Beautiful SARK

by Editor
05/07/2016
in Nature, UK
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The Channel Islands offer a unique adventure for travellers who love nature and the great outdoors, and just on your doorstep is one of the smallest, Sark

Nestled in the English Channel just off the Normandy coast, Sark is the fourth smallest of the Channel Islands. Although part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, it has its own parliament and laws and is unique – British but somewhere completely different – providing a haven from the everyday noisy world, the perfect place to get away from it all.

Several things make Sark unique, most obviously its stunning beauty. You approach the tiny island by boat, your first sight the towering cliffs; in the spring covered in bluebells, thrift and daisies, then turning green and finally bronze in the autumn. The seabirds fly overhead, and sometimes little puffins may be seen bobbing on the water, or if you are really lucky, a pod of bottlenose dolphins will follow your boat in or out of the Sark harbour.

Disembarking does not break the spell. Visitors choose either to walk up the path from the harbour, enjoying the wild flowers in the spring, or the sunny summer breeze, or to travel on the ‘toastrack’, our tractor-drawn bus. Once at the top you may walk to your hotel, guesthouse or self-catering cottage, or perhaps pick up a hired bike to cycle there. Or, you might be met by a horse and carriage. Luggage is transported directly from the boat to your accommodation on Sark.

There are no cars on Sark, only a few tractors. The pace of life is leisurely, geared to the horses that clop peacefully along the lanes, carrying visitors on sightseeing tours of the beauty spots. The views from the headlands and from La Coupee, the isthmus that joins Sark to Little Sark, are truly magnificent. Artists and poets have always been inspired by the sweep of the coastline, the ever changing sea and the pretty cottages nestled in the valleys. In addition, naturalists enjoy the variety of flowers, butterflies and birds, fishermen enjoy their peaceful days on the rocks or going out in a boat, and divers make the most of the clear waters. Many, however, just visit Sark for its tranquility, spending their days swimming or walking, and enjoying a meal out in a hotel or restaurant in the evening. The night sky on Sark has been recognised by the Dark Sky Association for its magnificence, with thousands of stars visible with the naked eye on a clear night. No wonder Sark has been designated as the World’s First Dark Sky Island.