Weymouth and on to Jersey, Channel Islands

August 4 - we drove to Weymouth.  It’s not that far as the crow flies, but there are no direct big highways and we spent a long time driving along small roads that had horrendous traffic.  It took almost 4.5 hours to get there.  The guest house we had registered at would not accept guests until 5 pm, so we drove around town a bit, and then went and had late lunch / early dinner up at a little hotel on the cliff. It had beautiful views of the bay and the little villages along it.  After lunch we wandered along the cliffs for awhile.  Found a little roman ruin, although it wasn't much to look at.  Check out the name of the beer advertised on the first picture.

Having a late lunch on a patio high up on the cliffs of Weymouth.  I didn't
try the Piddle beer.  

Weymouth on the south shore of England.

Really cool sculpture we saw in Weymouth.  It's a water
fountain - the centre area under the steel ball is the water.
Camera didn't quite catch how pretty it is

Finally we were able to check into the guesthouse.  It was a bit of an odd place - the owner was not particularly effusive in his welcome, but the room was tidy, clean and we had our own bathroom.  There are 7 suites in this little house on the main road.   We settled our bags, and then went for a walk about the area, and had an early night. 

My only picture of the guesthouse at Weymouth - I wanted
a picture of a light switch cord before we left England.  This
is pretty much typical.

August 5 - Had breakfast in the guesthouse dining room, and then headed to the car rental agency where we turned in the little VW Golf that now has over 4500 miles more on it than when we picked it up mid-June.  It was a great car, and we managed to not do any damage to it or the side mirrors while we had it!  One of the agency staff then drove us down to the Condor ferry terminal where our ferry to Jersey would leave at 1 pm.  We had a few hours to wait, so they let us drop our bags and we went for a walk around the waterfront and the beach.  The day before it had been too busy, and we didn’t like leaving the suitcases and backpacks in full view in the car.  One robbery per trip is enough, thanks very much!  

Weymouth has a gorgeous and huge sandy beach.  The sand is almost like talcum powder.  There were the usual donkeys, and amusement rides, along with lots of colourful chairs for rent and snack shops.  The main road of town is quite colourful, and the stores were full of typical souvenir-type things.  There is also a fishing boat port a little further along, and it was fun to see all the different boats going in and out.  

Weymouth from the head of the pier.

Condor Ferries are a LOT more expensive than BC Ferries.

A sailing school was having some lessons this morning.

The beach at Weymouth - goes on forever, and the sand is like talcum
powder. The water here is super shallow, so I can imagine on a hot
sunny day, the beach is packed.  Still pretty early in the morning when
we took this.

Colourful waterfront buildings, and lots of beach arcade games and rides
for the kids here.

For my sister Susan Jane :-)  The little rowboat you see is a 'ferry' from
one side of the harbour to the other.  I think it costs Ł1 each.  The ride
probably takes about 5 minutes.

I still love how duplexes here don't have to match
like they do in Canada.  It's way better if they don't
match actually.  I like this one - it has a great rooftop deck too.

Marina area in Weymouth.

Ł2/day will rent you one of these lovely beach chairs!

Sand sculptures on the beach.  They need to be protected by the big roof.

The ferry is a huge catamaran - something like the old BC fast ferries, but with a duty-free shop, a bar, food and very little deck space to go outside and appreciate the trip. One interesting thing they do here is pre-assign your seats, and if you don’t like them, you need to speak with the steward on board.  The first part of the ride was very roly-poly, but about halfway through it calmed down a bit.  We stopped in at Guernsey for a half hour, and then continued on to Jersey, and arrived around 5:30 pm.  

Leaving England behind.  

Bye bye England.

Jersey, here we come!

Hello Guernsey! (There's more to it than this - ha!)

Hello Jersey!

Coming into St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.  So excited to see Sarge
and Edwina after many, many years!

Our old friend Sarge met us at the dock - great to see him after 30+ years.    He took us on the “scenic route” back to the house.  Well, almost to the house.  Because it was Tuesday, we needed to stop at the local watering hole to have a beer with ‘the Tuesday guys’ and then headed home to where Edwina was waiting patiently for our arrival.  Such a beautiful place, built about 400 years ago, and added on to several times since then. We’ve been assigned the “Panorama Suite” at the top of the house - full living room, kitchen, bath and bedroom, as well as a beautiful big deck off the living room where we can enjoy views out to sea.  Pretty luxurious for two people who have been living in tiny rooms or apartments for the past two months.   I think we’re going to like it here!

Gorey Castle above Grouville Bay, Jersey. Of course there's a castle here!
The pub we went to is the green building at the left of the picture.

Oakbank House.  Only about 400 years old.  Stunning.  And two
old buddies reunited.  

Love these beautiful lampposts at Oakbank.  

Lots of great conversation and catching up, and pretty soon everyone was too tired to continue so we called it a night and will do more of the same tomorrow.