Hotel opening for Alderney

#ALDERNEY, the third largest of the Channel Islands, continues its investment in expanding its accommodation offering with the opening of The Adventurer's Rest. In St Anne, the island’s only town, the 20-bedroom hotel has ‘edgy, industrial’ interiors and individually appointed rooms.

Double rooms are priced at £70 a night, including breakfast based on two people sharing.

Alderney is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which also includes the islands of Herm and Sark. It is 23 miles north-east of Guernsey and eight miles off the coast of France. It is a 15-minute flight or a 90-minute boat ride from Guernsey.

Scheduled flights operate daily to Alderney from Southampton with Aurigny, with return fares priced from £154 per person and takes 45 minutes. Inter-island flights with Aurigny between Guernsey and Alderney are priced from £92 return. Return flights from London Gatwick to Guernsey with Aurigny are priced from £88 per person and flight time is one hour.

Bumblebee Boat Cruises operates a scheduled passenger service between St Peter Port, Guernsey, and Braye Harbour, Alderney. Sailings are on Fridays and Sundays throughout the summer season (May to October) with two departures from Guernsey and two departures from Alderney, allowing for day trips or weekends in either direction. Adult tickets are £34.75 each way; child tickets are £24.75 each way. Bumblebee also offer a charter service throughout the year.

From the UK via France, Brittany Ferries operates an overnight or fast ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg in time for a connection to Alderney. Return prices start from £158 for a standard car carrying two passengers, taking three hours.

www.adventurersrest.co.uk
www.aurigny.com
www.bumblebee.gg
www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes

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Picture Credit: 17559979@N00/26714069430 rocks on Corbletts Beach, Alderney via photopin.com

Guernsey Food Festival programme grows

MORE events have been added to the #Guernsey International #FoodFestival programme (September 23-October 2). 

The ten day festival celebrates the quality and variety of island food with Guernsey’s producers and chefs combining forces to showcase produce and cuisine from Guernsey, Alderney, Herm, and Sark.

With its full programme of events, promotions, and local markets, there will be opportunities to sample the one-of-a-kind gastronomy which has grown from the archipelago’s geographical position between England and France, allowing it to fuse English and French cuisines.

Latest confirmed events include:

Cigars, Cocktails and Canapés (September 23) – Ziggurat, Guernsey’s Moroccan-themed hotel and restaurant, hosts an early evening reception on its terrace with views of the island’s capital and out to sea. Tickets are priced at £35. www.hotelziggurat.com

Dinner with Jean-Christophe Novelli (September 23), St Pierre Park Hotel – Chef and restaurateur Jean-Christophe Novelli returns to the festival for the second year, joining forces with chef Tony Leck of The Pavilion at St Pierre Park Hotel. The chefs will work together to create a special menu to be served at a gala dinner. Tickets from £50 to £75. www.thepavilion.co.gg

The Big Guernsey Market (September 24-25), Crown Pier, St Peter Port –
This will be the festival’s focal point in St Peter Port featuring stalls from local producers and chefs. The market incorporates the Children’s Food Festival, where little foodies can get hands-on with local produce. Guernsey’s chefs will be on the Live Food Show stage to showcase their culinary skills, alongside guest chefs from France, India, the UK, and the US, who will talk through the step-by-step preparation of their dishes before giving the opportunity to sample tasters. Free entry. www.visitguernsey.com/event/big-guernsey-market

Beach BBQ Cook-Off (September 24-25), Crown Pier, St Peter Port –
Former Masterchef contestant and Aussie barbecue supremo, Kieron James, hosts the Guernsey Beach BBQ Cook Off at St Peter Port’s Live Food Stage, where local chefs compete to produce the tastiest barbecue dish. The winner is decided by the audience, which gets to sample the meats and judge the chefs’ dishes. Free entry. www.visitguernsey.com/event/beach-bbq-cook

Guernsey Gourmet Bus Tour (October 1) Island wide – This whistle-stop tour of Guernsey’s producers goes behind-the-scenes at some of the island’s leading food and drink makers and includes a two-course local produce lunch. Tickets £65 from www.guernseytickets.gg

Wild Foraging Workshop (October 2) Rocquaine Bay – Wild Guernsey offers a festival workshop, taking budding foragers to gather wild food, taste it raw, and then transform the ingredients into a recipe worth remembering for a family picnic or dinner party. Foragers will learn to identify Guernsey’s sea herbs and vegetables and then sample a treat made up from the ingredients found on the tour. Tickets £20 from wildguernsey.wordpress.com

www.visitguernsey.com/food-festival

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Dates Announced for the 2016 Guernsey International Food Festival

THE #GUERNSEY INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL will return on September 23 to October 2, following the success of the inaugural event last year.

The festival will showcase the very best of island food, with promotions in restaurants and cocktail bars, live cooking demonstrations, cook-offs, chef masterclasses, gastronomic tours, and gala dinners.

Guernsey's island producers and chefs will combine forces to showcase exceptional produce and cuisine from Guernsey, Alderney, Herm, and Sark.

Getting there …

Direct flights to Guernsey operate year round from London City, Gatwick, and Stansted, as well as many regional UK airports with Aurigny (www.aurigny.com), Blue Islands (www.blueislands.com), and Flybe (www.flybe.com).

Return flights from London Gatwick to Guernsey with Aurigny in September 2016 are available from £100 per person.

Condor operates ferry services from Poole and Portsmouth. Return car ferries from Poole to Guernsey in September are from £190, carrying two passengers (www.condorferries.com). 

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Family fun on the Channel Islands

THIS year’s #ChannelIslands Heritage Festival (March 25-May 10) will celebrate a group of small islands with a big history, offering five weeks of family-friendly events across Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Sark. 

There will be nautical tours of castles, towers, and lighthouses, guided walks, cycle rides, kayak adventures, and vintage bus tours.

Events include:

Land Sailing with Pure Adventure, Jersey 

April 2, 4, 8 and 23
The fresh winds and five mile stretch of beach along Jersey's St. Ouen's Bay offer perfect conditions for adrenalin-fuelled land sailing. Families can try out the sport and race each other around a triangular course. Land sailing is suitable for children over nine and costs £25 per adult and £15 for children. To book, visit www.purejersey.com

Island Explorers Treasure Hunt, Guernsey
Throughout the festival

With the help of an explorer's map, adventurers young and old are challenged to find clues across the island's historic sites. The map is free to download from the VisitGuernsey website and all completed treasure hunts that are returned to Guernsey Museum will receive a small gift and be entered into a prize draw. www.museums.gov.gg 

Through the Looking Glass – A Kayak Exploration of Jersey's Maritime Jungle, Jersey
March 28, April 4, 11, 18, 26 April, May 2

Families can explore one of Europe's most diverse marine ecosystems on a sea kayak tour and observe marine and bird life. All kit is supplied and beginners are welcome. The cost is £40 per adult and £27 for children. Advance booking is essential through Jersey Kayak Adventures - info@jerseykayakadventures.co.uk

Bunkers at Night – Evening Tour, Jersey
March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5

Learn about Jersey's WWII heritage with a visit to various sites at night to light up Jersey's Military Heritage in a new way. The cost is £30 per adult and £15 per child aged 7-15. Booking is essential through Jersey War Tours - www.jerseywartours.com

Sea to Sea Cycle Tour, Jersey
March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5

Families are invited to join local Blue Badge Guide Arthur Lamy on a cycle tour from St Helier along Jersey's south coast to Les Platons, on the north coast, which offers views of the nearby coast of France and the other Channel Islands.  Along the 15 mile route, the tour stops to discover dolmens, manor houses, and even where the Jersey Royal early potato was created.  The tour costs £15 per person.  www.arthurthebluebadgeguide.com

Beau Vallon Maritime Family Fun Day, Guernsey
May 1

A jam-packed day of activities including a pirate treasure hunt, free scuba diving taster sessions (age eight upwards), and maritime stalls. www.beauvallon.co.uk

www.visitchannelislands.com

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Channel Isles celebrate heritage

THE first Channel Islands Heritage Festival - now on and running through to May 11 - depicts the history of the five islands – Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Herm.

The festival – set up to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Channel Islands' liberation from occupying German forces during WWII – feature special openings of historic sites such as the tunnels at Guernsey's Castle Cornet, history-themed cycle tours, a shark egg hunt on Alderney's shores, and open days at forts and bunkers.

www.visitchannelislands.com     

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Picture Credit: "Castle Cornet Guernsey 7" by Man vyi (Own work (own photo)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Island celebrations.....

GUERNSEY and its sister islands Alderney and Sark will celebrate their history in a Heritage Month beginning on April 12.

It will feature events and tours pivoting around the May 9 Liberation Day, which celebrates Guernsey's liberation from occupying German forces in 1945. Events include WWII archaeology digs, heritage tours on land and by boat, talks from history experts such as Dr Lucy Worsley, and a family HistoryFest.

www.visitguernsey.com/heritagefestival 

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