Alderney is surrounded by dazzling, golden, sandy bays and clear seas: the
ideal combination for beach-loving families. Youngsters can dig holes to
Australia, make giant sand castles and have a thoroughly good time simply and
safely messing about, while parents soak up some sun and enjoy the peace.
Many of Alderney's beaches are ideal for watersports, particularly
sailboarding and surfing, and all have on thing in common: they are clean, quiet
and, above all, blissfully uncrowded.
Access to any of these beaches is easy and you will not have any problems
parking your bicycle, moped, buggy or car. No need to rise early to reserve
your square footage of space on this island - there's plenty for everyone.
Take your choice, but don't bring your dog. In the interest of public
hygiene, dogs and horses are banned from most of the island's beaches from
1st May to 30th September
Braye Bay
Sheltered by Alderney's famous Breakwater, which stretches three quarters of
a mile out to sea, this is the best sand castle beach, a few minutes' walking
distance from town.
Bordered on one side by hostelries and hotels, and an imposing Victorian fort
on the other, beaches don't come much more family-friendly than this one:
clean, safe and uncrowded.
All the shipping coming in and out of the Island can be watched from the
wide, sandy beach. Fishing boats ply from the Quay and the Inner Harbour.
Yachts have moorings here and sailing races are often held in the bay; so is
the Daft Raft Race in Alderney Week. Braye Bay is the favourite place for
water skiing and wind surfing. The dunes provide comfortable resting places
and launch pads for high jumpers.
When the tide is high, particularly in early morning and late evening at
spring tides, the water below Douglas Quay forms a natural swimming pool. It
is also from this beach that stalwart swimmers go bathing on New Year's Day !
At the quieter Albert end of the beach it is stony and there are rock pool
offering bait for fishermen. It is a great vantage point when rough seas
spray over the Breakwater. There is a ramp here for easy access.
An extensive grassy hinterland provides scope for exercising dogs . However,
dogs are not allowed on the beach from May until September. It is also ideal
for flying kites.
Longis Bay
For the under fives, Longis Bay is the ideal beach. Located on the Island's
south- east coast , it has a wide, half-mile sandy beach facing south,
protected from the north winds by a substantial relic of the German
Occupation; a long high wall (to prevent troop landings) which absorbs the
heat of the sun and makes an ideal back rest. It is bounded to the left by
the causeway to Raz Island, a source of attractive little shells (especially
yellow periwinkles) and to the right by the Nunnery.
A small child is completely safe in the middle of this beach; good sand for
digging (and fishermen dig for bait here), shallow rock pools inhabited by
shrimps and plenty of space for beach games. The water is generally warmer
here than at any other beach, especially when a spring tide comes in over hot
sand, and the slope into the sea is gentle.
There is easy access by car from Longis Common on the other side of the wall,
where the grass is full of tiny flowers and creeping thyme. The Common is a
paradise for bird watchers.
Some of the best blackberries grow near the rifle butts where an ancient
cartridge might also be discovered.
Access to Raz Island is open except when the causeway is covered by sea,
though wet it can be very treacherous and slippery underfoot. The islanders
used to harvest seaweed from this area.
The fort is privately owned but previous tenants have had
restaurants there and oysters were once farmed here. Enjoy the hospitality of
the nearby Old Barn pub and restaurant.
People fish and windsurf in the Bay and yachts occasionally moor here. There
is good angling off the rocks below Essex Castle.
Corblets
Corblets Beach is the choice for families with children of all ages and is
popular with good swimmers. It's also the best beach for board-surfing.
Corblets Bay faces North but is protected from east winds by the high cliffs
below Fort Corblets which forms the right hand boundary. At high tide the
rocks on the left cut off this bay from adjoining Arch Bay. A flight of steps
gives a fairly steep access from the cliff. The other way down at the Fort
end is easier but big stones swept up against the sandbagged wall must be
negotiated before gaining the firm and beautiful sand, ideal for cricket and
beach games.
Small children will be well occupied playing in a low rocky area with natural
pools replenished at high tide. This is one of the best swimming beaches,
(some residents swim from here all year round). At high tide diving is
possible from rocks below Fort Corblets. If the sea is rough, there is safe
board-surfing when conditions are right.
Arch Bay
Favoured by families with young children, this small sheltered beach is
separated from Corblets Bay by a rocky promontory which isolates it from the
other at high tide. It is connected to the Camp Site behind Saye Bay by a
tunnel with an arched entrance. This passage was once used to convey vraic
(seaweed) from the beach.
Large rocks provide shelter and a little privacy at both sides of the beach
with a safe and sandy playground in the middle, sloping gently to an
unthreatening sea. There are rocks to climb with rock pools and shallow
inlets. Swimming is safe.
The approach is down a grassy bank, easily traversed. A green grass and
flower plateau gives an alternative picnic place.
Saye (pronounced Soy)
This marvellous family beach - right on the doorsteps of the campsite - is a
shallow bowl of white sand giving way to a gentle sea. It stretches from
Bibette Head on the left to Chateau a L'Etocq on the right, while rocky
promontories close the seaward gap. These are topped with grass and flowers
and beckon the energetic, either climbers or campers. Sand dunes separate the
beach from the camp site and form a protection from the wind. (Very large
stones can be used by energetic grandchildren to build walls to shelter
exhausted grandparents).
On the beach little children can run and run while their elders play beach
games or relax in the soft sand. Butterflies and birds fly in from the nearby
vegetation.
Platte Saline
This beach is for naturalists and fishermen but, because of the severe
undertow, swimming is not recommended at Platte Saline. The good news for our
4-legged friends is that this is a beach they too can enjoy all year round.
Facing north but with an uninterrupted view of the west, Platte Saline has a
wide shingle beach sloping steeply towards the sea. The path round the back
of the bay is the top of a wall, built by the Germans to prevent troop
landings and now silted up by fine gravel almost to the top. This has also
concealed the tank traps below. It is a moveable beach in that the amount of
silting varies and the upper beach is often difficult to walk upon as feet
sink in. However, near the sea the terrain is firm and provides an expanse of
beach for man and dog. The shoreline is very productive with sea kale and sea
spinach waiting to be harvested. The top of the beach is a place to find,
(but please do not pick), wild flowers including orchids, sea holly, broom
rape and pink and white striped convolvulus.
This is the only beach backed by houses. They line the shore above an unmade
road which was once a railway linking the Harbour and the Gravel Works. The
new tennis courts adjoin them.
Fort Doyle which forms the right hand boundary and whose environs can be
explored, is available for private hire and the Hall is used by the Boxing
Club and the Scouts. It has sheltered other groups and visitors in previous
years. On the beach under its walls are flat rocks and a comfortable place
for sunbathing.
Freak waves are not unknown and visitors should be alert to the whims of the
sea. It brings interesting shells with each tide. The gravel, which varies in
size along the beach, has found uses from bird grit to breeze blocks. It is
no good for building sand castles.
Throughout the year and especially during angling competitions, there is
shore fishing from here. Many kinds of birds can be sighted and occasionally
a seal. Access to the beach is from an unmade road along the whole of its
extent from Fort Doyle to the junction leading to Clonque Bay.
Clonque
This beach is for naturalists and the firm-footed.
Clonque has a stony and gravelly upper beach merging with a large rocky area
to seaward stretching towards the Swinge. Rock pools of all sizes house
colourful seaweed and small sea creatures. At very low tide there are some
sandy places from which to swim.
Access from the unmade road leading to Fort Clonque (usually occupied by
private tenants of the Landmark Trust) is by any one of the three vraic
causeways or down from Clonque causeway when this is not covered by the tide.
Offshore is the Island of Burhou with its conserved nesting ground for
puffins. Many different birds frequent this shore, flying in from both sea
and land.
Facing west, Clonque Bay is popular in the evenings for viewing spectacular
sunsets. The changing scene here is affected by time, tide and weather and is
one of its greatest attractions.
It is another favourite place to bring dogs because they are not banned from
this beach.
There are a few more beaches on the island which are not
listed here, because they are difficult, if not dangerous, to access.
Much of the above information has been extracted from the
"Guide to Beaches", published by the Alderney Journal. This
publication contains a detailed description of each of the Island's beaches,
as well as valuable information and useful advice about access and public
facilities.
Available from the Alderney Journal, Victoria Street, Alderney. Tel +44
(0) 1481 823243.
