Original subtitles

(blowing wind)

(upbeat orchestral music)

(orchestra music continues)

(gentle percussion music)

- [Announcer] Our journey begins

crossing the English Channel,

one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world,

before arriving at the Channel Islands.

The first is Alderney, which was once

one of the world's most fortified islands.

From there, it's south past dangerous rocks on the Casquets

to Guernsey, the second largest island in the group

with it's capital Saint Peter Port on the east coast.

Continuing east and past small islands is Sark,

still home to ancient laws and Parliament.

And between Sark and the French coast is Jersey

and it's capital Saint Helier.

Our journey ends on the low-lying

and very dangerous rocks of the Minquiers,

known as the Minkies.

(melancholy classical music)

The English Channel separates France and England

and is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean.

It's one of the busiest seaways in the world

carrying over 500 ships per day.

Over the years, many ships have collided,

often with disastrous consequences so that in 1971

a radar-controlled traffic separation system

was introduced to help cut down the number of accidents.

Ships entering or leaving the Channel from the south

will need to keep clear of the Channel Islands,

which lie on their route.

There are four main islands and a number of smaller ones

in this group of British dependencies.

The most northerly is Alderney.

The island is three square miles in size

and the third largest of the Channel Island group

and is only 10 miles from the French coast.

The islands were created after the last ice age,

when the sea level rose and filled

what is now the English Channel.

They became British as a result

of the Norman invasion of England in 1066,

as it was the Normans who controlled the islands.

When in the 13th century, Normandy was incorporated

back into the kingdom of France,

the Channel Islands decided to remain loyal

to the English Crown and have done so ever since.

Braye Harbor is the main port for goods arriving at Alderney

and has been in operation since the 18th century.

In 1847, the long breakwater was built,

which only partially protects the harbor

and is constantly being repaired and maintained,

particularly following violent storms.

In recent years, the harbor has undergone redevelopment

and the commercial quay can now berth much larger vessels

including smaller cruise ships.

The main town on Alderney is Saint Anne,

where most of the two and a half thousand inhabitants

of the island live.

In the mid-19th century, the British government

decided to fortify the island because of

a supposed threat from a French invasion.

The island became a massive military construction site.

Above Braye Harbor is Fort Albert,

named after Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert.

And on the other side of the harbor is Fort Doyle.

On the east side of the island

is one of the most extensive forts, Fort Tourgis,

constructed in 1855 to defend the breakwater,

which had recently been built.

These fortifications and many more on the British mainland

became know as Palmerston's Follies,

after the Prime Minister of Great Britain,

Lord Palmerston who had them built.

They never fired a shot in anger

until the German occupation of the 1940s,

when the Nazis adapted the fort

and many others for modern artillery.

(ominous music)

One of the most remarkable

of the 19th century fortifications is Fort Clonque,

built on a rocky peninsula.

It was originally planned for 10 64-pounder guns

in four open batteries, manned by two officers and 50 men.

In the 1880s, it was disarmed but left standing.

In the 1940s, following the German occupation,

Fort Clonque was revived.

A part of the soldiers' quarters was replaced

by an enormous gun.

Today that section has become a huge bedroom

as the Landmark Trust took over the fort

and adapted it for modern living,

and then let it out as a very dramatic holiday home.

(seabirds crying)

Alderney is one of the most important areas for seabirds.

These northern gannets are nesting

in a wetlands conservation area of around 15,000 acres

that includes the coast and the small outlying islands.

This gannetry on the island of Les Etacs is home

to roughly 3,000 pairs of birds who nest here each year.

It's also one of the most easily viewed colonies in Europe.

Amongst the other seabirds in this sanctuary

are storm petrels, fulmars, terns,

puffins, guillemots, and razorbills.

(crashing waves and calling birds)

(gentle piano music)

As we have already seen, many of the other small islands

around the coast have 19th century forts on them.

This is Fort Raz, which was then adapted by the Germans

during World War II.

They also improved the causeway,

which can only be crossed at low tide.

An even more dramatic example

is just off the southeast corner of the island,

Fort Houmet Herbe.

It's now in ruins with only the outer walls remaining.

And the fort can only be reached at low tide.

All around the Alderney coast are strong tidal flows,

which can spell disaster for ships of any size.

So the Alderney Lighthouse warning of danger

has become a welcome sight for mariners since 1912.

During the 1940s, the danger came from within

due to the Nazi occupation.

Much of the east end of the island

was turned into a German defensive position.

Just behind the lighthouse is a German observation tower

surrounded by several antiaircraft batteries.

The massive concrete observation tower

is a stark reminder of the German occupation

and a part of Adolph Hitler's Atlantic defense wall.

The sea surrounding Alderney are some of the most dangerous

for ships and especially the Casquets,

a sandstone ridge just off the west coast.

The tidal surges which flow around the rocks

often exceed the speed of a ship,

which is then helpless to avoid them.

Only a colony of northern gannets seem happy

to inhabit these rocky outposts.

At the far end of the ridge is the Casquets Lighthouse.

The first one was built here in the 18th century,

and unusually three towers were constructed

to give it a distinctive appearance,

which would not be confused with lighthouses

on the French mainland.

Over the centuries it has been adapted.

And in 1877, two of the towers were dismantled

with one of them today used as a helipad

in order for maintenance work to be carried out,

as the lighthouse has been fully automated since 1990.

20 miles to the southwest is the second largest

of the Channel Islands, Guernsey.

(dramatic uplifting music)

It's about 12 miles long and roughly nine miles wide.

The coastline is rocky with small coves

where the sea has carved out sandy beaches.

This makes Guernsey a very popular place with holidaymakers,

as it has warm summers and is mild in winter.

The island also has an airport

with regular scheduled services from Britain.

During the summer months,

200,000 visitors swell the population.

The mild climate makes Guernsey an ideal place

for growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers.

Over the years, the island has been well known

for its tomatoes and vast greenhouses can be seen.

Like all the Channel Islands,

much of the coastline has been given over to defense

and several old forts stand out on rocky promontories.

During World War II, the Germans adapted most of them

into antiaircraft batteries as well as

building an enormous observation tower.

Hitler was obsessed with the idea that Britain would try

and take the islands back at any cost.

This obsession meant diverting resources,

tying up troops and building massive defenses,

which suited the allies when planning

the D-Day invasion of France.

The island itself has a natural defense barrier

in the low-lying rocks around the coast,

which would make a seaborne invasion almost impossible.

As a British dependency, Guernsey has its own government

with the right to raise taxes and institute laws.

Foreign and defense matters are legislated

with consultation through the British government.

The position of the British Crown is that Queen Elizabeth

is head of state but also recognized

as the Duke of Normandy,

a title she inherits as monarch from the time of William I,

following the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

The capital of Guernsey is Saint Peter Port,

which has a history stretching back to Roman times

when it was a small trading harbor.

The port today, which lies on the east side of Guernsey,

is the most sheltered of all the Channel Islands.

Apart from commercial shipping,

the port offers a safe haven for the hundreds

of private boats that fill the large marina.

The harbor has been protected by Castle Cornet

since the 13th century.

Originally built on an island,

it's now joined to the mainland by the breakwater,

which was built in the mid-19th century.

The town itself is built into a steep valley

leading down to the harbor.

Despite its expansion, the center has retained

much of its 17th century charm.

In 1855 the town welcomed the French writer Victor Hugo

when he was exiled from France.

And it was here he wrote

one of his best known novels, "Les Miserables".

(upbeat classical music)

To the south of Saint Peter Port is one of the island's

most historic houses, Sausmarez Manor.

The house has a history stretching back to medieval days,

though only a fragment still exists.

What we see today is a magnificent example

of what is known as the Queen Anne colonial style

of the early 18th century.

The perfectly symmetrical front was built

in gray granite quarried from the island.

The house is now open to the public

during the summer months.

And the grounds are open all year round.

To the east of Guernsey is Herm,

the smallest of the Channel Islands open to the public.

And in front of it, the even smaller island of Jethou,

which is privately owned.

Also privately owned is the island of Brecqhou,

which lies on the west side of Sark,

the fourth largest of the Channel Islands.

The present owners of Brecqhou have built

a magnificent manor house and planted a large garden

on this idyllic island retreat.

Sark is what is known as a royal fief.

It comes under the authority of Guernsey,

but has its own set of laws and its own parliament.

The population is about 600 people.

There are no cars allowed on the island,

though there are a few tractors for the farmers.

There is also no street lighting.

In fact, the only light at night

outside the residents' houses is Sark Lighthouse,

built in 1913.

It warns shipping of dangerous rocks

and also marks the small harbor at Le Creux,

which is the only harbor on the island.

Sark also has a flying restriction over it,

which means keeping out to sea for a good view.

And from this position we can easily see

one of the most spectacular sights

in the Channel Islands, La Coupee.

This razor-edged isthmus joins Great Sark to Little Sark.

Before the railings were built in 1900,

people not only had to have a head for heights,

but in high winds often had to crawl across

in case they were blown off the 100 meter high precipice.

(splashing waves)

15 miles to the south and across treacherous seas

with low-lying rocks uncovered at low tide,

is the largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey.

(quaint piano music)

The island is a British dependency just like Guernsey

and as such, is not part of Britain,

but a separate possession of the Crown.

The history of Jersey stretches back to the Bronze Age

over 3,000 years ago.

Archeological evidence has also revealed

a Roman presence on the island.

Though whether it was occupied

for any length of time is unknown.

The Vikings invaded during the 9th century.

And then in the 10th century,

Jersey came under the control

of its mainland neighbor, Normandy.

Following the Norman invasion of England in 1066

the island, as well as all the other Channel Islands,

came under the protection of the British Crown.

Jersey lies 12 miles off the French coast

and is the furthest south of the Channel Islands.

The highest point is just under 150 meters.

One of the great attractions of Jersey

is its beautiful coastline.

Sandy coves, cliffs of rocky peninsulas

provide a great backdrop for hotels

and the thousands of visitors who come each year,

as well as some spectacular clifftop houses.

(songbirds singing)

50 years ago the author and naturalist Gerald Durrell

founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

It is a sanctuary for over 190 endangered species,

including three generations of Sumatran orangutans,

a family of western lowland gorillas,

a Madagascan lemur community,

and Brazilian black lion tamarins.

The overriding aim of the trust is to save species

from extinction by a better understanding

of how they can survive and breed in their natural habitats.

This research information is then shared

with other animal projects around the world.

Native Jersey animals are not forgotten either.

And large areas of the park have been planted with trees

and flowers which still attract wild birds and insects.

Nesting boxes attract barn owls, kestrels,

swallows and martins.

On the most easterly part of the island stands Gorey Castle

and it's thanks to the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh,

who is said to have introduced tobacco

into Europe, that we still see the castle today

because when he was governor of the island in 1600,

he rejected a plan to demolish it

when a new castle was built further round the coast.

He said it was a "pity to cast it down".

A castle was first mentioned

on the site in the 13th century

and was the main defense of Jersey.

By the 17th century, it was being used as a prison.

It was later largely abandoned

until the early 20th century

when the Crown handed it over to the people of Jersey.

During World War II, the Germans built observation towers

disguised to look like old turrets.

Today this picturesque castle

is one of Jersey's top attractions.

Just like all the other islands we have seen,

the coastline is dotted with small forts and lookout towers.

Some have been incorporated into private houses.

While others, like this one, built on a remote rocky outcrop

remain as a preserved reminder of past times.

(melancholy piano music)

Jersey's climate has bought the island fame

for its new potatoes and the name has been given

to a breed of cows which were originally bred here

in the 18th century.

The mild climate has also produced beautiful gardens

and along the coast is Samares Manor.

The gardens were created back in the 1920s

and have recently undergone substantial restoration

as well as further development including the planting

of one of the most comprehensive herb gardens in Europe.

The house has a mixture of styles stretching back centuries

when the first house was built here by the Normans.

During the Reformation of the 16th century,

the monastic buildings on the tidal island

in Saint Aubin's Bay were taken over by the Crown,

and a new castle built on the orders

of the then governor of Jersey, Sir Walter Raleigh.

Construction began in 1594 and the castle was named

Fort Isabella Bellissima, the most beautiful Elizabeth,

after England's Queen, Elizabeth I.

The castle then became the main defense of the island

until the English Civil War during the 17th century

when Jersey declared loyalty to King Charles I,

which led to Parliamentary forces landing on the island

and bombarding the castle with mortars.

One of the shells destroyed the old monastic abbey,

which had been used as a storehouse

for ammunition and provisions.

The garrison commander was forced to surrender.

In the 18th century during the Napoleonic Wars,

the French invaded the island

and tried to capture the castle but failed.

During the 19th century, an ambitious project

to link Fort Elizabeth to the mainland

with a breakwater was abandoned

and only a section linking a rocky outlet was built.

It's now used by fisherman.

(waves lapping)

This means that the only way to the castle

is by walking along the causeway at low tide

or using the castle ferries,

which manage to be boats as well as buses,

and so it could run all day long.

During the journey there is a good view

of the capital of the island, Saint Helier.

Saint Helier is the patron saint of the island,

who is said to have been martyred some time

during the sixth century.

Today, roughly 30% of Jersey's population live

in or around the capital and it's by far

the largest town on the island.

Like much of the rest of Jersey,

the atmosphere is distinctly British,

but with French and some Portuguese influences.

Many of the street names and squares have French names.

The harbor is an important part of the island's economy

as yachts of all sizes are welcomed into the marina.

They come from nearby France as well as

across the channel from Britain.

Sailing families as well as tourists

who come by ferry and air, all help boost Jersey's income.

Like all the Channel Islands, one of the reasons

for Jersey's popularity is the tax regime.

Where income tax is 20%, sales tax is only 3%.

A person is considered a resident if they spend a year

in a property they have bought on the island.

As a result, homes on this small island can be expensive.

And a typical three bedroomed house won't leave you

with much change from a million dollars.

With its low rate of income tax,

Jersey attracts many affluent people,

with a corporation tax between zero and 10%,

the island's economy has gradually changed

from agriculture to business and finance,

which now accounts for 60% of Jersey's tax revenue.

However, for 700,000 people a year,

Jersey offers a great family holiday.

Come to enjoy the island's excellent beaches,

good weather and perhaps a go at a bit

of kite surfing in Saint Aubin's Bay.

On the west side is Saint Aubin's Fort,

which is now a residential facility used by school

and youth groups to provide an outdoor education

and also a base for all kinds of water sports.

The castle is cut off from the mainland

by about three hours on either side of the tide.

A sandy causeway is the only way to get to the island

and is a popular walk for people on the beach.

Warning signs point out the dangers of an incoming tide,

which will trap the unwary on the castle mound

for several hours until the tide goes out.

Before we leave Jersey for our final location,

it's an interesting fact that this small island

was to give its name to the third state

of the United States of America, New Jersey.

The island's support for the King during the Civil War

in the 17th century, led a new American colony being granted

to a Royalist from Saint Helier.

He called it the Province of New Jersey.

(tinkling and drum beats)

Our journey finishes nine miles south of Jersey

at Les Minquiers, a group of low-lying islands

also know as the Minkies in English.

These low-lying islands may look peaceful enough,

but in rough weather many ships have been driven

onto them over the years.

And over the years, the islands have also been

a source of contention between Britain and France

as to who owns them even though

no one has ever lived here.

It was only in 1950 that the International Court of Justice

awarded the islands to Jersey as represented by Britain.

And as we fly towards the French mainland,

it's time to end this journey around the Channel Islands.

(hopeful orchestra music)

(stamp)

(stamp)

(stamp)

(swoosh)