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THE ISLE OF SARK<br />

A world apart<br />

SARK HARBOUR IMAGE ©SUE DALEY<br />

If you want to unwind, cosy up<br />

with a good read, or blow away<br />

the cobwebs during cliff walks<br />

with views to France, then Sark<br />

is just what you’re looking for.<br />

Believe it or not, the designated<br />

Dark-Sky Community and first<br />

Dark-Sky Island in the world, Sark<br />

is also one of the few remaining<br />

places in the world where cars<br />

are banned and only tractors and<br />

horse-drawn vehicles are allowed.<br />

So there’ll be no car horns to<br />

disturb you or rush hour traffic<br />

to wait in, and on a clear night,<br />

you can gaze at the stars with<br />

the naked eye. There’s plenty of<br />

history too on this small rock in<br />

the <strong>En</strong>glish Channel that well and<br />

truly punches above its weight.<br />

Part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey,<br />

Sark is situated seven miles east of<br />

Guernsey and about 25 miles west<br />

of France. It is three miles long<br />

and one and a half miles wide<br />

at its broadest point. The island<br />

consists of Great Sark and Little<br />

Sark, which are connected by<br />

La Coupée, a 300-foot-long<br />

narrow strip of land with sea<br />

on either side, forming a link<br />

between the two. La Coupée<br />

is no more than 30 feet wide<br />

and it is rumoured that, before<br />

railings were added, children<br />

would crawl across on their<br />

hands and knees in a strong wind.<br />

The island rises to 375 feet with<br />

a scenic coast of steep cliffs.<br />

Sark first appears in history as<br />

a gift from William of Normandy<br />

to the Mont Saint Michel abbey<br />

around 1040. A century later<br />

27

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