A Day Trip To Sark, Channel Islands ♥

One of the most popular posts on my blog to date has been the post about mine and Jacek's trip to Sark, Channel Islands two years ago. I guess we're not the only ones who are charmed at the idea of a small, sunny island with no cars, no crowds and no busyness to get lost in.

A couple of weeks ago we returned to Sark, initially hoping to stay overnight to experience all that the world's first Dark Sky Island had to offer, but the website of the hotel we wanted to stay in wasn't working properly and we couldn't really be bothered with all the faffing about, so we just decided to go on a day trip to the island again.

We didn't take the boys with us, which was quite sad for me as I love having them in my pictures, but honestly, it turned out to be such a sweltering hot day with lots of walking involved so it was probably for the best.

The island is somewhere I've been visiting since I was child and it's quite a special place for me. I've never found somewhere so quiet, so tranquil and so other-worldly as Sark and I love visiting every time - even though the boat journey makes me feel incredibly ill!

It's recommended to explore the island either by bike or horse and cart, but this time round we decided to walk it - I stupidly thought it was smaller than it was, but we managed it anyway.

Our ramble took us down some steep, tree-sheltered steps to the beautiful Dixcart Bay, a beautiful secluded beach with crystal clear blue waters to splash about it. We were the only ones down there and I honestly felt as though I could have been in somewhere as far-flung as New Zealand whilst sitting down there, it was just so beautiful and didn't feel as though this little island could have been situated so close to home.

We stopped for something to eat, and a much needed drink, in the Cafe. The seating area was situated outside the beautiful big pink house right in the middle of the village and I've always been curious about it. I'm not sure if anyone lives in it, but if not it'd be a real shame because it's gorgeous. It was lovely to sit in it's yard and enjoy a sandwich, scone and glass of prosecco in the glorious sunshine.

On this visit I was determined to visit the walled gardens and I'm so glad we did. Not just because we got to see them in all their beauty, but because on the way there we also found a lovely house called Beauvoir which had a sign outside inviting people to visit the garden. I thought this was so lovely and Jacek and I ventured for a stroll. We weren't disappointed either as it was such a beautiful garden, tended to with much love and care I'm sure. It's a house and garden which I could only ever dream of owning but it was lovely to walk around it. As a gesture of thanks Jacek left some money in the ladies tin which she used for selling eggs outside her garden gate. It's all these little things and welcoming nature that makes Sark such a special place for me and one I'll keep visiting throughout my life.

La Seigneurie Gardens were beautiful - a perfect place to visit for a flower lover like me. I love strolling around it's pathways, breathing in the fragrant scent of the pretty roses. The pink daisies spilling out from the banks of the main pathway were just gorgeous and they led me to a shaded bench to gather my thoughts - a much needed spot on such a sweltering hot day.

The gardens also featured an old tower which left me feeling like Rapunzel sitting on it's steps, some artillery and a very old phone box, which gave me quite an eerie vibe! There were also plaques to previous owners pet dogs - many of whom seemed to have been called Beau. In fact, a lot of place names in Sark have 'Beau' in the title - think of all the lost photo opportunities with our littlest!

From there we walked to Sark's most prominent feature and beauty spot - well in my opinion anyway, the bridge that takes you from Big Sark to Little Sark. On our last visit we didn't get to actually walk over to Little Sark and I'm afraid this time I didn't get to either, but Jacek did run over for a quick look while I snapped some pictures.

This bridge really is such a beautiful place, with views to a gorgeous sandy bay down below and a look across at the other channel islands of Herm and Guernsey. For a few minutes I was the only person on the bridge too - quite a rarity during the busy summer months when the island is visited by tourists.

After a quick stop at the post office so that Jacek could send some postcards home to South Africa it was time to go and catch our boat back to Jersey. In all we walked 10 miles that day around the island and in hindsight it would have been much better for us to have gotten bikes as we could have seen a lot more in a shorter space of time, but at least we'll know for next time.

Sark is such a special place and must-visit for nature lovers or those who like to ramble and find new, beautiful spots to enjoy.

If you're interested in visiting Sark for yourself boats visit the island from Jersey and Guernsey.