L'Ancresse Bay

I was determined to visit L'Ancresse Bay: a wonderful beach in the north of Guernsey where I had spent a family holiday in 1968.  It was pretty well as I remembered it, apart from being smaller (as always with childhood memories) and much busier.

Yet again it was very hazy, so out came the IR camera...

For some reason, after 43 years, I believed I could find my way back to the flats I'd stayed in as a child.  Wrong!  An hour and a half was spent wandering the labyrinth of lanes around L'Ancresse Common attempting to find the elusive building, without knowing it's address, current name, or even whether it still existed!  Needless to say I failed to find it, but I have since discovered that my vague memory of the name (Hirondelle) is correct, and that The Swallow Holiday Apartments are still very much alive and well, albeit rather up-market compared to the late '60s.  Still haven't found them on the ground, though, as the map on their website is truly appalling...

Here are some pictures I took while thoroughly lost in the L'Ancresse area. 

 

Eventually I spotted a landmark I'd seen from the bus earlier in the day: a cow tethered by the side of the road, apparently a natural hazard associated with the L'Ancresse Golf Course.  I've included a natural colour shot of the animal too, just to prove that Guernsey cows aren't blue...

The afternoon was spent on the beach playing silly games with Izzi, but I also went for a paddle in the sea.  While doing so, I spent ages photographing the patterns made by the water retreating over shells and stones.  Here are a few of the results.

Travels around Guernsey

We went to Oatlands, a visitor "attraction" (oxymoron), because Izzi wanted to play Crazy Golf.  The golf was fun, but the place was nothing to write home about.  More interesting was the lane outside and the disused brick kilns.

There seem to be far fewer cows on the island than when I came as a child.  We found some in a field without a gate: not a problem, as every cow was tethered.

I'd like to say they were no flies on this particular cow, but it would clearly be a lie!

We wandered along the cliff for a couple of miles, which was beautiful and rather spectacular in places.  As it was hazy I decided to use the IR camera (not being a natural born landscape photographer, I didn't know any better).  These are some of the pictures, including a colour version taken on the LX3 for comparison.

 

The walk finished with the obligatory ice cream at Icart Point.  Great ice cream, and a wonderful garden too.  I'm getting used to recognising Giant Lobelia and Agapanthus...

Later:  Shows how much I know.  Apparently the "Giant Lobelia" is, in fact, an Echium.  Being botanically challenged, I blame my spouse for not correcting my misconception earlier!

There are some beautiful houses on the island, so I've included a couple of des res examples here.  One is to die for, combining a traditional granite main house with a thatched extension.

Being a collector of strange signs, I thought I'd finish off this post with a couple I found in the last few days, along with another example of hedge veg.

Sainte Marguerite de la Foret

This is a little church, just round the corner from the Museum of German Occupation.  Not much to look at from the outside, but with a very simple and attractive interior.  Besides, photographing the church filled in the time between the visiting the museum and lunch, and it also allowed me to practise some more HDR.

St Peter Port

A few pictures taken in St Peter Port, the capital of the island (or, simply, "Town" as it's known by the locals). It was busy, partly because an enormous cruise ship had just disgorged dozens of Americans onto the streets, and partly because it is the Carnival this week.
 

I know this is false-colour infra-red, but the post boxes really are blue.  The telephone kiosks are yellow too, as will be proved later!

 

 

I was amused to notice that the ferry for Herm (a trip planned for later during our stay) departs from the Cambridge steps.

 

A couple of pictures to prove that photographers can find decay and detritus wherever they go...

Finally, the evidence that you've all been waiting for (and, NO, it hasn't been Photoshopped).

Told you!