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Introduction
SARK: A feudal state ruled by a Seigneur, who is also a member of the autonomous parliament called the Chief Pleas. The island’s countryside is characterised by its granite cliffs topped with flowered fields known as cotils.
There are several excellent beaches, pools (Dixcart and Grand Greve) and rock pools, including the Venus Pool (a 6.1m/20ft tidal pool) and Adonis Pool; most of which are only accessible at low tide. Creux Harbour is tiny but picturesque – boat passengers come ashore through cliff-cut tunnels.
At the northernmost point of the island lies the Bec du Nez or ‘Oystercatcher’s Rock’– a stretch of rock that juts out to sea, commanding a breathtaking view. At low tide, it is possible to take a boat trip around the coastline of Sark to visit caves including the Boutique Caves, according to legend a past haunt of smugglers.
A popular attraction for visitors are the gardens of La Seigneurie, which has been the home of Sark’s Seigneurs since 1730. It has a large Victorian watchtower and is one of the best formal gardens in the Channel Islands. Other attractions include the 19th-century windowless prison (still occasionally used to keep disorderly drunkards for a night or two); Le Manoir (an 18th-century manor house built by the first Seigneur of Sark); and the ancient windmill, standing at the highest point in the Channel Islands. La Coupée, a very high isthmus (79.2m/260ft above sea level) carrying a narrow road above the sea, links Sark with Little Sark. Before it gained railings, people used to cross it on their hands and knees when there were high winds; even now, cyclists and horse carriage passengers must dismount.
HERM: Privately leased, and run as a resort island. Attractions include a ‘Tom Thumb’ village restored from derelict houses, a restored chapel, woods, caves, swimming in rock pools and the shell beach – covered by countless shells deposited by the Gulf Stream, some from as far away as Mexico. There are quite a few pubs on the island which devise their own opening hours on a rota system; one will almost always be open.
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