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PHOTO TOUR These photos may take a few moments to load....please be patient, they are worth the wait. My photos are protected by and can be tracked. All content subject to copyright. All rights reserved. Contact me here |
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St Aubins Bay Just to the western edge of the town of St. Helier is the start of St. Aubins Bay - a deep curve of pale sand stretching about a quarter of the island's entire width. |
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Elizabeth Castle (left) was completed in 1600 and stands at the entrance to St. Helier harbour. At low tide this castle can be reached by a causeway, and at high tide by DUKW (pronounced 'duck') - a kind of sea-faring wagon. The castle is built on a rocky island called l'Islet and it is here that you can view the tiny hermitage where St. Helier lived for 15 years until his martyrdom in 555 AD. |
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The photo on the left is taken at low tide, and you can see Elizabeth Castle in the background. This bay is a popular venue not only for swimming and sunbathing, but also hobie cat racing, jet skiing, water skiing and windsurfing. (Jet skis are available for hire). The sand up near the sea wall is white and powdery and firm further down the beach. The very gentle slope of the beach makes it a safe place to swim and there are plenty of food concessions all along the bay. You may be interested to know that this was the site of Jersey's first airport - planes used to land right here on the beach (flight schedules fitting in with the tide!). |
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Jersey's only length of dual carriageway follows the line of the bay - known as Victoria Avenue - and this stretch of road was once the venue for car racing. Sadly, many lives were lost because of a sudden bend in the road at the area known as Bel Royal, and the races came to an end. Today this Avenue is the site of a far gentler pursuit - the annual Battle of Flowers. A railway track once ran along the bay and today the old track has been covered over and makes a wide area for pedestrians, and a good cycle track. On the right is Le Petit Train - which uses this area to ferry passengers between St. Aubins and St. Helier. |
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The photo on the left is of the old railway track - now used as a pedestrian walkway, cycle track and route for Le Petit Train. It's possible to walk all along the bay from St. Helier to St. Aubins and along the way you can occasionally spot remnants of the old railway platforms. During the German Occupation of Jersey this was obviously a strategically important area of the island. As you walk along the promenade you will come across an apparently incongruous section of high concrete wall on the seaward side. This was built as a hideaway for the munition train as it made its way along this long bay. |
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On the left is one of the houses along St. Aubins bay used as a German headquarters during the Occupation in 1940-45. |
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To the western end of the bay is St. Aubins. This lovely little town was once Jersey's main port, and it's well worth having a walk around the area. The harbour here once brought great wealth into the island and fine old merchant houses can still be seen in the area. St. Aubins Fort (above right) was built in the 1540s to protect the ships that anchored in the area, and is accessible on foot only at low tide. The Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club is situated at this end of the bay and the Fort forms the focal point of junior sailing lessons during the summer months. |
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On the right, in the centre of the picture, is the pink and white Parish Hall. This attractive building sits at the edge of the little harbour and was once the Terminus Hotel and Railway Station servicing the line that originally ran from St. Helier to St. Aubin, the line later being extended to include Corbiere on the very south western point of the island. In 1936 a mysterious fire gutted the whole of this building and destroyed most of the rolling stock, ultimately leading to a decision to close the railway line entirely. Today the old railway walk from St. Aubins to Corbiere is still in use, but now it is used as a very pleasant pedestrian and cycle path. |
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This is a beautiful, bustling little town, full of character, with fine old, merchant houses, quaint cottages and working boatyards set around the charming harbour - definitely one of my favourite parts of the island. Parking can be a problem, but I think the limited number of parking spaces is probably what keeps this area feeling peaceful and welcoming. There are plenty of restaurants and hotels in the area and fans of the old 'Bergerac' series may recognise The Old Court House at the end of the harbour road as 'The Royal Barge' where Diamond Lil used to be the hostess. |
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It's worth saying that The Old Court House is an old building, part of which genuinely acted as a court house and the other part as an auction room where seventeenth century privateers brought their booty for auction. Today it's the setting for a very pleasant pub and restaurant. |
