Alderney
The northernmost Channel Island, nearest to France, with Victorian forts around its coast.
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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.
What you actually see
- 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.
Honest expectations
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.
What to pack for Alderney
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
