N 49.72813°, W 02.17774°
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:49.72813%2C-02.17774
It was a less than brilliant start to the day. Persistent mizzle soaked me through as soon as I got out of the Delica - on the very day when I needed to keep all my camping gear dry.
And so much for my recce of somewhere safe to park for a day and a half whilst I was on Alderney. I discovered as I was leaving on the bike and fully togged up that the street I'd parked on was a private estate and parking was strictly prohibited. I suppose that explains why the area wasn't thronged with parked cars: like everywhere else I'd so far seen around St Peter Port. Derrr...
And so began a frantic half an hour of throwing all my wet gear back in the car, reloading my bike, and finding somewhere approaching safe and legal to leave the car. I found a place that I can't pretend to be happy with but which I'm currently pretending to be just that.
The crossing was fast and comfortable on a smart 12-seater catamaran-hulled boat that I found out is heavily subsidised by the Alderney Gov to try to improve transport options for visitors and earn from the tourist dollar.
I like Alderney. It's very peaceful, sparsely populated and feels loved and cared-for. There are some cracking beaches, rugged cliffs and stacs, and some quaint narrow-cobbled streets to compliment things. The pace of life here feels very, very slow.
The most striking thing, though, is the sheer number of fortifications. These were largely originally constructed due to Anglo/French squabbling (will it ever end?) but beefed up to the nth degree by the Germans (or rather by their brutally forced non-German labourers) during The Occupation in WWII.
The size, complexity and forbidding nature of these forts needs to be seen to be believed. Fortunately, due to a pragmatic view towards health and safety, they are largely able to be seen and explored. It would be easy to come to great harm in these crumbling, dank structures (pic). Luckily, I didn't.
I managed to easily cover the whole island in the day and even found time for a wander around with the bins after my day on the bike.
One place worthy of a mention is the one and only bird hide on the island. There's loads of useful material within and even a decent pair of Opticron bins (albeit tethered to the hide) left there for people to use.
Tenting at the coordinates shown now (the only campsite on the island). Not terribly happy about staying here but it just wasn't practicable to do anything else; given the logistics of island hopping and the lack of gear I can / am prepared to carry.
In spite of today's flat light, overcast skies and constant sea-frets, Alderney has left a positive impression. It's pleasant and would make for very easy informal overnighting in the Delica, or even in the truck.
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