British Travel Journal | Autumn 2019

weeks into the job, John observed a group of 16 Ring
Ouzels coming to rest on the fourth green of the golf
course, adjacent to the observatory. He thought: “This
is going to be awesome!”
And it has been an enormous success. One of John’s
first bird-ringing sessions resulting in the recording of
over 40 Firecrests! Alderney has established itself as an
important place for migrating birds – one of the most
exciting islands in Britain for seeing and monitoring
birds, both in migratory transit and in seeking
undisturbed nesting sites.
We stood at the headquarters of the Alderney Bird
Observatory, based in ‘The Nunnery’ – the bestpreserved
small Roman fort in Britain. “With such huge
historical importance, the plan is to develop this into a
publically-accessible heritage site” John explained as we
admired the surviving walls of this impressive fort.
John lives at the lighthouse, just a short walk from
‘The Nunnery’, juggling his roles as tour guide and bird
warden. He seemed equally passionate about both,
telling the group no two days are the same.
John dropped us back at Cycle & Surf, where our
electric bikes were waiting – ready to take us back up
Victoria Street to meet another of the locals.
General Manager, Tracey Farquhar-Beck had
offered to give us a hard-hat tour of new luxury hotel
‘The Blonde Hedgehog’ (think Soho House and The
Pig Hotels) opening this September. Encircled by the
quiet cobblestoned streets of Saint Anne, the hotel is
composed of three buildings, The Blonde Hedgehog,
Clarence House (next door), and The Corner House
(opposite).
Tracey told us the back story. Owner Julie-Anne,
business entrepreneur and founder of charity Zamcog, is
opening her first hotel - along with the restaurant and a
new butcher’s shop. Currently living in London, she will
soon be relocating from London to live in Alderney and
personally manage her island ventures. An investment
welcomed by the locals - supportive of Julie-Anne and
excited for the increased tourism more luxury hospitality
on the island might bring.
We had some time to relax back at The Victoria,
reflect on our day - and share our enthusiasm for the
special place we felt so fortunate to have discovered,
before heading out for dinner over the road at The
Georgian.
The ground-floor of The Georgian offers a great
option for a pre-dinner drink, or relaxed dining, with the
cosy warmth of a traditional pub, or head upstairs, as
we did, to enjoy the refinement of The Orangery, with
more of a fine-dining feel, ambient music, candles and
elegantly dressed tables.
In contrast to the bar, The Orangery restaurant is
light, airy and contemporary, with beautiful, modern
landscape paintings adding vibrant colours to the white
walls. The windows slide open to the full width of the
building - showcasing a panorama of mature island trees
in their immaculate Georgian terraced garden full of
pretty wallflowers and hanging baskets.
We ordered from their 2 Mile Menu, as the name
suggests all ingredients (very) locally sourced. Our
alfresco-style dining was made complete with a
bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, tomato bruschetta, freshly
caught Alderney scallops, and Kiln Farm Sirloin Steak
with Georgian House melted butter. If only there had
been time for dessert - we were booked on the Bat &
Hedgehog walk with the Alderney Wildlife Trust - it
would have been the Speculoos Cheesecake, or possibly
the Affogato. (georgianalderney.com)
Meeting point was at the Wildlife Trust shop, just
a few doors up from The Georgian. Our expert guide,
Roland Gauvain, then showed us how to use our bat
detectors to search out bats as we wandered up Victoria
Street and through the pretty Parish Church of Saint
Anne. We find Pipistrelles - “just 4cm long but with a
wingspan of 22cm” Roland explained. He was extremely
knowledgeable about the life of bats, how they live, and
their feeding cycles, I was surprised to learn they can eat
up to 3000 midges in one night!
As darkness fell, we began our search for Alderney’s
famous blondes. With no foxes, badgers, stoats or
weasels on the island to worry about, Alderney's rare
blonde-haired hedgehogs thrive. With a population
of around 600, they have dominated their brown
equivalents. They are thought to originate from only
a handful of pairs, brought to the island as pets in the
1960s - and (if you believe the locals) released from a
Harrods bag. We spotted a few snuffling about, the first
all curled up, just a ball of blonde spines! à
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