by “Victor Hugo planted this oak tree 150 years ago, and called it the ‘United States Oak of Europe'”. Our Anglo-French tour guide pointed to a large tree in the gardens of Hauteville House, where the French writer lived in exile for 15 years.
It was a funny phrase to hear here on Guernsey, a Channel Island just off the coast of France – especially with Brexit barely in the rearview mirror.
As a British Crown dependency, like its neighbor Jersey, Guernsey has never been in the EU, but is in the Common Travel Area and is therefore easily accessible to Brits. After Brexit, however, the French must show a passport to come to the Channel Islands, where before they only needed to flash their national identity cards.
But last summer – perhaps partly in the name of unity; certainly to make it easier for French Anglophones to visit – a scheme was introduced allowing French nationals to make day trips to Guernsey and Jersey using their national ID cards. It has now been extended until the end of September 2024, after the number of French day tourists rocketed.
“A lot of French people don’t have passports,” he told Rod, a native Guernsey and guide for Tuk Tuk Guernsey, “so if they let them come with their ID cards for a day trip a lot more French people come in”.
A new direct flight route from Paris was also launched earlier this year, reflecting France’s growing interest in this eccentric community.
On the crossing from Saint-Malo, I met Marianne and Agathe, a mother and daughter from Avignon, who had spent the previous night traveling back to the South to retrieve Agathe’s forgotten passport. “Sorry, there’s a limit now,” said the young woman, reflecting on her faux passport. The two were going to Sark, the car-free island in the Guernsey island group (known as the Bailiwick), after reading about it in a travel book.
Another passenger, Kristelle, was heading to Guernsey on a solo trip to indulge her love of all things Anglais. “I’ve always wanted to go to Guernsey,” she said. “I like the respect and politeness of Les Anglais – the way people queue neatly to wait for the bus and the whole ‘gap mind’ thing!”
Although the Anglo-immersion is one attraction, most of the French who visit are also on a literary pilgrimage. “Victor Hugo is first on his list,” said Jennifer, who works at the tourist office in St Peter Port. “We even have a Victor Hugo map with all the places he used to go.”
The author of Notre Dame de Paris and Les Miserables (completed on Guernsey) almost like a god in the French public consciousness: around two million people followed his state funeral procession, and countless roads, schools and town squares in France are named in his honour.
Nathalie lives in Paris, but has a house near the Manches Iles ferry boarding point in Normandy – from which two ferries run every week – and visited Guernsey for the first time last year. “We went because we wanted to see the Victor Hugo museum, or I think we could have gone to another island,” she said. “We booked a fish and chip lunch at the museum next door; it was magical, a dream.”
However, the number of French visitors to Guernsey is still dwarfed by that of their British counterparts, who account for around half of all visitors to the island. Geography is a popular draw, and outdoor activities are popular – such as hiking, cycling and wild swimming in popular spots such as the Victorian-era La Vallette Pools.
The local cuisine draws its fair share of visitors, too. On the seafront, a string of restaurants – including the excellent Le Nautique and Balthazar – offer seasonal menus that blend elements of French cuisine (fresh oysters, unctuous sauces, delicately cooked cuts of fish) with a distinctly British twist (gravy). , wellingtons, posset). for pudding). The milkshakes – served in local spots such as The Kiln in the rugged north of the island – are ambrosial, thanks to the lashings of the famous Guernsey milk.
But if culture is pushing Britain, it’s also something special. For one, its currency is unique (it even has a pound note), as drivers are asked to insert delightfully old-fashioned time cards for parking (which is free).
It is also a place of contrasts. There is a huge financial sector, with the offices of PwC and Barclays, and high net worth types attracted by low income tax and the absence of capital gains and VAT – but there is also a strong folklore tradition, with stories of pookas (goblins), fairies and hauntings. houses (along the west coast you will even find old seats for witches). Over the years, Romans, Vikings, Gauls, pirates, German soldiers, Norman dukes and international financiers considered this a place worth fighting for.
Walking out of Hauteville House, I met a group of French retirees, friends from a Rotary Club in northern France. “I feel at home here in Jersey,” Bruno, one of their group, told me provocatively. “I am a Norman, you see!”
With the 150-year-old United States Oak behind us, I took his words with humor.
Hannah was a guest of Visit Guernsey (visit guernsey.com) and stayed at the Old Government House Hotel, known as the official residence of the Crown-appointed Lieutenant Governor who historically ruled the island. Doubles from £233 per night (01481 724921; theoghotel.com).
