Alderney in Style - Wildlife & History

Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and, despite lying just 8 miles off Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula, it is, strangely, the least accessible. No scheduled ferry service links the island with either the mainland of France or England, or with any other island, and herein lies its charm — it is a peaceful backwater where the pace of life is slow, visitors are sparse and the locals most welcoming.Just over 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, it is possible to walk around Alderney in a day. However, for the naturalist, the island’s rich tapestry of habitats is deserving of much more time. In spring the island will be carpeted with a wonderful display of flowers, the seabirds will be back on their offshore nesting islets and birds will be migrating northward with the chance of a rarity or two! Butterflies and moths emerge as the spring moves in to summer with the chance of unusual species such as Large Tortoiseshell, Glanville Fritillary and Long-tailed Blue. By early autumn the island is at its peaceful best and given favourable weather, a wealth of southbound birds, together with migrant moths, butterflies and dragonflies, enrich the island’s natural history.On this holiday we will explore Alderney on foot, supported, when required, by the local island minibus. Our leisurely walks will each cover 2 to 3 miles and will enable us to explore the island’s patchwork of grazing pastures, wooded valleys, flower-filled grasslands and dunes, small ponds, marshes and heaths, often from cliff-top paths accessing spectacular coastal scenery. From the latter we should see Peregrines, Buzzards, Ravens, Dartford Warblers and seabirds, including the spectacular Gannet colonies on Les Etacs and Ortac (between them hosting over 8,000 pairs — 2% of the world’s population). If the weather is good, an optional boat trip out to enjoy at least one of these colonies — as well as other seabirds and marine-life — will be a highlight of this holiday. Using local experts we will also offer you the chance to enjoy moth-trapping and sightings of some of Alderney’s thriving population of Hedgehogs, many of which are leucistic (or ‘Blonde’ Hedgehogs).Additionally on this holiday, which will be escorted by a local expert together with all-round naturalist, John Horton, our focus will extend to cover some of the remarkable history of Alderney. Indeed, as we walk around the island, it is impossible not to be struck by its wealth of monuments from the past, whether it be the Roman fort at Longis Bay, the 13th century Bonne Terre Watermill, the commanding stone harbour and forts of the Victorians, or the extraordinary concrete defences and bunkers built by the Germans during their occupation of Alderney between 1940 and 1945.

To reach Alderney one must either fly via Guernsey or take the direct scheduled service from Southampton airport aboard an 18-seat Dornier 228 — a flight that offers fabulous views over the south coast’s expansive estuaries, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight if the weather is clear (the cost of which is included in the price of this holiday). Once there, we will be based in the splendid Braye Beach Hotel, a sparkling 4-star hotel commanding fabulous views over the bay and its idyllic white sandy beach. For those wishing for a little time off from our programme, the hotel’s bar, terrace and superior rooms offer perfect spots in which to relax and absorb the views!