To think living in the Channel Islands must be miserable in winter?

[writemyricebun]

By that I mean having to fly or get the ferry just to visit the mainland if you live in one of the Channel Islands, how often do you visit the mainland? Is it expensive?

Sounds amazing

I assume that it would be the same as living rurally in the UK, I buy most of my stuff online and the furthest I drive regularly is 15 miles to the supermarket

I love Jersey! I'd love to live out there.

Just looked at properties and this is the only one that came up.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/122480618?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=new-homes&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_NEW
I don't think I've ever seen a property for £22 million before!

I lived and worked on Herm for several years, about 15 years ago - we were broadly self sufficient in many things, but I recall one 3 week period when winter storms prevented the Trident ferry from Guernsey getting to us - but we were always prepared for such eventualities with masses of frozen bread, milk and other consumables stored well in advance, plenty of sea fish to catch and the island was alive with rabbits, pheasants and woodpigeons which I harvested for food. Island residents also had an allotment/vegetable garden in a secret area near St Tuguals Chapel.

It was a fantastic life, even in winter, and a few degrees warmer than the UK, although frosts, and even snow one year, were not unknown. The teacher for the island school came over on the ferry from Guernsey every day, but, once again, pre planning and preparation meant that if the ferry was not running the kids had plenty of work to keep them busy and occupied.

Ah, those halcyon days, long ago, lliving an island life!😃

Islander here, born and bred. I'm going to go against the grain here and say yes the winters here can be challenging, but no more so than anywhere else. When it is cold and clear it is gorgeous in winter, but there can be weeks of fog and low cloud which can be oppressive. Getting on and off the island is expensive, moreso post pandemic, and routes to UK are constantly being cut or changed. Which is fine if you have no need to "pop over to the mainland" but if you're in the market for great culture (gigs, theatre, concerts etc) or decent shopping then it starts getting expensive and can be affected by fog (did I mention fog? Never try and do a day trip to the UK in the shoulder months. I've spent plenty a frustrating night in the Gatwick Sofitel).

Wouldn't live anywhere else though! At the moment it is absolutely stunning and yes the daily sea swimming is amazing.

YANBU at all. It's horrible in winter and expensive and inconvenient to travel back to the UK. I'm about to move back to the UK and absolutely cannot wait! Agree that the winter weather in the UK is also bad, but there's so much more choice of things to do.

Oh I think it sounds amazing, wonder if they are in need of any painting and decorating businesses and il tell my husband we are relocating.

We had some friends who moved there, accommodation provided and it all sounded idyllic but they hated it. They found it very cliquey and they were excluded and treated, very obviously, as outsiders by the long term residents.
They moved back to the mainland as soon as they could at the end of his contract

We're going to Jersey for three weeks in September, St. Ouen. It's beautiful there, the whole island is really. Bi-lingual French and English. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Agreed BUT they send you to specialists. Where I was on the mainland, I would have had to travel hours for similar appointments but at my expense.

I'd imagine if it is in your soul it is far from miserable.

Quick NC as I don't usually give away my location, but I've lived in Jersey nearly 20 years (moved from North of England) and have never found winters any bleaker than the North. They're certainly a lot milder and shorter, and we get plenty of beautiful blue sky winter days for beach or cliff walks.

My commute is about 12 minutes each way, half of it along the same stretch of beach that I can see from my flat. I can get 45 minutes by the sea out of every lunch hour if I wanted to.

The lifestyle here is relaxed and outdoorsy. I enjoy that (most) retail shops still close on Sundays, so one day a week is spent doing things other than mindlessly trudging round the shops.

Aside from visiting family I don't feel any great need to go to the mainland, aside from the occasional weekend city break, same as someone who lives in Manchester might go to London or Edinburgh or wherever from time to time.

Being able to pop to France for the weekend (or lunch!) is brilliant.

Never have a frost here in Jersey and I actually enjoy the waves and wind in the winter. Been on the beach most of today and it was great, easy to park and good, fairly cheap bus service. Sometimes in winter the supermarket shelves can be fairly bare if the boat hasn’t been able to get in.
We go over to the mainland 5 or 6 times a year but it is ridiculously expensive to fly to Southampton, about £200 return for a 30 minute flight.

@user1471530109 If you want more Jersey property porn, very few here use Rightmove or Zoopla, but www.places.je is our version of them.

In reference to healthcare as mentioned above, we've no NHS so everything is private here, in Jersey we pay about £40 for a GP appointment but on the upside we can usually see one the same day, and can change surgery easily if ever required. A&E and hospital treatment is all covered by our social security payments in Jersey but I believe charges apply to some things in Guernsey, including Ambulance journeys

Yes but they are damp and it is foggy a lot. Cold and dry can be better than mild and damp.

When I was last there in May I heard people talking about the lifestyle there and saying it was a lot like Australia. I can imagine that (with a more clement climate, not nearly as hot). If I could afford it I'd decamp there for three months each summer.

No it's bloody lovely here in winter.

I travel to see my parents in Cornwall and either fly or get the boat. Winters are milder.

What on earth brought this on?

The family members I have who moved to the mainland from Jersey, regret it now. Your only real risk is when storms at sea threaten the food ships but even then it's rare.

Having grown up on an island at the other end of the country I find it laughable that life on the Channel Islands would be considered particularly miserable. Their winters will be very mild and all islanders are more self sufficient than city dwellers who can't cope if they are more than 10 mins walk from a Pret.

Apart from some specialist secondary care, why would being warmer? in Winter make living in the Channel Islands require frequent journeys to the UK or France or be more unpleasant in Winter?

I believe charges apply to some things in Guernsey, including Ambulance journeys

You get ambulance insurance which is about £40 a year I think.

I have a relative who lives on one of the Inner Hebrides. That can be bleak in winter. DH went up to visit and the ferries back to the mainland were cancelled due to stormy seas. He couldn't get away for 48 hours (there's no airport).

I've lived in Jersey for nearly 30 years. More than half of my life now, and my family are all born here.

Winters are great! Compared to where I grew up in the UK (snow without fail every winter, my little town cut off for weeks at a time, I missed school for weeks and a time because the busses wouldn't run etc) living here in winter is a breeze!

We haven't had a 'bad' winter here for a few years now - 2021 was really mild, only needed to put my gloves on a few times (and I feel the cold).

Yes, the fog closing the airport on a whim of nature is a pain, but in all the years I've lived here, that's only caused me and issue twice. On balace, that's worth it. And yes, the sea can be rough and disrupt sailings of the fast ferry, but I always book the slow ferry which goes in pretty much any weather (up to about a Force 10!) so you can get off if you need to, some way or other, most of the time.

I wouldn't live anywhere else now. Yes, it's over 35c right now, but we usually have at least a bit of a sea breeze, which take the edge off. I remember not being able to breathe in the still heated air of a mid-UK summer when I used to go home in August. At least you can breathe here!

And the nearest beach is never more than 4 miles away - or (in my case) a 5 minute walk away. What's not to like about that?!

Yes, the cost of living is higher. But we have Iceland, the Coop, M&s and Waitrose (the last 2 are actually cheaper and better quality than the coop!) I can go to the shop around the corner (5 minutes walk) and leave my front door completely open while I go there, and know that no one will burgle my house. I can leave my car unlocked on the driveway, and know that it will still be there in the morning. Likewise, at the supermarket. Petrol is still cheaper than the UK (not to the degree it was when I moved over here, tbf, but still cheaper).

But yes, you do find that everyone you speak to knows someone else you know! 😂

But would I live anywhere else now? Nope.

If any of the MNers who haven't been here, but who would like a guided tour from a fellow MNer if they do venture over here, then please get in touch! 😁

Yes life in Jersey is expensive. Sometimes it is hard to make ends meet

But for the safety, the culture, the history and the beaches its worth it as a place to bring ip kids. I've been here 16 years and I love it

On the contrary, I have childhood friends who now live there. It’s idyllic. To be honest, it’s nigh on impossible to move there anyway, so it’s not a problem anyone is likely to face, OP

@MathsRocksMathsRocks Great user name.

Can you please answer the question I have that never gets answered?

There is a tree on the St Johns->St Marys road that seems to contain an ever changing soft toy. Have you seen it? Do you know what is going on?

Just came back from you on Saturday. Bit hot for me this year, but relaxing.