Above: Mont Orgeuil Castle, Jersey |
"Great Britain is our oldest possession" is a long-standing
Channel Islanders' joke... The Channel Islands, lying
a few miles from the coast of France but over 70 miles from
the UK, were part of Normandy when William the Conqueror,
Duke of Normandy, invaded and captured England in 1066.
When the French king later invaded and captured Normandy in
1204, the Islanders chose to stay subject to the Crown of
England. In return for their loyalty, the Islands were
allowed to retain their own government (called the 'States')
and even today they are not legally part of the UK or even
the EU.
The resulting favourable tax laws have made the Channel
Islands a major financial centre and home to many
wealthy Brits. It's also the reason you'll find 'duty-free' goods sold on
the ferry to the Channel Islands, but not
on the ferry to France..! The Channel Islands are a
great place to spend a holiday or short break, with sandy
beaches, castles, history, and lots to explore.
There's absolutely no need to fly, it's easy to get there by
train + ferry, a far more civilised and
environmentally-sound way to travel.
On this page:
Train + ferry
travel to Guernsey &
Jersey...
Ferries between
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark & Herm...
Buses on Jersey &
Guernsey...
Ferries from
the Channel Islands to France...
Option 1:
London ► Guernsey & Jersey, by fast ferry
from Poole or Weymouth
Take a train from your local station to Poole or Weymouth on
the south coast.
Condor Ferries operate fast and comfortable catamarans from Weymouth & Poole
to St Helier (Jersey) & St Peter Port (Guernsey) in just 2-4
hours.
First, check ferry sailing times and dates at
www.condorferries.co.uk.
Then check train times and fares from London or your local
station to Weymouth or Poole using
www.nationalrail.co.uk. Allow for a one-hour
check-in at the port, plus at least half an hour to get from
the station to the ferry terminal on foot or by taxi.
Bicycles are carried free on the ferry, dogs and other
animals for £10 one way, £20 return.
Times vary by day of the week and time of year.
However, on many
days you'll find a 12:05 train departure from London
Waterloo to Poole, then a taxi ride or walk to the ferry
terminal, then a 16:10 fast ferry from Poole arriving St
Peter port (Guernsey) at 18:40 and St Helier ( Jersey) at
19:55.
Returning, on many days you'll find a fast ferry departure
from Jersey at 11:15 and from Guernsey at 12:30, arriving
Poole about 15:10. Take a taxi or walk to Poole station.
A train will get you to London Waterloo by about 18:45.
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Above: The civilised
way to go..! Take a modern air-conditioned train
from London or any other station in the UK to Poole,
then the fast ferry to Guernsey or Jersey. |
On board fast
ferries Condor Express or Condor Vitesse...
The vessels have plenty of seating, a self-service
cafe-restaurant, a bar and open observations decks from
which to enjoy the sea views both leaving the UK and arriving in
Guernsey and Jersey. You'll be treated to a departure
past all the small boats in Poole Harbour, a call at
St Peter Port in Guernsey, then a trip right along the south-west coast of
Jersey past Corbière lighthouse, St Brelade's Bay and
Portlet Bay, then
an entrance to St Helier Harbour passing right by Elizabeth
Castle. Club Class seats in an exclusive lounge are available for a
supplement, with complimentary tea,
coffee and pastries, and a stewardess service of wine,
spirits, snacks and meals. Condor Ferries' Club Class
is easily the most comfortable and civilised way to reach the Channel
Islands..!
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The Condor Express
arriving in St Helier, Jersey... |
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The main seating saloon on
the Condor Express... |
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Stewardess service in the
exclusive Club Class lounge... |
Combined
train+ferry fares:
Special combined
train+ferry fares are available from ANY UK railway station
to Jersey & Guernsey via Condor Ferries (ship or catamaran).
These fares allow you to travel the previous day to
Weymouth, Poole or Portsmouth if necessary to connect, and
to travel on any suitable connecting train service, even if
this is at peak times. To check fares from your local
station to the Channel Islands, go to
www.condorferries.co.uk
select 'timetable & fares' and look for the 'rail & sea
fares' link. You can
buy the special combined train+ferry tickets at most British railway stations or by telephone
from Condor Ferries on 0845
345 2000. Lines
are open 08:30-17:30 Monday-Friday in winter, 08:30-19:30 Monday-Friday from April to October, 09:00-17:00 on
Saturdays & Sundays (08:30-17:30 on Saturdays
April-October).
Combined
train+ferry fares...
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Children under 5 travel free.
Child
fares apply to children under 16. |
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London
to Jersey or Guernsey: |
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One-way: |
£88 adult, £44 child |
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5-day return: |
£111 adult, £55.50 child |
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1-month return: |
£131 adult, £65.50 child |
It can sometimes
be cheaper and usually easier to buy separate ferry tickets and
train tickets.
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First, book the
ferry online at
www.condorferries.co.uk.
This is easy, you book online and print out your booking
reference. When you get to the ferry terminal, you
simply quote your booking reference, there is no ticket
involved.
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Then buy the train tickets either at your local station
or online via
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Option 2: London ►Guernsey & Jersey, by conventional ship
from Portsmouth
The fast catamarans can occasionally be cancelled if the
weather is very bad, especially in winter. Condor
Ferries operate a daily all-year, all-weather sailing
by conventional ship from Portsmouth to Jersey & Guernsey
taking 9-10 hours.
Outbound, the ship sails from Portsmouth Continental Ferry
Port at 09:00 and arrives in St Peter Port (Guernsey) at
16:30, St Helier (Jersey) at 19:30. Private cabins and
reclining seats are available. To catch this ship, you'll
need to leave London Waterloo at 05:00 (Mon-Sat only, check
times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk), or travel down to Portsmouth
the night before.
Returning, the ship sails overnight, leaving Guernsey at
17:30, Jersey at 21:30, arriving Portsmouth at 06:30.
Cabins and reclining seats are available. A train
connection from Portsmouth & Southsea station will get you
to London Waterloo at about 09:30 - you can check times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
To check
sailing days and times, see
www.condorferries.co.uk.
Then check train times and fares from London or your local
station to Portsmouth using
www.nationalrail.co.uk. Allow for a one-hour
check-in at the port, plus at least half an hour to get from
the station to the ferry terminal by taxi. Bicycles are
carried free on the ferry, dogs and other animals for £10
one way, £20 return.
On board
Condor Ferries Commodore Clipper...
The Commodore
Clipper is designed to carry passengers, cars and freight,
so her passenger accommodation isn't as extensive as on some
ships, but it's clean, very comfortable and well-run.
Cabins are available, and there's a self-service
café-restaurant, a bar with panoramic views, a duty free
shop, and Club class seating available for a supplement.
You'll be treated to a departure from Portsmouth Continental
Ferry port past the Royal Navy frigates and even the odd
aircraft carrier in the naval dockyard, past Nelson's
'Victory' and ironclad HMS Warrior in the dockyard museum, a
call at Guernsey, then a trip along the coast of Jersey from Corbière lighthouse, past St Brelade's Bay, then an entrance
to St Helier Harbour with great views passing right by
Elizabeth Castle.
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The all-weather Commodore Clipper |
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A cabin on the Commodore Clipper.
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Fares & how to buy tickets...
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The same
combined train+ferry fares from any UK station to Guernsey &
Jersey are valid via the Condor Ferries ship from
Portsmouth, see above. You can
buy these tickets at most British railway stations or by telephone
from Condor Ferries on 0845
345 2000.
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Alternatively,
it may be easier to book the ferry
online at
www.condorferries.co.uk,
then buy train tickets to Portsmouth separately, either at
your local station
or online via
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
