years" and it soon became apparent that most of his bikes must have been dated from his first batch. In fact they were absolute shockers - rusty old clunkers. They were certainly nothing like the well prepared machines we had been provided in France.

After a long time of mucking around at the old bike depot, we finally made our way out on our first ride in the Channel Islands. Judging by the amount of creaks and groans emanating from various places on my bike, I was a little worried that I might not even make it back to the hotel.Read more