Discover Jersey

Jersey is the perfect destination for that reviving springtime break - with a bit of shopping and pampering thrown in for good measure, as travel journalist and TV personality Alice Beer discovers.

What’s the big attraction of Lapland at Christmas? You could be surfing or shopping in Jersey. And the island’s spa scene certainly beats rolling around in the snow with no clothes on, reckons Roger Thomas.

No, we’re not talking about New Zealand. Jersey – the southernmost point in the British Isles – has much better weather. TV presenter Ginny Buckley, host of the Travel Channel’s Holiday show, experiences some autumn sun, seafood and seasonal island traditions.

Jersey’s coastal walks are fabulous. Now there’s even more reason to bring your walking boots. You can combine walking and island-hopping on the new Channel Islands Way. We sent intrepid outdoor writer Alf Alderson on a trial run.

Durrell Wildlife and Mont Orgueil Castle are two of Jersey’s top visitor attractions. Each, in its own way, is dedicated to conservation. When summer’s visitors have gone they don’t shut up shop. There’s plenty to be done, as author and travel writer Nia Williams discovers.

Toyah Willcox and husband Robert Fripp take a winter break in Jersey. It’s the first time she’s been back since a childhood visit. The island seems to have grown up with her.

In just a few years, the island’s sunny September music festival has leapt up the charts. It’s a mini-Glastonbury without the mud (at least up until now) and the massive crowds, says music writer Gareth Scurlock.

Rebecca Ford is a travel writer with green fingers. She starts off with a springtime walk through the woods, then visits gardens bursting with new life.

Jersey isn't all milk and honey. Christopher Somerville takes an exhilarating walk on the island's wild side.

Miranda Krestovnikoff was one of the presenters on the hugely popular BBC2 series Coast. She never managed to get to Jersey – others in the team reported from the island – so we just had to put that right.

Ed Leigh is best known for his intrepid snowboarding and mountaineering stunts on BBC TV’s High Altitude. Last summer, he brought his high-adrenaline approach – along with two friends – to Jersey to sample the island’s surfing and watersports scene.

Looking for a hassle-free, activity-packed family holiday that’s close to home in some ways, but very different in others? Simon Calder, that most well-travelled of travel writers, was surprised to find out how easy – and entertaining – it all was in Jersey.

One morning we awoke to find jockeys cantering through the surf as they prepared for the Bank Holiday races at Les Landes. 'Do you really have horseracing in Jersey?' I asked at reception. Oh yes they do, and the meeting turned out to be a very neighbourly affair with fête-like stalls ...

The Bates family – Jeremy, Anne and daughters Liz (nine) and Ciara (seven) – took themselves off to Jersey for a spot of camping. Sorry, make that glamping. What did the sceptical parents (and kids) think?

A look at Jersey from adventurer, TV presenter and self-confessed island addict Ben Fogle.

Travel writer Louise Roddon knows a thing or two about spas. But she was surprised to find such a wide choice on this small island.

Good food in Jersey isn’t just about fine dining. The island has a reputation for serving up great tastes everywhere, at restaurants and inns, bistros and beachside cafés. And winter might just be the tastiest time to enjoy them all, according to food writer Norman Miller.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch for award-winning food writer Kevin Gould. At least when it comes to Jersey’s super-fresh seafood. We sent him out in a boat to catch it.

Jersey’s story of struggle and survival during the German Occupation in World War Two is on an epic scale. Tony Robinson, whose career – from Blackadder to Time Team – is bound up in the past, takes a revealing look.

Outdoor writer Andy Stansfield shares the company of raconteurs, hawks, novices and old hands on a stage of Jersey's around island coastal walk.

How far can a 30-something couple go on a budget break in Jersey? Richard and Emma Miles came to find out.

BBC TV sports reporter Hazel Irvine isn't the kind of girl who likes to sit still. With her equally energetic Other Half, she spent an action-packed weekend in Jersey. It almost wore her out

Who'd be a Concierge? More to the point, what does it really involve? We sent Jeremy Head, a travel writer normally at the receiving end of the service, to find out.

We asked Sunday Times travel journalist Mark Hodson and son Callum to put a few of our attractions to the test. How did they get on?

Clive Tully writes about the Great Outdoors. He’s an experienced walker, so who better to accept the challenge of finding two coastal walks with a tasty reward at the end of each?

Walking and eating are two of the things that Jersey does very well. They go well together too. Travel writer Paul Mansfield samples them on a spring break.

Durrell Wildlife, founded by pioneer conservationist and author Gerald Durrell in 1959, celebrates its 50th birthday this year. It has become an island icon, though its influence has spread way beyond Jersey. John Cleese explains why he’s a long-standing fan.

Jersey’s experiences during World War Two have left enduring memories. When your liberty is taken away, you don’t forget in a hurry. Broadcaster Sue Cook, who has presented everything from the Holiday programme to Radio 4’s popular Making History, looks at how the Jersey of today remembers all its y ...

Cider apples and alfresco living, ancient customs and cosmopolitan chic, a dash of England and a soupçon of France... Roger Thomas discovers that you need more than a short break to get to grips with this intriguing island.