Off to Europe : A Sunny Bit of Britain Off the Coast of France : English Channel Island of Jersey Beguiles a Day-Tripper to Stay and Stay

It was meant to be a day trip--just a short, half-hour flight southwest from London to have a look at Jersey, the tiny island in Great Britain’s Channel Island chain after which the state of New Jersey is named.

But this 45-square-mile dot in the English Channel has a way of holding your attention. Although my group was moving on to Glasgow after our overnight stay on the island, I decided to remain on Jersey and catch up with them later back on the mainland. But even after three more days, I was still making excuses as to why I couldn’t possibly leave just yet:

I hadn’t walked all 50 miles of exquisite coastline, from the dune-flanked sandy beaches on the west to the craggy cliffs in the north and the pedestrian promenades along the south coast--which look out on massive offshore fortresses.

I hadn’t driven all 500 miles of narrow crisscrossing roads through lush green farmland where ancient stone houses and churches are backdrops for fields of daffodils, broccoli and grazing Jersey cows.

I hadn’t sampled all 430 hotels and guest houses, from regal manor homes appointed with thickly cushioned sofas and stenciled porcelain fixtures to diminutive B&Bs; where the mistress personally makes teas the old-fashioned way and prides herself on her kippers and scones.

I had, however, done enough to be smitten.

I had rented a spiffy red Vauxhall Astra with a sun roof one March day last year, and for the first time in my life driven on the right side of the car and the left side of the road. Following signs to exotic-sounding places, I did not mind at all when the island’s many detours made me miss my destination and arrive in towns that were all the more intriguing for their sudden appearance.

I had hiked one of the many seaside cliff trails along the northern headlands, where, on a clear day, you can--and I did--see France. Sporting sturdy walking shoes and provisioned with just- baked French bread from a boulangerie in the northwestern village of St. Ouen, and creamy cheeses from the village market, I picnicked on a bluff overlooking raging surf and cobalt waters that faded into a blue-gray mist.

I had walked at low tide--a 15-foot difference from waters’ crest--across a milelong causeway to the dramatic offshore Elizabeth Castle, which at high tide can be reached only by boat.

I had sipped the award-winning wine of La Mare Vineyards at the vineyard tasting room in St. Mary Province in the island’s northwestern section--the same fruity white Clos de la Mare vintage served to Queen Elizabeth during a royal visit in 1989. And I had visited the resident gorillas at the 20-acre Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust in the northeast parish of Trinity. Home to some 1,000 animals, the reserve is famous worldwide as a haven and breeding center for endangered species, from snow leopards to mountain gorillas. If ever there was a place where “lost in paradise” applies, it’s Jersey. The island is neatly divided into 12 parishes; each one, a cabdriver informed me, has a school, a post office, a pub and a graveyard. Country lanes run alongside pretty farms, fields of wildflowers, tulips and daffodils, and grazing pastures with doe-eyed Jersey cows. Visitors are welcome at lavender, orchid and strawberry farms, tropical gardens, a butterfly sanctuary, a horse farm and a wildlife reserve.

The only substantial city, and main harbor, is the capital of St. Helier, the island’s crowded shopping and business center, as well as the site of the tourist office. Fully one-third of the island’s population lives in St. Helier, which is the only area on the island with massive traffic jams during rush hours.

For such a small place, Jersey packs quite a punch. But then, the island’s had a long, long time to get so potent. Floating between England and France (to which it is much closer, only eight miles), Jersey and its sister Channel Islands--Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and tiny Herm--have been in the middle of wars and political intrigues for nearly 10 centuries.

Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. When England’s King John lost Normandy to the French, however, Jersey remained loyal to the British Crown and remained so ever after, notwithstanding the constant threat of invasion. The castles and forts along the island’s southeastern perimeter are proof of at least the perception of that threat, as are the 18th-Century round towers and circular, masonry Martello towers built during the Napoleonic Wars.

While technically a part of Great Britain, Jersey’s 80,000 citizens are by decree of the Crown independent, and have their own government, monetary and postal systems. Only defense and foreign affairs are handled by Britain. A tax-free zone, the island also is a major finance center. Hunt through the local phone book and you’ll find nine butchers, seven bakeries and 69 accounting firms.

While Jersey broke its political ties with France more than nine centuries ago, it remains spiritually and culturally tres francais . Streets, towns and parishes bear French names, many residents speak a Jersey-French dialect called Jerraise, and the crusty loaves at the many boulangeries are delectable clues to the Jersey heart. Proceedings in courts of law are conducted in French, although on the other Channel Islands, English is the legal language.

Victor Hugo, forced into hiding during the French Revolution on Jersey’s sister Channel Island, Guernsey (where he wrote “Les Miserables”), described the Channel Islands as “small portions of France that have fallen into the sea and been swept up by England.”

I tried to experience as much of Jersey’s diverse charms as possible in my four days on the island. I spent my first night with my group at the posh Longueville Manor in the eastern parish of St. Saviour, where the furnishings in the public and guest rooms were antique, and rich leather and gilt abounded. Dinner ($45 without wine) was a formal affair in a candlelit room with high-back chairs and conversation at a respectful whisper.

Once on my own, I switched to a pleasant bed and breakfast inn, the Panorama Guest House, high on a hill above the southern seaside village of St. Aubin. There my room was simple but spotless, the landlady ever ready for a cozy chat in the kitchen, and the highlight of the day afternoon tea and homemade scones in the Panorama’s rooftop cafe.

I ate the breakfasts (usually juice, eggs, toast and coffee) included in the price of both accommodations, and lunch was always a picnic, except for my first day with the group, where we dined on wonderful seafood at the glassed-in garden restaurant of The Pottery, a ceramics factory and gift shop in the southeastern parish of Grouville. My two solo dinners were at St. Aubin’s Old Courthouse Inn, where I had a tasty plate of fresh bass, and the very French La Bastille, a gourmet establishment in the capital of St. Helier.

Satisfying as the food was, however, my most vivid memories are of my independent ramblings.

I found remnants of the island’s oldest human history--dating back to at least 3,000 BC, at the prehistoric burial ground La Hougue Bie in Grouville. The 33-foot-long neolithic passage grave, an underground tunnel leading to a variety of burial chambers, is topped by a burial mound 40 feet high and is open to visitors. History converges here; on the same grounds are the remains of two medieval castles and a German underground communications bunker from World War II.

The bunker is a reminder of Jersey’s bleakest epoch. During World War II, the Channel Islands were the only part of Britain occupied by the Germans. After five bitter years, they were liberated on May 9, 1945, and visitors today can tour the remains of a German hospital, a German Occupation Museum, and several other related museums, as well as the Nazi bunker. Most residents, however, would rather not think or talk about those fearsome days when many Jersey men and women were forced into slave labor building bunkers, manning hospitals and feeding German troops.

While dark memories linger, it’s Jersey’s light that draws armies of British vacationers.

The Channel Islands have the distinction of being the sunniest places in Britain--making them ever popular for the British version of a weekend getaway--what the English call a “short break.”

Even the animals here clearly relish their solar situation. I remember a furry dog in a shop doorway, gnawing on a bone, its muzzle pointing joyfully up at the warm noontime rays.

By far, the favorite activity on sunny days is walking--an English trait if ever there was one. The entire northern coast is tracked with pedestrian and horse trails. I was in seventh heaven tramping among the cliffs, breathing in the fresh sea air, marveling at the sweeping views of crashing surf and craggy outcroppings, and bidding a good day to fellow hikers and horseback riders I passed along the trail. My picnic of French bread and cheese tasted extra yummy accompanied by the vista and washed down with a locally brewed Mary Ann Beer, purchased at a pub in coastal Greve de Le, where I began my walk.

For a beach walk, I strolled the wide crescent of white sand along tranquil St. Aubin’s Bay, and for something a little more daring I traversed the rocky bottom (at low tide) from La Corbiere to its namesake offshore lighthouse, from which I had an unobstructed view of St. Ouen’s Bay and its many beaches, which extend along most of Jersey’s west coast.

Inland again, I trekked a four-mile span of old railway track between St. Aubin and La Corbiere, where the scenery changed from flowering shrubs to pine trees.

On motoring excursions, do, by all means, get lost--you won’t have much trouble since, as noted, roadways are badly marked and winter storms and spring floods frequently wash out streets, requiring convoluted detours, which the residents optimistically call “diversions.”

Those inclined to more high-tech fun will enjoy Fort Regent, an entertainment and sports center occupying 23 acres of an early-19th-Century fortress above St. Helier on St. Aubin’s Bay. A commercial extravaganza, the complex draws 1 million visitors a year to its huge swimming pools, miniature golf course, aquarium, adventure rides, shops, cafes, discotheque and auditorium--where there’s continuous live entertainment.

It was from St. Helier that, at low tide (usually lasting five hours around midday, depending on the season), I walked the nearly milelong paved track across St. Aubin’s Bay to the turreted 16th-Century Elizabeth Castle, which sits on its own minuscule island, L’Islet.

One of 22 island fortresses built to repel the French and later the Germans, Elizabeth Castle now houses government offices and a German military museum.

The walk’s an eerie one. Boats and buoys lie tilting on the muddy ocean bottom. Sometimes, just before the tide is due to rise, you’ll see boat owners trod out and sit patiently aboard, waiting to float the 15 feet up at high tide.

A bell at the castle rings half an hour before the causeway is to be covered with water, telling pedestrians to head back to the mainland. At high tide a ferry makes the trip, so no one’s ever trapped.

At night, Elizabeth Castle is floodlit--as is Mont Orgueil Castle, above the pretty fishing village of Gorey near Jersey’s France-facing east coast. The castle, also known as Gorey Castle, shares its golden glow with the whitewashed shop buildings at its feet, whose red-and-blue neon signs are reflected in the crescent-shaped harbor’s ink-blue waters. The castle withstood repeated French attacks between 1204 and 1600, but succumbed to German occupiers in World War II.

St. Aubin is one of the island’s prettiest towns, with a white sandy beach favored for sunset horseback rides. With its steep streets, profusion of old houses (many of which, including the Panorama Guest House, have been converted to bed and breakfast inns) and tidy line of shops and pubs, St. Aubin is picture perfect.

That phrase pretty much describes Jersey as a whole. As I left this isolated swath of tranquillity, the outside world seemed somehow too big and brash. Flying north to London en route to my American Jersey turf, I found myself envying the English, who can recapture the island’s magic on a “short break.” How many half-hour flights, after all, will take you a world away?

GUIDEBOOK

The Joys of Jersey

Getting there: British Airways has several half-hour flights daily between London’s Heathrow Airport and Jersey’s St. Peter’s Airport. Round-trip “supersaver” fares run about $200. A new airline, Jersey European Airways, flies to Jersey from London’s Gatwick Airport for about $130 round trip.

The car-carrying vessels of British Channel Ferries (from U.S. telephones, 011-44-202-681-155) make the nine-hour overnight crossing to Jersey from Poole on England’s south coast. Round-trip price for a car and two adults sharing a two-berth cabin is $430; $150 per person, double occupancy, without car. Starting April 1, Condor Catamarans (tel. 011-44-305-761-551) will begin zipping to Jersey from Weymouth in three hours; $105 round trip per person, add $250 round trip for a car.

Getting around: There are plenty of rental car agencies on the island, including the majors: Hertz, Avis, Europcar. A standard rental runs about $24 per day.

Where to stay: The following are just a few of many good lodging choices. Rates are per person, double occupancy.

* Longueville Manor, St. Saviour; tel. 011-44-534-25501. The elegant manor house dates from the 12th Century and has been a luxury hotel for 40 years; $90.

* Chateau La Chaire, Rozel Valley, St. Martin; tel. 011-44-534- 863-354. English ambience, good food and wine, peaceful; $90.

* Mountview Hotel, New St. Johns Road, St. Helier; tel. 011-44- 534-78887. This popular, friendly retreat overlooks the town; $50.

* La Chalet, La Corbiere; tel. 011-44-534-41216. Charming view of lighthouse or St. Ouen’s Bay from every room; $66.

* Panorama Guest House, St. Aubin; tel. 011-44-534-42429. A sweet bed and breakfast inn high above the town. Jill Squires’ homemade scones--served in the Panorama’s rooftop teahouse--were wonderful; $45.

* Maison Gorey, Gorey; tel. 011-44-534-57975. Tiny, friendly bed and breakfast inn; $45.

Where to eat: Among the best places to dine: The Pottery in Grouville, telephone locally 51119; La Bastille in St. Helier, tel. 74059, and Longueville Manor in St. Saviour, tel. 25501.

For more information: Contact the newly established, Manhattan-based Jersey Tourism at (800) 544-9993. In London, contact Jersey Tourism, 38 Dover St., London W1X3RR, England; tel. 011-44-71-493-5278. In Jersey, contact The States of Jersey Tourism, Liberation Square, St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands; tel. 011-44-534-500-700.

The Other Channel Islands

GUERNSEY: Second largest Channel Island, much like Jersey, but quieter, with a prettier capital and main harbor, St. Peter Port. Guernsey hasn’t experienced Jersey’s mass-marketed tourism, but has more luxury hotels. Europe’s old money comes here.

ALDERNEY: Cobbled streets, lots of pubs, good fishing and boating. The island, ringed by 12 forts, is a retreat for residents of Jersey and Guernsey.

SARK: Tiny--3 miles by 1.5 miles. Has the look of Victorian England and, in fact, is ruled as an independent feudal state by a seigneur, or lord of the manor, who rides a bicycle and drives a tractor. No cars may be brought onto the island. Travel is by horse-drawn carriage, the “toast-rack” bus (a wagon with benches pulled by a tractor), bicycle or on foot.

HERM: Even tinier than Sark. Wildflowers, archeological remains, peace and quiet--except on summer Sundays, when 2,000 day-trippers come to the beach on the ferry from Guernsey.

JETHOU, BRECQHOU, LIHOU, LES MINQUIERS and ECREHOUS: Known as The Little Islands. Basically sandy rises surrounded by reefs.