This week, avid camper Diana Jackson tells us what it is like to camp on Guernsey:

“Leaving our Bedfordshire home at 5am we caught the early morning Fast Cat from Weymouth to Guernsey and it was wonderful to reach the Fauxquets Campsite before midday.

Why did we choose camping on Guernsey when there are so many places to stay? First of all we have both enjoyed camping at weekends and on holidays for several years now, it is cost-efficient and enables us to go on several breaks a year.

We also felt that two weeks camping on Guernsey, with its mild climate and the sea never far away, sounded extremely relaxing and it certainly lived up to our expectations.

The owners of Fauxquets were a friendly young couple. Nothing was too much trouble. It was a sheltered, well set out site with plenty of room and good facilities, including The Haybarn Restaurant on site, where we enjoyed our first evening meal. Other campers also used the restaurant at breakfast but we preferred the pleasure of cooking our own, when time was on our side. The site also has a swimming pool and games room and the washing facilities were excellent.

Here is a our travel diary of our time on Guernsey alongside a few recommendations for other campers who are compiling their itineraries:

Monday

Today we headed for the Jerbourg Peninsula. An advantage of coming by ferry is having your car with you. The views of Sark and Herm from Jerbourg are lovely and you can see Jersey on a clear day.

From here you can take the cliff walks back towards Fermaine Bay, beautiful in the spring time with wildflowers in abundance. We chose to head west along the cliff top walk and take the 280 steps (so the guide book says) to Petit Port Bay, a beautifully sheltered sandy bay well worth the climb.

For lunch we drove on though the little lanes, winding our way down to Petit Bot Bay. We ate a sandwich at the charming cafe in the building of an early nineteenth century paper mill next to one of the photogenic towers overlooking the bay. Next we relaxed on the beach where a family of ducks waddled between holiday makers and amused the children, hoping for scraps of picnics. Our day ended with a BBQ of local beefburgers back at the campsite.

Tuesday

This morning we visited St Peter Port, ambling along the narrow cobbled streets, looking in the many and varied shops along the way.

As a treat we headed back to  the Fermain Bay Hotel for  lunch, where we enjoyed crab  salad on the warm terraces overlooking the tropical gardens and bay. We also noticed a note from Richard and Judy praising the location and food!

Wednesday

Today we drove via St Sampson’s and on north to L’Ancresse Bay where we found what was to become our favourite beach side cafe. The beaches on this side of the island are beautiful sandy windswept bays, although at Pembroke Bay nearby, we discovered a more sheltered spot to relax. Here we enjoyed the beautiful views towards Fort le Marchant.  After sharing a picnic, I took a stroll towards the fort whilst my husband sat and listened to the cricket on the radio. It was a day to unwind and while away a few hours.

Thursday

We headed away from the island and took a flight to Alderney today where we are spending a couple of nights. Alderney is quite different to Guernsey and the pace of life slows down a few more notches, even by Guernsey standards. With little traffic, quiet sandy beaches, puffins and gannets to observe and everything within walking distance, it is easy to understand its appeal to anyone wishing to escape the stresses of everyday life on the mainland.

The flight took fifteen minutes and  Guernsey is only 15 minutes away and aerial views of Herm, Sark, Alderney not to mention Guernsey, the flight is an adventure in itself.

Saturday

Back to Guernsey this afternoon. After landing we drove into St Peter Port for a wonderful Italian meal.

Sunday

Gorgeous weather today so we headed back to Pembroke Bay for the day. We visited a local supermarket on route back to the campsite, we were able to buy some fresh plaice. Thinking that it would be two thin fillets like we get at home, I was amazed to find one large thick piece of fish. Once slowly cooked, it was easy to divide the fish between us and enjoy it with locally grown French beans that we bought at the side of the road. Superb.

Monday

We headed to St Peter Port again in order to book a trip to Sark the following day. Then we drove to the south of the island parking at Saints Bay, a small secluded cove with boats bobbing in the sheltered waters nearby. After a cup of coffee, we set off again by foot. There is nothing we enjoy more than walking along coastal paths and the views here are stunning at every turn.  After reaching Icart Point we climbed up again towards another welcome cafe before heading inland and back to Saints Bay.  After our strenuous morning we enjoyed a rest at Vazon Bay, a short drive from our campsite. Crisscrossing the island like this is easy and takes little time in the car and the scenery is quite a contrast from sheltered coves and cliff top walks to sweeping sandy bays of the north.

Tuesday

Today we visited Sark. Each island has its individual character, Sark being quaint and rural, famous for its lack of cars and horse drawn carriages are in abundance. The walk or ride to La Coupee, the scenic link road between the main island and Little Sark, with its breathtaking sheer drop on either side, is a must. As is a visit to the cafe and Chocolatier nearby, eating a cream tea with panoramic views on three sides and Jersey in the distance! Wandering amongst the gardens at La Seigneurie is also well worth the walk.

Wednesday

A quiet day, but we headed to Petit Bot to relax. The tide was in so we walked along the cliff path to Le Gouffre. Just the other side of this point, we were happy to discover a gem of a restaurant called Descallier, which we were to remember for later on in our trip. We returned to Vazon for the afternoon before buying some lamb, sauce, onion and rice, and cooked a delicious curry back at the campsite. The only thing we lacked was a colander and so my husband, ever the resourceful one, cut lots of little holes in a sandwich bag and voila!

Thursday

Headed into St Peter Port for a spot of shopping where my husband bought some excellent walking boots and tea shirts before we visited Sausmarez Manor. Here we experienced a magical sculpture walk weaving our way through the gardens, coffee in the tea rooms and then I showed myself up playing a round of miniature golf.

Friday was the day earmarked for visiting the Museum in St Peter Port, which was well laid out and certainly interesting, and also the Priaulx Library. From there we wandered through Candie Gardens and down the cobbled pathways to les Canishers, the road where my family almost certainly lived at the end of 19^th Century. It is a part of St Peter Port often missed, but quickly takes you back in time and I really hope the area’s character will be preserved.

We also visited The Victorian Shop near the Market Place, a quaint little place and we also drove to The Folk Museum. Here I was excited to see exhibitions of Guernsey’s history long before WW2, for which the island is so well known.

This was our last evening on Guernsey and as a treat we booked a table at Descallier and dined in style, watching the changing colours of the sea below us as the sun set.

It was a memorable visit and a well balanced holiday. There are many more places still to discover on Guernsey, but we returned to England refreshed, knowing that we will return in the not too distant future!

Find out more about camping on Guernsey here. If you have visited Guernsey and would like to submit a blog about your holiday, let us know by leaving a comment. We’ll be in touch!