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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 />
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