“Victor Hugo planted this oak tree 150 years ago and called it the ‘Oak of the United States of Europe.’” Our Anglo-French tour guide pointed to a large tree in the garden of Hauteville House, where the French writer lived in exile for 15 years.
This was a funny line to hear on the Channel Island of Guernsey, just off the coast of France; especially at a time when Brexit is barely in the rearview mirror.
A British Crown dependency like its neighbor Jersey, Guernsey has never joined the EU but is in the Common Travel Area and therefore easily accessible to Britons. However, after Brexit, the French must show a passport to come to the Channel Islands, whereas previously it was sufficient to show their national identity card.
But last summer – perhaps partly in the name of unity; To make it easier for strictly French Anglophiles to visit, a scheme has been put in place to allow French citizens to take day trips to Guernsey and Jersey using their national identity cards. Following the rapid increase in the number of French daily visitors, this period was extended until the end of September 2024.
“Many French people don’t have passports,” observed Rod, a Guern native and Tuk Tuk Guernsey guide, “so allowing them to come with ID cards for a day trip brings a lot more French people into the country.”
A new direct flight route from Paris also opened earlier this year; This shows the growing French interest in this fascinatingly eccentric community.
Passing through Saint-Malo, I met Marianne and Agathe, a mother and daughter from Avignon who had spent the previous night driving back South to collect Agathe’s forgotten passport. The young woman thought about the mistakes she had made and said, “Unfortunately, there is a limit now.” The pair were heading to Sark, a car-free island in the Guernsey island group (called Bailiwick) that they had read about in a travel book.
Another passenger, Kristelle, was heading to Guernsey on her own to indulge her love of all things Anglais. “I always wanted to go to Guernsey,” she said. “I like the respect and courtesy of Les Anglais – people lining up neatly to wait for the bus and that ‘mind the gap’ thing!”
While Anglo-immersion is an attraction, most French people who visit are also on a literary journey. “The first thing on their list is Victor Hugo,” said Jennifer, who works at the tourist office in St Peter Port. “We even have a Victor Hugo map with places he used to go.”
Author of Notre-Dame de Paris And Les Miserables It is almost godlike in the French public opinion (completed in Guernsey): nearly two million people followed his state funeral, and countless roads, schools and town squares in France were named in his honour.
Nathalie lives in Paris but has a house near the Manches Iles ferry departure point in Normandy (two ferries leave from there every week) and last year she visited Guernsey for the first time. “We went because we wanted to see the Victor Hugo museum, otherwise I think we could have gone to another island,” she said. “We booked into the museum and then had a fish and chips lunch right next door; “It was magical, it was a dream.”
However, the number of French visitors to Guernsey is still dwarfed by their British counterparts, who make up around half of all visitors to the island. Geography is a common interest, and outdoor activities such as walking, cycling and wild swimming are proving popular at popular spots such as the Victorian La Vallette Swimming Pools.
Local cuisine also gets its share of visitors. A number of restaurants along the seafront, including the excellent Le Nautique and Balthazar, offer seasonal menus that blend elements of French cuisine (fresh oysters, tender sauces, delicately cooked cuts of fish) with a distinctly British twist (sauce, wellingtons, posset). for pudding). Milkshakes served at local spots like The Kiln in the island’s rugged north are delicious, thanks to lashings of the famous Guernsey milk.
But if the culture is predominantly British, that is another thing. First, the currency is unique (it even has a one-pound note), as is the old-fashioned time card drivers are required to wear dashboards to park (which is free).
It is also a place where contradictions occur. There is a huge financial sector, with offices of PwC and Barclays, and high-net-worth types attracted by low income tax and lack of capital gains and VAT; but there is also a strong folkloric tradition with stories about pookas (goblins), fairies and ghosts. houses (you’ll even find old seats for witches on the west coast). Over the years, Romans, Vikings, Gauls, pirates, German soldiers, Norman dukes and international financiers have seen it as a place worth fighting for.
Walking outside Hauteville House, I met a group of cheerful French pensioners, friends from a Rotary Club in northern France. “I feel at home here in Guernsey,” Bruno, one of their band members, told me provocatively. “I’m Norman, you see!”
With the 150-year-old Oak of the United States of Europe behind us, I listened to his words with the best sense of humor.
Hannah was a guest of Visit Guernsey (visitguernsey.com) and stayed at the Old Government House Hotel, which was historically the official residence of the Crown-appointed Lieutenant Governor who presided over the island. Prices from £233 per night for doubles (01481 724921; theoghotel.com).