Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Weather and climate:
Jersey has a temperate climate, most of the time avoiding excessive
heat in the summer and bitter cold in the winter. The highest temperature recorded was in
August 2003 when the temperature peaked at 36 degrees Celsius. Lying snow is rare, al-
though the blizzards of March 2013, with the heaviest snowfall for over 30 years, provided
an entertaining few days for the residents and a shock for those tourists who were on the
Island.
What Jersey does have more than anywhere else in the British Isles is sunshine and when
the sun is shining the Island is transformed, looking particularly beautiful and resulting in a
mass movement of many of the residents towards the coast, even during the winter months.
The Island frequently tops the annual sunshine totals league for places in the Britain.
It is not possible to guarantee the long periods of settled weather, which are characteristic
of Mediterranean destinations but don't worry all is not lost. As a resident of the Island for
over 50 years, who has taken more than a passing interest in the weather, my instinct is that
Jersey has a much more pleasant climate than other places in the British Isles, encouraging
people to adopt an outdoor lifestyle.
Tides:
The island experiences one of the largest rise and falls of the tide of anywhere.
Every six hours the landscape is transformed, with significant areas of land exposed, partic-
ularly on spring tides, which occur every 14 days. Tide times are readily available online
or in the Jersey Evening Post or on the link from the Jersey Met website.
As a simple rule though, if it is high water at about 8.00 in the morning and evening then it
is a spring tide, with a large range but if the tide is high around lunchtime then it will be a
neap tide. Be careful as this simple rule applies to Jersey, elsewhere it will be different.
One consequence of the large tidal range is that in certain places the tidal streams run with
surprising speed, often quite close to the coast, so could sweep away unaware or unfortu-
nate people, particularly if they are swimming. The tide will run close to most headlands
but places, which are a particularly hazardous include Noirmont, Point Le Fret, Pointe La
Moye, Corbiere, Plemont, Sorel, Tour de Rozel and St Catherines. Other places, which
might prove hazardous to swimmers include Green Island and La Rocque.
On large spring tides the range can be over 12 metres, nearly 40 feet, so the contrast
between high and low water is truly dramatic, with significant areas of the coast exposed.
The passage of six hours can transform the landscape, with in certain places the sea disap-
pearing out of sight.
History:
Human history on Jersey can be traced back about 150,000 years although the re-
cord of human habitation on the Island is not continuous.
La Cotte de St Brelade is possibly the most important archaeological site, of its era, in north
west Europe, with excavations continuing most summers under the supervision of visiting
academics. At the time of its occupation, what is present day Jersey, was merely an ex-
