We have arrived on Sark! The island has a very forbidding aspect when viewed from the sea. There is no sign of human habitation as the ferry approaches Sark since all of the island's houses are situated in the center of the island, in a hollow sheltered from the wind.
There is a steep path from the harbour to the town and the easiest way up is on the so-called "toast-rack" which is an open-sided tractor-drawn cart. There are no automobiles on Sark. The only transport allowed on the island are horse-drawn carriages, tractors and bicycles.
Our bags were already in our room when we got to the top of the hill and went to check into our hotel. (The airlines could learn a thing or two from the "toast-rack" and ferry people!) Our room keys have little torches (that's British for "flashlight"!) attached because "it gets dark, on Sark!" There are no streetlights or exterior lights of any kind. As a matter of fact, Sark is hoping to be certified as a "Dark Island", a designation that would draw stargazers to spend time (and money!) here. We were surprised to find that we are the only guests here at the Hotel Aval du Creux! Yep.... it's all ours! Our large staff is dressed up in fancy uniforms and their only job is to take care of us! What a life! That's the hotel above.....
....and this is our "private" dining room, which is located in-between our "private" bar and our "private" outdoor terrace.
And this, of course, is our "private" pool! We may be far from civilization.... but we will definitely not be roughing it here!! We have lots of staff.... and many empty guestrooms.... so feel free to come join us!
The Seigneurie Gardens are perhaps the biggest tourist draw on Sark. They surround the Seigneurie (or Manor House) which dates from 1675. The gardens closed for the season the day before we arrived but when we tried the heavy wrought iron gates, they opened! Now, the dilemma.... whether to ask for permission.... or forgiveness. We found a rosy-cheeked woman working near the maze, and she told us to spend as long as we liked in the gardens! She apologized that some of the plants were past their time! So along with having our own hotel, we also have our own private gardens! The building in the background is the Seigneurie.
The climate here is frost-free and all the roses are still blooming!
There is even a dovecote....
....complete with dove!!
....and this is Toby....who is trying to eat my scarf! Toby had quite a fright when a big turkey came out and scared him! He was almost as scared as I was....Chuck was by the side of the road taking photos, Elaine was trying to chase the turkey away, and I was sitting by myself in what was precipitously close to being a runaway carriage! (To better understand just how scary this was.... see photo below of the doctor's ambulance!!)
Every square inch of this idyllic island is picturesque.
These are like scenes from a fairytale!
The common roadways are filled with enchantment!
Yes.... I think I could live here!
....or maybe here!
How welcoming is this?
And it's amazing that there is still so much color in the gardens!
We spent one day hiking the footpaths and cliff walks out to Little Sark. We passed through forests....
....cliffs with sheer drop offs....
....secluded beaches....
....areas that made us feel like we were traversing the Alps.... or maybe the Great Wall of China! This impressive feature is La Coupee which joins Little Sark and Great Sark. It is a narrow causeway with a sheer drop of 260 ft down to the sea on each side... and under continual threat of landslide. Oh yes, and don't forget the nearly gale-strength wind that howls across it! Definitely not for the faint of heart!
We even passed through lots of verdant farmland! The only cows on the island of Sark are Guernsey cows.
All civilization here is up on the center of the island. You can see from this photo why no one lives on the coasts!
This is the doctor's house.... with his "ambulance" parked in the driveway! The patient sits on the chair in the cart and is pulled by the tractor! (I'm not sure where it is that they go.... because there isn't a hospital anywhere on the island!) He leaves the back door of his office open and puts prescriptions in a little rack by the door for people to pick up at their leisure!
This is the gaol! It only has two cells.... so we are trying very hard to behave! We don't want to be the ones to fill it to capacity! (There is basically no crime on Sark.... they say the gaol has only housed those who are drunk and disorderly!)
This is what is known as "the Avenue." It is downtown Sark.... at rush hour!! This is definitely what you would call getting away from it all!!
The perfect end to a day of hiking!! You can't see it, but there is a roaring fire just to the left of this photo. It turns out that we are seemingly the only overnight guests on the island, so everyone is vying for our attention. We armed ourselves with our trusty torches and headed across the island in the pitch-black to this restaurant...La Moinerie... which was once a monastery... very charming! The food was spectacular, we loved Richard the bartender/manager who jokingly said he would call us a cab (a little Sark joke) when we were ready to leave. And best of all.... we found our way back!!!
4 comments:
That looks so wonderful. I want to be there too. What fun to be the only visitors in such an enchanting place. You two do know how to live!!
Karen D.
Ah, royalty. I've always wanted to have a luxury hotel entirely to myself. You and Chuck may never come home. Good, informative blog, Susan, with lots of pics. We miss you guys. Hood seems a little dank and empty without the Bridges.
You two look great! Please don't end up in one of those ambulance tractors!!!
hi the secluded beach beach how do you get there on bike
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