Channel Islands Escapade: Seaside, Cycling & More on Jersey, Guernsey & Sark

The steps down from the clifftop were numerous and steep, but Portelet Bay, on Jersey's south coast, was worth the effort. The tide was out, revealing a tongue of rose-gold sand that divided the beach into two graceful curves, temporarily connecting the tiny Ile au Guerdain to the mainland. This tower-topped mound would soon become an island once more, as the mighty tide turned.

I tentatively dipped a toe into the water and yelped. The water's sparkle belied the fact this was the brisk English Channel, not, as it seemed, the Aegean Sea. Undeterred, I plunged in, emerging just as the Red Arrows, seemingly out of nowhere, swooped overhead.

I'd pondered long and hard over which beach to visit on my final day in Jersey, before catching the ferry to Guernsey. I was pleased with my choice, and in fact, I was happy with all my choices. It was early summer, and I'd craved that quintessential summer experience – island-hopping. But I didn't want to travel too far. Instead of jetting to distant shores, I opted for a ferry journey around the Channel Islands, hoping for a similar castaway feel without the air travel, yet still with a touch of the "foreign". Closer to France than England, the bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey boast a Gallic air, with place names derived from Norman French.

My adventure began in Portsmouth, from where the Commodore Clipper slowly chugs towards Jersey. Faster boats are available, but this overnight sailing seemed the most efficient: board for dinner and dock by breakfast, ready to explore. With a mix of coastal path walks, hired bikes, and the buses radiating from the capital, St Helier, a car was unnecessary.

Over my four-day stay, I focused on Jersey's edges, which are a delightful mix of sandy, dreamy, dramatic, history-laden, and superbly strange. They are also protected. In 2011, following a public outcry against insensitive development proposals, Jersey National Park was established, encompassing most of the island's coastline. It includes, for example, the entire three-mile stretch of westerly St Ouen's Bay, where I sat on the German-built seawall – one of many remnants of the island's Second World War occupation – watching surfers ride the waves.

The park also encompasses the east coast's Archirondel, where I savoured seafood caught by the owners of the delightful Driftwood Cafe. And it includes Plémont, in the far north-west, where a mistimed visit meant I found arguably the island's most beautiful bay consumed by the waves. Take note: Jersey's shore is a movable feast. The island boasts one of the world's largest tidal ranges; at its lowest point, the island can almost double in size; at its highest, some beaches vanish entirely.

That wasn't the case when, on my penultimate day, I visited La Rocque, in the far south-east. It was low tide, and Trudie Hairon-Trox of Jersey Walk Adventures led me across the newly exposed seabed.

“It's a fascinating landscape, never quite the same,” she explained as we splashed through the vast moonscape of rock pools, channels, boulders, and kelp. “It might look like a wasteland, but the biodiversity is immense.”

We headed towards the oyster beds of the Jersey Oyster Company, where Trudie detailed the boom, bust, and 1970s revival of the industry, as well as the arduous labour involved in cultivating these prized molluscs. After our bracing stroll, we settled into the nearby Seymour Pub to chew – “Don't swallow!” – the supremely local spoils: refined, salty, cucumber-fresh oysters.

After that last swim, it was time to hop onward. From St Helier, it took just an hour to sail to Guernsey, the second-largest Channel Island. “You *must

say Guernsey’s better!” insisted two sisters I met on my first evening; we were all becoming merry during a tour of Rocquette Cider farm, tucked deep in the island's heart. “Jersey is so la-di-da!” the women laughed, moving on to the berry gin. “It’s just slower here.”

Jersey hadn't exactly felt full-throttle. How much more laid-back could Guernsey be? To investigate, I hired an e-bike. It's the ideal way to get around this three-by-six-mile island. Making forays from my hotel at Grand Havre Bay, I kept getting lost in the spaghetti of *ruettes tranquilles

(quiet lanes) that meander through steep inclines, high hedges, and sign-less junctions. But if you embrace it as an adventure, and don't worry about where you end up, it's a lovely way to get around.

It was in this fashion that I found myself, whether by design or chance, at Petit Bot, a charming pebble bay at the end of a deep valley of green, where I parked my bike beside an old loophole tower – one of 15 built around the island in the late 18th century to defend against French attack. It's how I ended up at Le Gouffre, admiring both the formidable sea cliffs and the cafe's crab sandwiches. And it's how I got to L'Erée, where I basked in sunshine beneath a massive concrete Dalek, part of the largest German army gun battery built on the Channel Islands. From here, I gazed wistfully at Lihou – alas, the quarter-mile causeway to this tiny isle was cut off by the tide.

Lihou remained off-limits throughout my stay, but I had more success hopping to Sark. It's an hour's ferry ride from Guernsey's capital, St Peter Port, but several centuries back in time. The island, just three miles square, was made a feudal state in 1565 and remained so until 2008; the hereditary seigneur still plays a prominent role and retains sole rights to things like flotsam, jetsam, and the keeping of doves. Cars are banned, with only tractors, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycles permitted. I hired a bike to explore.

It was a delightful escapade from a bygone era. Helmet-less and carefree, I pedalled down empty dirt tracks, following a map so simple a child could have drawn it. I abandoned the bike at will, leaving it leaning against fences while I strolled along wild clifftops, waded through paths thick with daisies, dipped down to secret coves, and sought out ancient dolmens, abandoned mines, and redundant cannons – surely all plot points from a Famous Five adventure? I even drank gallons of fresh milk from Sark Dairy Trust's self-serve machine.

The wind was angry, churning the sea and tossing the gulls. It wasn't really beach-lazing weather, but my top pick was Derrible Bay. Like all of Sark's beaches, it's a bit of a trek to get there, and I found it consumed by the high tide. But I sat happily on a ledge above, watching the waves fizz around the rocks and lick at the sea caves.

There are several places to stay on Sark, but I headed back to Guernsey to make my final hop before sailing homeward: to tiny, perfect Herm, where even bicycles are forbidden. With each new island, my world had shrunk. Now, after a 20-minute ferry ride, I was on a scrap of land barely larger than Hyde Park, where the only entertainment was provided by Mother Nature.

It was a beautiful day. The wind subdued, the sea outrageously flirtatious: look at me, it seemed to coo, in a smooth, come-hither drawl; look how I ripple and sashay, how prettily I glitter. Nowhere was this more apparent than at Shell beach, which I reached via the coast path, passing Puffin Bay (sadly, I didn't see any) and the almost irresistible Belvoir Bay. But then I saw Shell beach luxuriating ahead of me: a creamy-white expanse curving around the dunes and seeping into shallows so clear I could see every sunken stone, every frond of kelp.

On the beach, I stripped down to my swimsuit and crunched over the crushed-shell sand. The tide was low; it took ages to wade into water deep enough to swim. When I finally did, the chill nipped again – ah yes, still the Channel – but it wasn't so bad. I'd come to the Channel Islands as a quicker, greener alternative to more desirable, far-flung places, but now floating in this joyful turquoise water, I found there wasn't anywhere else I'd rather be.

*The trip was provided by Visit Jersey, Visit Guernsey, and Condor Ferries. A UK-Jersey-Guernsey-UK sailing costs from £100pp with standard seating or £211/£346 for one/two in a two-berth cabin. Guernsey-Sark day returns from £28, Guernsey-Herm day returns from £17. Jersey Walk Adventures runs various seabed walks from £24pp. E-bike hire is available from Lakeys Jersey and Go Guernsey. Jersey's Somerville hotel has doubles from £84 room-only. Guernsey's Peninsula hotel has doubles from £127 B&B.