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Jersey: Bike & Hike
It was a warm summer’s day and every street
name that we cycled past was in French and yet from village
green to spired church it all felt decidedly English. We were
in Jersey the most southerly of the Channel Islands and only
fourteen miles from the coast of France.
The island is only nine miles by five but a
great number of leafy byways are contained in its vales and
hills. They are ideal for a family cycling holiday and a 'green
lane’ scheme means that there are roads where a 15 mph
speed limit applies and walkers, cyclists and horse riders
have priority over the car.
 Some seven hundred or so bikes
are
available for hire. I tried one and was pleasantly surprised
to see how far cycle technology has advanced since the days
when the schoolboy's pride and joy was the old Raleigh bike.
Now controls that would not seem out of place
on a motorbike gave me access to fifteen gears and genuinely
took most of the effort out of the hills. It was all
surprisingly easy and following the special cycle signs we
passed from parish to parish watched my small jersey cows with
moist brown eyes
We found quiet countryside and places where
the gardens were huge. One rather grand dwelling boasted a
pond with a rowing boat, another it’s flock of pink
flamingos.
I could almost smell the money amid the
flowers. The islands economy is based on a prosperous mix of
tourism, off-shore banking and flowers.
Hamptonne Country Museum.
It was fun exploring the island and we made
our first stop what at first seemed like an old estate but
turned out to be the Hamptonne Country
Museum 
( It is
also on the local bus route.) Ducks and hens scratched around
as a lady in period costume made an excellent job of telling
us what life was like three hundred years ago. She had a
wonderful sense of humour and transported us most effectively
back over the centuries.
It was the home of Laurens Hamptonne who was
Vicompte of the Island back in back in 1640. The grounds, made
an excellent place for a picnic stop and we enjoyed ours amid
the rabbits and the chickens.
St Heliers
You can of course explore on your own but
there are free cycle tour with knowledgeable guides that leave
St Helier’s  Liberation Square most mornings at 10 am.
Tip: get there early they are limited to
twenty people.
The focal point of Liberation Square,
is an impressive statue or a group of islanders reaching up
grasping a British flag waving it free in the wind and there a
number of museums on the island that deal with the German
Occupation in World War Two.
You find lots of students, who are on the
island to improve their English.
Many are Scandinavian. The TV series Bergerac
is now showing in the Scandinavian countries so now many
Swedes visit the islands and mingle with the day-trippers who
come from France.
 I
wandered down King Street, a long busy
pedestrianised shopping avenue where the where the prices are
duty free and then explored a massive and colourful flower and
vegetable market, where you can order flowers to be sent by
air.
The Maritime 
Museum
Down at the harbour where you can catch a fast
boat to France, The Maritime Museum turned out to be
one of those 'must see' attractions with lots of hands on
gadgets.
Just like the kids around me I enjoyed clambering on
to the decks, tapping out Morse code, and generally learning
about Jersey’s connection with fishing and seafaring.
Getting
about
The bus routes fan out like spokes from St
Hellier and you can usually walk to a point where you could
pick up another one back to town. (All day bus pass
£4.25)
There are some beautiful bays around Jersey’s
fifty mile coastline and the change in the size of the beaches
can be most dramatic.  The fall of the tide can be up to forty
feet and that uncovers a lot of sand. In the morning you see
what direction the wind is blowing and choose your bay
accordingly.
We headed towards the north and as we mingled
with the people who came off the number nine bus close to the
cliff tops at Plemont a kestrel hunting its pray hovered
motionless in the sky. A cliff path led towards Greve de Lecq.
The stone sign read "two miles". It might have been
two miles as the crow flies but that bird sure never walked!
The path, with its magnificent views had its ups and downs and
we seemed to climb a good few hundred feet en-route. We passed
beautiful and sometimes rare wild flowers and were grateful
for the knowledge that was passed on by a guide from the States
of Jersey Environmental Unit. We heard tales of the
islands history and the days when privateers (pirates licensed
by the King) would plunder the French ships that their
lookouts spotted sailing out from Cherbourg. The exercise was
good and well worth it and the pint, when we reached the bar
at the back of the beach at Greve de Lecq, was one of the most
welcome!
The Jersey Experience
& Jersey Zoo
The Jersey Experience is a good visitor
attraction, and one that will help you to get the island into
perspective. It tells you about some of the islands famous
residents, has a dramatic ‘undersea voyage of discovery
through time’ and it will point you in the directions of
many things worth exploring on the island.
I particularly enjoyed The Jersey Zoo
which was founded by the late Gerald Durrell.
It is set in a lovely park and the great
gorillas seemed to display a combination of strength, wisdom
and tenderness. It is a fun place for children with lots to do
and free guided ‘behind the scenes’ tour. Zoo keepers, who
these days seem to be getting younger, give talks on the
various animals. One of them, a young lady a clad in khaki
uniform wearing the emblem of a dodo was a mite embarrassed
when the snake she was showing decided to explore up her
sleeve and she nearly had to take her shirt off to recover it.
You can take the local bus to the zoo or use an organised tour
that costs £5.00
 In fact the bus station just opposite
Liberation Square at St Hellier is a very good place to start
there are bus routes from there to all parts of the
island.
You can also take a day trip to the island of
Sark (£21) or go to France on a Discover Brittany day trip
for £36.
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The
Maize
Jersey
has just opened its doors on a brand new family
attraction
Cut
out of a field of corn, located on a lovely farm in the south
east of the island, the Maize Maze is the perfect family fun
day out. It's
environmentally friendly and the owners of the farm have also
built many educational aspects into the attraction, based on
the UK National Curriculum.
So children will be learning whilst having fun!
From
collecting clues, Cluedo-style, to a mystery crime, to finding
and naming a host of cows who are trapped within, the maze has
a number of challenges for visitors to get to grips with.
For those who need a little help, or find themselves
lost, the Mazemaster is at hand.
Sat on an elevated platform in the centre of the Maze,
he’s always on the lookout for flags, which visitors are
told to wave frantically if they find themselves in trouble.
Each
year the Maize Maze’s fun and games are to be set to a theme
and this year it’s the Wild West, particularly pertinent as
Buffalo Bill was a direct descendant of a Jerseyman and the
island’s most famous daughter Lillie Langtry famously toured
the Wild West in the 19th century.
To
set the scene, all staff are dressed in costume and carry
water guns, and the challenges all have a Wild West theme,
including the mystery of “Who stole the Steer with the
Golden Horns?”
With
motorised cars, a sandpit, pedal buggies, cranes and a
mini-maze too, as well as on-site refreshments and Farm Shop
the Maize Maze is a full day’s fun and activity for the
whole family.
Tickets
are priced as follows: A family ticket £14.50 Children: £2.90
Adults: £4.50. Group and evening tickets available on
request.
The
maze is clearly signposted for those using cars or bikes and
the number 9 bus stop is only a few minutes walk away.
Jersey's
Maize Maze is open daily between until 9th September
from 10.00am - 6.00pm (Last admission at 5.00pm). For further
information on the maize, Tel 01534 482116 or visit: www.maizemaze.com.
For
further information on Jersey telephone 020 7630 8787 or visit
www.jersey.com
JERSEY
Fact File
Guided walking tours Tuesday Wednesdays and
Thursday 01534 483140
Brochures Jersey Tourism 01534 500777
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