Walking on Jersey. Paddy Dillon

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      Visiting walkers can join local walkers during the spring and autumn Walking Weeks

Accommodation

      Jersey offers every type of accommodation to suit every pocket, but over the past few years prices have risen as hotels have moved up-market. Choose an accommodation base carefully, thinking primarily about how you intend to organise your walks. If you are hiring a car, then any base anywhere on the island will be fine. If you intend using the bus services to travel to and from walks, then the best base would be somewhere central in St Helier, handy for the bus station. An annual accommodation guide is produced, which can be obtained by post from Jersey Tourism, or browsed online at www.jersey.com.

      Visitors who want to hire unusual historic properties should look at some of the holiday lets available through Jersey Heritage and the National Trust for Jersey. A number of interesting old military properties have been converted into self-catering accommodation for families and groups; however, they are not advertised widely and do not feature in the usual holiday brochures.

Health and safety

      There are no nasty diseases on Jersey, or at least, nothing you couldn’t contract at home. Domestic water supplies are fed from either reservoirs or underground sources, sometimes augmented by a desalination plant. Treated water is perfectly drinkable, but some people don’t like the taste and prefer to buy bottled water, which is quite expensive. There are no snakes and no stinging insects worse than wasps and bees.

      In case of medical emergency, dial 999 (or the European emergency number 112) for an ambulance. In case of a non-emergency, there are chemists, doctors, dentists and a hospital. A reciprocal health agreement is in place between Jersey and the UK, which covers serious accidents, injuries or dramatic deterioration in health. However, it does not cover medical repatriation, which can be expensive, so it is wise to have appropriate health insurance for this. The European Health Insurance Card is not valid in Jersey.

Food and drink

      Jersey has long prided itself on being intensively agricultural, though this is waning and farmers face an uncertain future. In the past, the island was famous for its cider-apple orchards, but these were largely cleared as farmers began to experiment with potato-growing. The name ‘Jersey’ immediately conjures images of delicious ‘Jersey Royal’ potatoes, which were originally known as ‘Jersey Royal Fluke’. This variety was developed from two potatoes that were given to Hugh de la Haye in the early 1800s. The potato even has its own website, www.jerseyroyals.co.uk.

      The name ‘Jersey’ also conjures images of contented brown cows giving rich, creamy milk for butter and ice-cream. Jersey cows have a long pedigree and have always been immensely important on the island. Laws were passed in the 18th and 19th centuries to restrict the importation of cattle, so that the unique qualities of Jersey cows were protected. Jersey herds are admired and renowned world-wide, and they too have their own website, www.jerseydairy.je.