 Steve... That story should go in the annual Occupation Review... if it hasn't already featured. I spoke to some of the Channel Islands Occupation Society members, and they told me that they find enough new material every year to fill a book. The Brehon Tower is an amazing construction. It was the very last thing to feature in my old Channel Islands Walks guidebook. Now that there are two volumes... Walking on Jersey and Walking on Guernsey... the final place in both books goes to the Channel Islands Way.
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 Yes, it was an odd place to grow up at times, digging around in old german bunkers for 'trophies' and hearing stories from my Gran and mum about the Occupation. I've found 3 or 4 roll bombs on the south coast whist climbing over the years, these were strung along to deter raiders after the commando raids. A Great uncle was killed by a mine on one of the beaches, there was a shore gathering path that everyone knew about but his dog ran onto the beach and set a chain of mines off. Various wars with the French have left their mark as well. Steve D
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Various wars with the French have left their mark as well. And before the French... the Welsh... in 1372. Invading Guernsey always seemed like an odd choice for someone who'd set his heart on gaining the Welsh crown... but there you go... who am I to judge? As for the most recent attempt at a military coup, the mind boggles... Andre Gardes, unemployed French nuclear physicist, turned up on Sark in 1991 armed with a semi-automatic weapon. He posted notices around the island announcing his intention to take over, but the island constable dealt with the matter with minimal fuss.
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Reminder... Today (Royal Wedding Day) is the last chance to enter for this draw. Tomorrow, when the confetti is being swept up and the bunting taken down, someone HAS to win!
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So... all the names go into the Tilley Hat... And the winner of 'Walking on Guernsey' is... Rob Dixon (subject to providing an address to post it to) According to my records... the next Free Draw should be for 'Walking on Tenerife'. This will include three routes up the 'highest mountain on Spanish territory', which is not the same thing as the 'highest mountain in Spain'. Should be available in time for Christmas!
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Hi Paddy - absolutely brilliant! Thanks very much - can't wait to go. The ability to read the book on Amazon shows what a useful and informative book it'll be. We'll also get another copy to take to relations who live there, assuming they don't have one already. Great competition - thanks again. I'll PM my address. Rob
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Got it Rob... and the book will be on its way whenever there's a break in this endless succession of Bank Holidays that seem to have gripped the country! I was out walking with a postman the other day. Clearly they don't all put their feet up whenever the postal service shuts down.
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Well, the book's arrived! It looks really good - interesting, well researched, nicely laid out, great photos, clear maps. So many thanks to Paddy for this - looking forward to going there for the first time at the end of June. And thanks for the inscription, too - a good one for my bookshelves. I'm not biased at all(!) - but it does look to be an excellent volume for anyone heading there. I'll try to report back post visit... Thanks again, Paddy. Rob
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Thanks for noting its arrival Rob... hope it gives you ideas for your forthcoming visit. You'll be among the very first to see and use the States of Guernsey 1:15,000 scale mapping, which is brand-new for this year. When I researched the guidebook, they were still working on that map, and while I was able to see it as a work-in-progress, I didn't actually get to use a copy myself. I look forward to any comments you might have when you get back.
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I've got an early copy of the 1:15k map, we got one to comment on at the station and I acquired it, it is pretty good, much better than the previous offering but still too much detail IMO. Steve D
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I've no problem with the amount of detail, but I wish they'd used the space to use larger lettering for most of the features on the map. A lot of names are so small that they almost require the use of a magnifying glass.
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