Travel & Holidays in later life

Every year in April, Jersey celebrates the colours and vitality of spring. Beginning with a Spring Flower Show, there are food fairs, art and craft shows and an art Textile Showcase,

The packed Jersey season starts early and continues into October, when the Royal Jersey Horticultural Society wraps up the colour theme with an Autumn, Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show.  

Much of the sightseeing interest of Jersey is based on the Anglo-Norman heritage dating back 800 years. The links with France are strong and friendly, despite what happened at Trafalgar and in earlier centuries.

In fact there's major two-way traffic between Jersey and St Malo. That's the fortified French port which gave English vessels constant trouble from its fleet of privateers, otherwise known as pirates.

Every summer, Jersey is invaded by French day-trippers from Brittany, giving St Helier a bilingual atmosphere. If you want to counter-attack, don't forget to pack your passport.

Dominating St Helier is Fort Regent, built during the Napoleonic Wars to frighten off the French. It covers 23 hilltop acres that overlook the harbour. A cable-car swings up from Snow Hill in St. Helier's sterling shopping area which is also happy to accept euros.

Today, Fort Regent operates as a leisure centre. Attractions span a full range of indoor sport including squash, badminton, chess and snooker. The seas around Jersey may be chilly, but Fort Regent's swimming pool is heated to a Mediterranean 80 degrees F. 

Along Jersey's south coast are the other main seaside resorts - Havre des Pas, St. Aubin, Portelet and St. Brelade - with hotels and guest-houses facing the sandy beaches. These locations are best for night-life. Elsewhere can be sleepy.

Possibly through the French heritage, the island takes pride in its good local food. Above all, Jersey's rocky coastline is rich in shellfish, which flourish in Europe's cleanest waters, far removed from industrial pollution. 

In the l9th century, oysters were so prolific that they were served free at hotel meals, but times have changed. Today, hundreds of tons of them are exported to be swallowed up by the French.

The menus of seafood restaurants can include crayfish, crabs, mussels, prawns, whelks and ormers, besides all the other specialties. Seafood platters are totally fresh. If you can splash out the price, try the lobsters! 

For another viewpoint of the maritime scene, aim for May and Spring Walking Week. 

You can enjoy Jersey's history and heritage through escorted walks to include a coastal circuit, seashore discoveries and rock pool rambles. 

It's also worth buying the local Ordnance Survey map, to explore Jersey's range of green lanes and cliff paths.

Around the island, the exposed west coast is heaven for surfers who come specially to ride the Atlantic rollers. A dramatic headland called La Sergente was a prehistoric burial chamber, but the Germans in 1940-45 converted the location into a powerful fort.

It commanded St Ouen's Bay right round to Grosnez Point, which looks just like General de Gaulle's big nose. In between it's dead flat with a long sandy beach. 

The north coast is very rugged, with 300-ft cliffs dropping dramatically to the sea. Tiny bays are popular for picnics and secluded bathing. 

Footpaths offer 15 continuous miles of cliff walking from Grosnez via Greve de Lecq to Bouley Bay and Rozel. Parking areas give access points en route, so the full walk can be split. 

Some of the tracks are hard going, but dedicated walkers get superb views down to small rock-strewn coves. 

Coinciding with Walking Week is Gorey's Fete de la Mer. Overlooked by Mont Orgueil Castle, Gorey Pier will feature open-air entertainment and dining, with wide choice of traditional sea food. 

Another colourful weekend - 24-26 May - is scheduled for a traditional country fair with the Jersey Open Rose and Flower Show. Activities include cattle shows, crafts, ring events, food tasting, traditional country games and floral displays. 

July 5th and 6th sees an 'Out of the Blue' Maritime Extravaganza set around the marinas and commercial harbours in Jersey's capital. There'll be street theatre, food fairs, visiting ships, and French traders selling their Normandy and Brittany Fish Soups, Crepes, Calvados and more fish.. 

Meanwhile the events calendar will still include other regular attractions like the Battle of Flowers on Thursday and Friday 14 and 15 August.

It's a spectacular carnival with floral floats - a showpiece of Jersey's flower industry. There are pretty girls to match the 100,000 blooms, musicians, dancers, clowns and other entertainers. The annual Battle has turned peaceful in more recent decades, and spectators are no longer pelted with blossoms at the finale. 

For more colour, there'll still be another Summer Flower Show on 18-19 August, displaying dahlias, roses and vegetables.

Autumn Walking Week takes place in September.

Any time,  you can try your hand at all things maritime - scuba diving, coasteering, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, sailing, surfing, swimming, wind surfing, water-skiing, kite surfing and fishing. 

For yachting enthusiasts, numerous regattas are held through the season. But the flagship event is scheduled for September 1-3, with visiting yachts from UK, Channel Isles and France. St Aubin's Bay will host a full programme of races for dinghies, beach catamarans, sports boats and racing yachts.

                                                                         

Jersey Insight Compact Guide - an 80-page pocket guidebook with outline history etc, maps and photos. 

Landscapes of Jersey (Sunflower Landscapes S.)  by Geoff Daniel - a comprehensive guide for the keen walker, with description and maps for a varied choice of 22 long and short walks.

Jersey (Landmark Visitors Guides) - Coverage in good detail in this 192-page edition published in 2005,