Sunday morning 7th July was very foggy on the island of Alderney… There were no views…
Vagn and I took the bikes and went for a pleasure ride.
Braye beach at a moment when the fog temporarily went a bit away:
The Alderney railway was constructed in the 1840s by the British Government. It was the first nationalised railway run by the Admiralty. It opened in the 1847 and is one of the oldest lines in the British Isles.
The first official passengers were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854. Vagn and I had to have a ride!
It was really fun! The tube cars were from London, from 1938! The diesel locomotive was from the 1985:
Meanwhile at Braye, a party was going on in the harbour, with live music and lots of guests. We had to join:
After lunch we continued our cycling tour, and stopped by the places that looked interesting. A typical British phone box, as we recognise it. Just painted yellow – a Channel Islands’ touch?
Besides the yellow phone box was a bench with a sign “Vent d’amaont daove pllie n’vaot pas énne fllie” (Guernsey Patois). In English it means “An east wind with rain is not worth a limpet”.
Behind the yellow phone box and the bench was an old cemetery. So old, one couldn’t read a word on its gravestones…
Inside the cemetery, there was a beautiful pebble path. It was constructed to mark the start of the Third Millennium. It incorporated mosaics made by members of clubs, societies and families of Alderney. It was very special.
Vagn and I couldn’t find out whether it was necessary to order customs on our return to Cherbourg; we decided to go to the Alderney airport and to find out there. Astronomical clock by the airport:
Vagn was fascinated by those Aurigny airlines’ aircraft; every time he saw them, he told me they were the ones that were used in Nepal, and every time I answered back they were also used in other places than Nepal…
We cycled back to our camping place in Saye beach.
Vagn and I did 17 km that day, and it felt easy. We decided to go for an island around tour the day after.
Evening was spent in the camp; we bought some local farm made chorizo sausages on our way that we cooked for dinner:
