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?

ps. Where can I get the special 4 flag bunting that is up everywhere?

My sister lives there and loves it all year round. She comes home to UK twice a year at most sometimes once once and goes to France to stay in friends holiday home a couple weeks each year.

@Alaperchoine

I used to live in Guernsey, I'm from the uk but I got married there and 2 of my children were born there. I miss it, was the best time of my life.
My best friend is a Guernsey Girl and still lives there.
Beautiful island ❤️

The soft toy in the tree is put there by an early morning bin man apparently!

@snackattac Thank you! When I first saw it a few years back my family all said I was seeing things, until we went along the road again... Since then we watch for it every time we are over. (Along with saying 'Jersey Cows!', 'Silver Springs!' & Millennium Stone!)

It must be awful.
No electricity, running water or mains drainage.
Running sewer down the Main Street.
Living in rags.
we should start a collection for them immediately. They’ll be in tears of gratitude.

It sounds like a fab life in the islands, but no I couldn't live there. Why? I am a keen cyclist and cycling options would be limited there.

I’d much rather live here than in London (or much of the U.K.!)

I grew up in Jersey and was sick as a child and this was fine - I thought it exciting going to London! Maybe my parents felt differently! It's lovely; we had sea days, there's beach walks, loads to do in terms of touristy stuff. I learnt (then forgot) French. I do think (I left in my young teens) it might have got a bit dull as I got older. It's fairly insular and, of course, there's limited scope to visit other parts of Britain easily.

It's fairly insular

I think as an island, Jersey is the epitome of insular.

I was being polite! Teehee.

We've been on holiday twice to Jersey and on both occasions the weather was shit.

Yes I forgot to mention the safety aspect. Very blasé about locking cars / doors here. I've had my car windows rolled right down the last couple of days when I know I need to use it in the afternoon (parked both at home and at work) and not a second thought about anyone stealing it, or anything in it.

Friends live in Guernsey and I once called to let them know I was going to be there for a work trip in case they were around. They were away on holiday but the response was 'stay at ours if you want, you know where the house it is, it's unlocked, help yourself'. Pretty standard Guernsey

I'd argue with insular, in that I don't think I'd have met and become friends with so many people from so many varied nationalities & backgrounds if I'd stayed in the North. It's a bit of a melting pot of people travelling here to work in hospitality or finance.

I also feel bad for people who don't have easy access to amazing Portuguese food

insular
/ˈɪnsjʊlə/
Origin
mid 16th century (as a noun denoting an islander): from late Latin insularis, from insula ‘island’.

Jersey has its turnover of people from different parts of the world. It was Portuguese, then Easter European, and this year seemed to be Caribbean?

My mum lived in Jersey for a few years in her early 20s. She met several older people who had never left the Island.

Jersey is not hotter in summer than Southern
England because its an island, so always a wind. Nor is it drier than SE England because they'll get whatever comes straight off the sea. Winters would be milder though, like Cornwall. Though probably more wet than Eastetn England.

I suppose it's no different to living anywhere else in terms of travel - eg. If you live in Nottingham, how many times do you actually go into London? I live in London and if I go anywhere, it's abroad.

Anyway, never mind Jersey OP. Imagine living in the Scottish islands in winter! That would finish me off.

I heard it was rubbish lorry guys who rescue soft toys people throw out and pop them in the tree hole 😀

There are LOADS of cycling clubs and high level competing in things like triathlon but yes you road ride round and round and up and down. The Zealand has a 50mile perimeter. Lots of cliff paths for fearless l black or diamond level mountain bikers but VERY limited gravel

It's expensive, but a few years ago I had a weekend away with friends and the woman travelling from the Channel Islands got to the UK city we were in (Midlands) a lot quicker than I did, from rural Wales.

I have many happy memories of living in the Channel Islands and have often considered going back. I think on balance I prefer living in England but do miss quite a few aspects including the healthcare system and lovely doctors who had time for you, lack of crime, and short commute are the main ones I can think of. I also had a great set of friends and enjoyed the lifestyle but I think maybe that was also because of the age I was when I was there and perhaps it would be a little different now I'm older. When I was there I missed English pubs and the miles of beautiful empty countryside most. Sometimes it could be difficult to get away from people, especially in the summer when the tourists descended. I came back to the UK regularly for work when I was there so the cost of travel didn't bother me but going anywhere other than the UK or a few places in Europe involved more than one flight which was annoying.

I grew up in the Channel Islands. It’s definitely a better place to retire than be a teenager.

The Watersplash seems a pretty lively place at a weekend evening.
And the surfing.
Depends what a teen is into I suppose.

I think it depends on how you approach the situation.

If you're an islander, or you are prepared to assimilate and make friends with us, your winters will be full of social events - meals out, visiting friends, walking on some of the most spectacular cliff paths and watching the sea jump to amazing height as it hits the sea walls.

Some people come and never experience the full island life because they just can't get used to the close community and everyone knowing your business- some embrace this as a caring community experience and jump in feet first, some just cannot.

I spent a few months on Jersey and couldn't wait to get back to England.
I felt suffocated. Hemmed in.
Not for me I'm afraid.