Guernsey - Settling in ...

Despite our best laid plans, our latest holiday to Guernsey didn't get off to the best start.  We ended up getting caught up in chaotic scenes at Poole harbour, as a result of problems with Condor's ferry, The Liberation.

We were supposed to sail at 09.30am Sunday morning.  Having stayed the night in a Premier Inn in Poole, we arrived bright and early, only to find that we had been bumped back to a later boat at 03.00am on the Monday morning.

An unexpected bonus of this delay was the chance to explore the seafront at Poole on a glorious, and very busy, Sunday afternoon. 

We had a lovely wander in the warm sunshine, watching the boats and admiring the eclectic mix of architecture to be found along the roadside. 

Eventually, 17 hours late and very tired, we arrived at Les Piques Holiday Cottages, where Rose Cottage was to be our home for the next 10 nights. 

Our first day pretty much consisted of a few hours sleep and a trip to Waitrose to do the holiday shop. 

Now normally if we shop in Waitrose on holiday it is a real treat. However, having got used to Aldi prices, whilst economising since leaving work, we were both quite shocked to see the prices of even everyday essentials. Nonetheless we loaded up the trolley with provisions, including plenty of treats to get us started. 

On Tuesday, caught up with sleep and beginning to relax, we eased into the first real day of our holiday. We picked up our parking permit and were off out into the sunshine on our first exploration.

We didn't go far and spent the day exploring a number of WW2 installations along the coast, which we both found absolutley fascinating. 

By far our favourite of the day was the Batterie Dollmann Gun Pit, which is a really authentic reconstruction of how this site would have been when the island was occupied by the Germans in WW2. 

You can actually enter the site via tunnels that have been dug into the cliffside and walk past the ammunition store to the gun itself.
It was a really impressive sight against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sea and clear blue skies.

We finished off the first real day of our holiday with a pitstop at one of the many outdoor kiosks that grace the island's coast with unfailing regularity.