The Gouliot headland on the west coast of Sark is looking at its most glorious right now with swathes of wildflowers covering much of the heathland. There are still violets and primroses in bloom and these have been joined by a purple haze of bluebells. Although normally a woodland flower, bluebells thrive on Sark’s cliff tops because their bulbs are shaded by the bracken that grows as they finish flowering….
Food writer and judge on ITV’s Great British Menu Matthew Fort was on Sark recently for a return visit to Stocks Hotel along with some other top professionals from the food industry. While they were there Stocks’ chef Dan Wood showed them around the hotel’s award-winning permaculture garden where they also met head gardener Susan Fryer. The gardens at Stocks produce organic food for the hotel using design principles found…
With the sunshine and lengthening days Sark’s spring wildflowers are putting on a fabulous display. On the coast the first of the thrift and sea campion is coming into bloom and the gorse and blackthorn shrubs are covered in blossom. In the woodlands and on Harbour Hill the bluebells are starting to open, filling the air with their beautiful scent. To find out more about Sark’s wonderful wildflowers have a…
With the spring term about to end here on Sark, pupils at the island’s school have been exploring different ways to tell the Easter story at Messy Church, an evening of creative activities organised by the Methodist Chapel. The painting, biscuit decorating and textile fun was followed by a short service and supper but the children have another couple of weeks to wait for their Easter eggs! Pictures by Sue…
A Brief Introduction to the Royal Sark Militia What is a militia, why did Sark have a militia and when did it start? A militia is a group of ordinary citizens obliged to enroll for military instruction, practice and in the case of an emergency active duty. The history of Sark’s militia begins in 1565 with its first Seigneur, Helier de Carteret. When Queen Elizabeth I of England granted him…
The gates of La Seigneurie Gardens officially opened this weekend for the new season. There are stunning displays of tulips and other spring bulbs as well as azaleas, fritillaries, irises, freesias and many other spring blooms. The star of the show is the magnolia tree in the walled garden that is just unfurling its pale pink petals. The Gardens are open between 10am and 6pm every day and there are…
We have put together a number of self-guided walking routes which take in as much of the coast of Sark as possible. They have been broken down into manageable walks but have been designed in a specific order so that you can join a number of the routes together to form a larger walk. Leaflets of the walks are also available in the Visitor Centre for a small printing charge….
This walk starts from the bottom of Harbour Hill but before you start this walk, take a moment to visit the old harbour, Creux. The original entrance to the bay was blasted through the rock in 1588 and is still in the same position today. The main entrance that we now use, along with the protective harbour wall was not built until 1866. This harbour allowed easy access to Jersey…
From the Visitor Centre go straight ahead past St Peter’s Church (take a peep inside to see the seat tapestries of the various family seats, the coat of arms and the crossed keys for the prisoners), past the old Island Hall (where Sibyl Hathaway encouraged locals to stay prior to the German occupation during World War II), the Fire Station and Chief Pleas rooms (our government and court offices). Go…
From the Visitor Centre turn left on to the Mill Lane. At the start of Mill Lane lies Le Manoir, the home of our Seigneurs from 1565 until 1730. The main house bears the coat of arms, four diamonds, of our original Seigneur, Helier de Carteret. The cottages adjoining, leading up to the Cider Barn, are thought to have been the servants’ quarters and the Cider Barn would likely have…
