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Guide to the island of Alderney
The scars of the Occupation, during World War II, are still etched on the landscape of Alderney, harking back to the period when the island was forcibly de-populated and used as a German labour camp. But, today, things are different; the vista altogether more tranquil and inviting.
But despite its complete volte-face, in recent times, Alderney remains the least visited of the Channel Islands. It is, nevertheless, a magnet for ornithologists and nature lovers, as well as a retreat for stressed out folk in search of a quiet island escape.
Most importantly, a big welcome awaits all visitors to this delightful island with its strong sense of community and relaxed way of life.
ALDERNEY AT A GLANCE …
LOCATION & SIZE:
The third largest and northernmost of the Channel Islands, Alderney is approximately 5.5 km (3½ miles) in length and 2.5 km (1½ miles) wide. Alderney is the closest Channel Island to France.
TRAVELLING TO ALDERNEY:
Scheduled direct flights to Alderney Airport are available from Southampton, Bournemouth, Brighton / Shoreham, Jersey and Guernsey (with Aurigny Air Services & Blue Islands Airline). Most UK and international airports also operate services to Jersey or Guernsey, with frequent onward flight connections to Alderney from both Jersey and Guernsey). Regular ferry services, operate during high season to Alderney via Jersey and Guernsey, with more limited sea services (largely dependent on the weather) available at other times of year.
GETTING AROUND:
Although car hire is available on the island of Alderney, there are always taxis and buses waiting at the harbour, offering reasonably priced round-the-island tours. Alternatively, why not hire a two-seater buggy, for a leisurely tour around the island. However, the best way to explore Alderney’s southern coastline is on foot or by bicycle, as some of the most picturesque parts of the island are inaccessible by car.
ACCOMMODATION:
Alderney offers a range of quality accommodation from privately run hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs to self-catering, rental cottages and campsites. Try the Alderney Accommodation Hotline 01481 832408 for last minute availability.
EATING AND DRINKING:
Alderney may be a small island, but it certainly packs a punch where fine dining is concerned; seafood fans, in particular, will find plenty to please. St Anne’s, the island’s capital, has the greatest concentration of all types of eateries offering everything from simple snacks and pub grub to gourmet nosh. The emphasis, throughout, is on local produce, including sea bass and crab. Try to visit during May for the annual Alderney Seafood Festival.
WEATHER:
Alderney enjoys a pleasant all-year round climate thanks to the prevailing warm south-westerly winds; winters are relatively mild (temperatures rarely drop below zero and maximum summer temperatures average between 22º and 25ºC. Alderney is affected by powerful tides that are particularly noticeable in the passages to the north and south of the island. Cool summer breezes can be deceptive as the high UV level in the sunlight, due to the pollution-free atmosphere, can easily cause sunburn!
SHOPPING:
Alderney has no VAT. Most popular buys include jewellery, cameras and electronic goods. St Anne’s offers the widest selection of shops; head for Les Rocquettes for something different.
CRIME RATES:
Low. Most offences are drink-related. Drug importation, for whatever purposes, incurs heavy fines and may carry a prison sentence.
CURRENCY:
Sterling (GBP); UK cheques and credit cards are accepted. Alderney also issues its own commemorative coins.
OUTDOOR PURSUITS:
Popular activities include bird-watching, walking, cycling, swimming, fishing, boating, yachting as well as cricket at the famous Les Butes cricket ground.
NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT:
Alderney is renowned for its traditional pub culture and welcoming ambience. The main concentration of pubs can be found in St Anne’s and Braye.
MUST SEE & DO IN AROUND ALDERNEY
WILDLIFE:
The glorious natural habitat and lack of predators on the Island of Alderney allows wildlife to thrive in abundance - moles, different species of hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, long cone-head grasshoppers, large black rabbits and large gannets. Contact the Alderney Information and Wildlife Trust Centre, Victoria Street, St Anne’s tel. +44 (0)1481 823737, www.alderney.gov.gg or Alderney Wildlife Trust, tel. +44 (0) 1481 822935, www.alderneywildlife.org; for information about the Alderney Wildlife Trust’s guided tours of the island.
BOAT TRIPS:
For a different perspective, take a boat trip around the island; glimpse, close up, the colonies of puffins that inhabit the nearby island of Burhou as well as other bird species such as guillemots, gannets, kittiwakes, shags and razorbills, which breed along Alderney’s inaccessible shoreline.
BRAYE:
The one street village of Braye is well worth visiting for the sands of Braye Bay, its sheltered harbour and its surprising choice of eating options, from fish and chips to gourmet fare, not to mention its pubs and duty-free shops.
ST ANNE'S(CAPITAL OF ALDERNEY):
Picturesque St Anne’s, with its maze of cobbled streets and granite and sandstone, whitewashed or pastel-painted houses, has the widest selection of shops and restaurants on the island. Also visit: St Anne’s Church (opened in 1850), designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, built from local granite and Caen stone; and Alderney Museum for a history of the island including its geology and wildlife.
Hammond Memorial (situated above Longis Common): Hammond Memorial is the site of hundreds of unmarked graves of prisoners from many different countries, who were imported as slaves to construct the twelve defence fortifications around the island, during the Occupation.
DID YOU KNOW THAT …
Alderney was a pirate stronghold, throughout the Middle Ages. The marauders were finally driven out, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when law and order was restored to the island.
It is believed that when the population of Alderney returned to the island after the Liberation in 1945, the island was devoid of birdsong.
Alderney has a thriving population of ‘blonde’ hedgehogs, which do not exist on any of the other Channel Islands.
The island of Alderney is recognised as a centre for internet gambling.
Alderney’s famous black rabbit and large gannet both feature on Channel Island stamps.
But despite its complete volte-face, in recent times, Alderney remains the least visited of the Channel Islands. It is, nevertheless, a magnet for ornithologists and nature lovers, as well as a retreat for stressed out folk in search of a quiet island escape.
Most importantly, a big welcome awaits all visitors to this delightful island with its strong sense of community and relaxed way of life.
ALDERNEY AT A GLANCE …
LOCATION & SIZE:
The third largest and northernmost of the Channel Islands, Alderney is approximately 5.5 km (3½ miles) in length and 2.5 km (1½ miles) wide. Alderney is the closest Channel Island to France.
TRAVELLING TO ALDERNEY:
Scheduled direct flights to Alderney Airport are available from Southampton, Bournemouth, Brighton / Shoreham, Jersey and Guernsey (with Aurigny Air Services & Blue Islands Airline). Most UK and international airports also operate services to Jersey or Guernsey, with frequent onward flight connections to Alderney from both Jersey and Guernsey). Regular ferry services, operate during high season to Alderney via Jersey and Guernsey, with more limited sea services (largely dependent on the weather) available at other times of year.
GETTING AROUND:
Although car hire is available on the island of Alderney, there are always taxis and buses waiting at the harbour, offering reasonably priced round-the-island tours. Alternatively, why not hire a two-seater buggy, for a leisurely tour around the island. However, the best way to explore Alderney’s southern coastline is on foot or by bicycle, as some of the most picturesque parts of the island are inaccessible by car.
ACCOMMODATION:
Alderney offers a range of quality accommodation from privately run hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs to self-catering, rental cottages and campsites. Try the Alderney Accommodation Hotline 01481 832408 for last minute availability.
EATING AND DRINKING:
Alderney may be a small island, but it certainly packs a punch where fine dining is concerned; seafood fans, in particular, will find plenty to please. St Anne’s, the island’s capital, has the greatest concentration of all types of eateries offering everything from simple snacks and pub grub to gourmet nosh. The emphasis, throughout, is on local produce, including sea bass and crab. Try to visit during May for the annual Alderney Seafood Festival.
WEATHER:
Alderney enjoys a pleasant all-year round climate thanks to the prevailing warm south-westerly winds; winters are relatively mild (temperatures rarely drop below zero and maximum summer temperatures average between 22º and 25ºC. Alderney is affected by powerful tides that are particularly noticeable in the passages to the north and south of the island. Cool summer breezes can be deceptive as the high UV level in the sunlight, due to the pollution-free atmosphere, can easily cause sunburn!
SHOPPING:
Alderney has no VAT. Most popular buys include jewellery, cameras and electronic goods. St Anne’s offers the widest selection of shops; head for Les Rocquettes for something different.
CRIME RATES:
Low. Most offences are drink-related. Drug importation, for whatever purposes, incurs heavy fines and may carry a prison sentence.
CURRENCY:
Sterling (GBP); UK cheques and credit cards are accepted. Alderney also issues its own commemorative coins.
OUTDOOR PURSUITS:
Popular activities include bird-watching, walking, cycling, swimming, fishing, boating, yachting as well as cricket at the famous Les Butes cricket ground.
NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT:
Alderney is renowned for its traditional pub culture and welcoming ambience. The main concentration of pubs can be found in St Anne’s and Braye.
MUST SEE & DO IN AROUND ALDERNEY
WILDLIFE:
The glorious natural habitat and lack of predators on the Island of Alderney allows wildlife to thrive in abundance - moles, different species of hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, long cone-head grasshoppers, large black rabbits and large gannets. Contact the Alderney Information and Wildlife Trust Centre, Victoria Street, St Anne’s tel. +44 (0)1481 823737, www.alderney.gov.gg or Alderney Wildlife Trust, tel. +44 (0) 1481 822935, www.alderneywildlife.org; for information about the Alderney Wildlife Trust’s guided tours of the island.
BOAT TRIPS:
For a different perspective, take a boat trip around the island; glimpse, close up, the colonies of puffins that inhabit the nearby island of Burhou as well as other bird species such as guillemots, gannets, kittiwakes, shags and razorbills, which breed along Alderney’s inaccessible shoreline.
BRAYE:
The one street village of Braye is well worth visiting for the sands of Braye Bay, its sheltered harbour and its surprising choice of eating options, from fish and chips to gourmet fare, not to mention its pubs and duty-free shops.
ST ANNE'S(CAPITAL OF ALDERNEY):
Picturesque St Anne’s, with its maze of cobbled streets and granite and sandstone, whitewashed or pastel-painted houses, has the widest selection of shops and restaurants on the island. Also visit: St Anne’s Church (opened in 1850), designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, built from local granite and Caen stone; and Alderney Museum for a history of the island including its geology and wildlife.
Hammond Memorial (situated above Longis Common): Hammond Memorial is the site of hundreds of unmarked graves of prisoners from many different countries, who were imported as slaves to construct the twelve defence fortifications around the island, during the Occupation.
DID YOU KNOW THAT …
Alderney was a pirate stronghold, throughout the Middle Ages. The marauders were finally driven out, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when law and order was restored to the island.
It is believed that when the population of Alderney returned to the island after the Liberation in 1945, the island was devoid of birdsong.
Alderney has a thriving population of ‘blonde’ hedgehogs, which do not exist on any of the other Channel Islands.
The island of Alderney is recognised as a centre for internet gambling.
Alderney’s famous black rabbit and large gannet both feature on Channel Island stamps.
