Both Alderney and Herm feature in Condé Nast Traveller’s list of the 17 loveliest British islands.
Selected by self-confessed islomaniac Lisa Drew, author of a book titled Islandeering, Alderney was praised for its residents’ ‘live-and-let-live ethos,’ and abundant wildlife.
‘I’ve swum with bioluminescent plankton, and have been kept awake by obnoxiously grunting native blonde hedgehogs as bats swooped against a huge starry sky,’ she writes in the publication.
‘It’s worthy of at least a weekend – stay at the smart Braye Beach Hotel, a row of old fisherman’s cottages overlooking the dunes in pretty St Anne, or take over Fort Clonque – a fortified island accessed via a causeway from one of my favourite beaches, where you can forage for samphire and shellfish at low tide.’
Writer Sophie Campbell named Herm as the best British island for traditionalists, praising the tiny island’s ‘old-school’ charm.
‘This is where you take your children to scamper up cliff paths and wander along roads untouched by cars (there aren’t any) or bicycles (ditto). Traffic is limited to a handful of quad bikes and tractors and in peak season there are eight ferries a day from St Peter Port in Guernsey,’ she said, recommending the White House Hotel for accommodation.
‘Bar the odd French and Dutch yachtie, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped off the edge of the world.’
To read the full list, visit https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-british-islands.
