Alderney

Alderney lies closer to France than to any of the other Channel Islands, a plateau of around eight square kilometres with St Anne on top of it, cobbled streets and painted houses, and a coast ringed by Victorian forts built when Britain decided the island needed a naval harbour it never finished. The island has around two thousand people, a working narrow-gauge railway and no traffic lights.

Background

The northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands, Alderney measures 3 miles by 1.5 miles and lies around 10 miles west of the Cap de la Hague, across the dangerous Alderney Race, or Raz Blanchard. In March 2023 it had 2,167 residents, formally called Ridunians after the Latin Riduna and nicknamed vaques after the cows or lapins after the rabbits. A single parish, St Anne, covers the whole island. The main street, Rue Grosnez, took the name Victoria Street after Queen Victoria visited in 1854. A Roman fort of the late 300s stands above the only natural harbour, and the Alderney West Coast and the Burhou Islands have formed a Ramsar site since 24 August 2005.

Source: Wikipedia, "Alderney"

What to look for

• St Anne - the cobbled town with its painted houses on the plateau.
• The Victorian forts - the ring of coastal works around the island.
• The breakwater - the unfinished harbour arm running out into the sea.
• The railway - the narrow-gauge line, the only one in the Channel Islands.

When to go

May to September is the season, when accommodation and services are open. Alderney Week falls at the start of August. Winter reduces flights and closes most businesses.

Before you go

Flights are small and cancelled in fog, which is frequent. Almost everything closes outside the summer season. Accommodation is limited and books out in August.

Nearby

Fort Clonque is west, and Les Etacs is off the western point.

Key facts