Jersey Heritage Holidays
By Beth Lloyd
Jersey Heritage Holidays is a new concept for 2007, the idea being to offer holidays to Jersey that give a far greater insight into the Island than those currently available. During 2007 there will be four packaged three to four day breaks with lectures, visits, walks and hands-on opportunities. Jersey Heritage Holidays will also organise tailor-made holidays for specific interest groups. For details, go to www.jerseyheritageholidays.com
Ask a room full of Jersey people what makes the Island special, and you will get as many answers as there are people present. So maybe it is not so strange that no-one, thus far, has managed to catch that elusive essence and market it to those who are interested in getting under the skin of this most southerly British Isle.
In the past, when British tourists flocked to the Island in their thousands, they came because we had the same currency, at the same food and spoke the same language as they did — as well, of course, as having beautiful beaches, above-average sunshine and all the fun of a holiday resort. Very few of them asked why Jersey was the way it was —it was just there and they loved it. And then people's perspective changed: cheap flights to Mediterranean resorts enabled the mass market to discover new delights and Jersey's market shrunk to those who wanted the security of returning, year after year, to the place that they had come to know and love. When I joined the Jersey Heritage Trust in the early 1990s, the tourism industry had really lost its way. Air fares were soaring, there was little investment in the tourism infrastructure and so naturally, visitor
numbers plummeted year after year. Slowly and painfully, though, the island has changed direction. Visitors now come to walk and cycle, to enjoy good food and to visit world-class attractions — in other words, they come because Jersey offers something special to them. In my role at the Trust I planned events to attract both visitors and local residents to the heritage sites and historical re-enactments are now part of the annual Island calendar. These help to explain certain periods of history, but, however good, can hardly scratch the surface of this complicated little island.
So what does make Jersey special — what has created the place it is today? For the past couple of months, ever since it was suggested that I should create special Jersey Heritage Holidays, I have been examining this question and discussing it with people who are far more articulate and knowledgeable about Jersey than I.
There is no doubt that our link with the English Crown has real relevance today and, if one had to highlight just one thing that makes Jersey special, I believe it is that which would come out on top. The events of 1204 may be more than 800 years ago, but the decisions made then, when King John had lost mainland Normandy and Jersey had to choose between allegiance to the French or to the English king, are the building blocks of our independence. Put simply, our relationship with the monarch is the reason for our parliamentary democracy and our success in the modern world. It is not just the events of 800 years ago that link us so closely with the Crown of England. Take the loyalty of the Island to the Stuart dynasty. In Jersey, Laurens Hamptonne proclaimed Charles 11 as king immediately following the beheading of his father, Charles I and the Island's authorities subsequently remained royalist during the Civil War. Would it not be good if just a tiny proportion of the residents of New Jersey knew why their State was thus called? Victoria, too, seemed to love Jersey, especially the Royal Bay of Grouville, and King George VI was very aware of the Island's special freedoms when he spoke of restoring the Island's 'Customs and Government' after the Occupation of World War II. This special relationship is explored in two short break holidays during 2007, Jewel in the Crown, (26-30 April and 5-9 July) when visitors will be taken on a private visit to the Royal Court and States Chamber as well as going to a seigneural manor, the castles and other historic sites and have evening lectures on related subjects. They will always be accompanied by a knowledgeable Blue Badge guide and will be in for a few surprises, because the aim of Jersey heritage Holidays is just that — to delight and surprise its guests with the different and the unexpected.
During 2007, Jersey Heritage Holidays guests will stay at the Best Western Highfield Country Hotel in Trinity but will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to upgrade to one of the self-catering forts, towers or follies administered by the Jersey Heritage Trust. The other packages on offer are Fortified Jersey on 23-28 May and Occupation 1115 September, which coincides with the Battle of Britain Air Display. Full details of itineraries and prices can be found on the website www.jerseyheritageholidays.com or by telephoning the Highfield Country Hotel on 0044 (0)1534 862194. If you would like a different sort of special interest holiday in Jersey, put together with the same care and attention to detail, please contact me direct.
Beth Lloyd, La Billotterie, Route d'Ebenezer, Trinity, Jersey, JE3 5DT
Telephone: 0044 (0)1534 862099 E-mail: <beth@jerseyheritageholidays.com>
This article first appeared in the March 2007 edition of The Bulletin produced by The Jersey Society in London. To subscribe please click on the Join link on the left navigation bar.
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