
Alderney
The little island of Alderney, with its picturesque capital, St
Anne's, is the most British in flavour of all the Channel Islands,
despite being just eight miles (13km) off of the coast of France.
St Anne's is a delightful town of cobbled streets and colourful
cottages, its main street, Victoria Street, lined with inviting
shops, pubs and restaurants. The island was once home to a British
fleet guarding the Channel, and its harbour, Braye Harbour, is
still protected by its famed huge Victorian breakwater. The
fascinating military history of the island and its coastal forts is
explained dramatically in the town's museum.
Alderney also has another uniquely English feature: retired
London Underground train carriages now carry passengers along the
Channel Island's only working standard gauge railway line that
encircles the island, giving visitors the chance to view the
passing scenery at low speed but in high comfort.
Many visitors cross to Alderney by ferry from Guernsey, Sark and
Helm, but the island has an airport too with regular scheduled
connections with the UK. Once settled on the two-mile by three-mile
(3km by 5km) landmass, holidaymakers receive a warm welcome from
the 2,000 permanent inhabitants as they enjoy the beautiful bays of
the north coast, like Corblets, Arch and Saye.