Trail Talk: Anne-Marie on the Jersey Coastal Path

After returning from her familiarisation trip around the stunning Jersey Coastal Path, Anne-Marie sat down with us for a chat about her experience. From the island’s unique character and charming villages to its scenic coastal views, we wanted to find out what makes this Channel Island trail so special.

Having lived in France for many years, you probably have a good sense of what makes a place feel French or English. How does Jersey come across – French, English, a bit of both, or something entirely its own?

That is a great question. My first thoughts when I was invited to go to Jersey on my familiarisation trip were that it was going to be a lot like being in France. Firstly, because lots of the place names were French – like Pomme d’Or (golden apple), Bonne Nuit Bay (good night bay), and Le Sentier des Moulins (the windmill trail). When we arrived at the airport and caught the bus to St Helier, I also noticed that most of the road and house names were French.

My first impressions were largely incorrect, though, as I found the architecture on the island to be very British in appearance. The Jersey locals, for the most part, are proud of their British Crown Dependency, and despite their closeness in mileage to France, they have spent many years defending the island from French occupation.

We spoke English, and I did not hear any French being spoken whilst I was there. There is a Jersey language called Jèrriais, which is closely related to French, but again, although it’s an important part of Jersey’s heritage, I didn’t hear this being spoken.

The restaurants served a wonderful mixture of international foods, including the British seaside staple of fish and chips, the trademark Spanish dish of paella, and the French delicacy of moules frites. To drink, I often found myself enjoying some wonderful French rosé wine and the occasional Aperol Spritz.

There was lots of opportunity to gorge oneself on fabulous seafood but be prepared to part with many of your Great British pounds for this dining delight.

The only thing that was truly un-British was the weather, which, for my trip, was absolutely perfect for a walking holiday – between 25 and 30 degrees, sunny, with a light breeze. Please bear in mind that it’s not always like this, and as an island, Jersey can be buffeted by big storms or days of sea fog.

Jersey’s capital, St Helier, is often described as a bustling hub, but does that vibrant energy extend to the rest of the island, or does it feel more laid-back once you’re out on the trail? And how do facilities and food options compare?

I wouldn’t describe St Helier as a bustling hub. It was actually very laid-back and calm. The main difference in St Helier was that there were supermarkets, petrol stations, and lots of cars – things we didn’t see much of once we left the capital.

Once out on the trail, we found that supermarkets or even small local shops were very hard to find, and on most days we had to eat our lunches in fairly expensive seaside cafés rather than quickly grabbing a meal deal. Although this was not altogether a terrible tragedy, it did make quite a big dent in our daily budget.

The peacefulness of the island and the lack of cars away from St Helier are helped by the incredible bus transportation system, in which all routes flow in and out of St Helier to anywhere on the island. You really don’t need a car on Jersey – the buses are frequent and reliable.

You’ve previously enjoyed familiarisation trips on the West Highland Way and the Cotswold Way. How did the Jersey Coastal Path compare in terms of effort and route-finding – if that’s even a factor when following a coastline?

For me, the West Highland Way was by far the hardest of these three trails, though that may have had something to do with the weather, which was pretty unkind (wet!) during my trip. I got a huge amount of satisfaction from completing the West Highland Way and would be keen to go back and do it again in better conditions.

The Cotswold Way was harder than I thought it was going to be, with lots of steep climbs in and out of the villages along the route. It was absolutely beautiful at times, but a little samey, with one day merging into the next.

As I said in my blog – Jersey was an absolute delight. I said this because it was warm and sunny, the walking was relatively easy (but not that easy – read my blog to understand more!). It was very pleasant, but not hugely challenging. I’m not a great guidebook reader, so on this route I just kept in mind that if the sea was on my left-hand side, and as close as it could be, then I wasn’t far wrong.

You were joined on the trip by your friend Kirsty – what was her impression of the trail and the island as a whole?

I called Kirsty and asked her for her thoughts. This is what she said:

“I really enjoyed the round-Jersey coastal walk. It was great seeing all the different parts of the island and experiencing the contrasts along the coastline. The trail was really interesting, with lots of different terrains and even the opportunity to have a dip in the sea along the way! I loved Jersey, its culture and its people, and I’ll definitely be back.”

The guidebook features 16 circular walks, all linked together, with the coastal sections forming the route of the main path. Did you ever feel you were missing out by sticking purely to the coast, and would you have liked to factor in a few extra days to explore more of the island?

Oh my gosh – absolutely. I was very wistful when I left the island, having only walked around it and not had the opportunity to explore its interior. Jersey is packed full of history, and many of the original WWII underground tunnels and wartime structures are still scattered across the island.

On the coast, I also failed to see any Jersey cows or Jersey potatoes – both of which I’d definitely go searching for if I were to return.

I would love to visit Jersey again. It’s cheap and easy to get to from most UK airports, and it feels totally unspoiled by mass tourism. I was astonished on a daily basis by the long, wide stretches of white sandy beaches, often with just a few people walking their dogs or going for a run.

Since you mentioned the guidebook – it can be a little tricky to follow at first, but once you get used to how it’s written, it’s actually not that hard. Each day’s walk just requires a little bit of planning over a glass of that wonderful rosé the night before. And remember: keep the sea on your left-hand side, and as close to you as possible at all times – then you can’t go wrong.

Finally, would you suggest exploring the Guernsey Coastal Path as part of a longer visit, or did you feel you’d already captured the essence of the Channel Islands with Jersey alone?

Having not been to Guernsey, this one’s quite hard to answer. However, it would be great to be able to say you’d ‘bagged’ both Jersey and Guernsey.

I suspect they’re quite similar, and ten days of coastal walking might be a bit much for some, but if you have the time – why not? It’s easy to transfer between the two, so arranging a back-to-back trip would be simple enough.

A big thank you to Anne-Marie for sharing her reflections on the Jersey Coastal Path. 

If you’ve been inspired by her journey, you can find out more about walking the Jersey Coastal Path on our website, and for any questions you may have, simply email us at [email protected] or call us on 017687 72335 to speak with one of our walking holiday experts.