Alderney
Guernsey · 80 m
Description
Alderney is the northernmost Channel Island, closer to France than to Guernsey and separated from the Cotentin by a race of fierce tides. Its only town, St Anne, is a grid of cobbled streets and painted houses around a large Victorian church. The coast is ringed by Victorian forts built against a French invasion that never came and by German bunkers from an occupation that emptied the island of its people. The rocks of Les Étacs off the western tip carry a gannet colony of several thousand pairs. A short railway, the only one in the islands, runs from Braye Harbour to the lighthouse.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 4 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Gannet colony on Les Étacs (March - September)
- Cobbled streets of St Anne
- Braye Beach and the breakwater
- Fort Clonque on its tidal causeway
- Alderney Railway to Mannez Lighthouse
- Longis Bay and the Nunnery
- Telegraph Bay and its cliff steps
- Hammond Memorial to the forced labourers
- Coast path around the island
- Blonde hedgehogs after dark
- Wreck diving in the tidal races
- Puffins on Burhou (April - July)
- Alderney Week festivities (August)
Getting there
- Airports:
- ACI
- Train stations:
- Braye Road, Mannez Quarry
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry