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Above: Mont Orgeuil Castle, Jersey |
"Great Britain is our oldest possession" is a long-standing
Channel Islanders' joke... The Channel Islands, lying
a few miles from the coast of France but over 70 miles from
the UK, were part of Normandy when William the Conqueror,
Duke of Normandy, invaded and captured England in 1066.
When the French king later invaded and captured Normandy in
1204, the Islanders chose to stay subject to the Crown of
England. In return for their loyalty, the Islands were
allowed to retain their own government (called the 'States')
and even today they are not legally part of the UK or even
the EU.
The resulting favourable tax laws have made the Channel
Islands a major financial centre and home to many
wealthy Brits. It's also the reason you'll find 'duty-free' goods sold on
the ferry to the Channel Islands, but not
on the ferry to France! The Channel Islands are a
great place to spend a holiday or short break, with sandy
beaches, castles, history, and lots to explore.
There's absolutely no need to fly, it's easy to get there by
train + ferry, a far more civilised &
environmentally-sound way to travel.
On this page:
How to travel from
anywhere in Britain to Guernsey &
Jersey by train + ferry...
Ferries between
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark & Herm...
Buses on Jersey &
Guernsey...
Ferries from
the Channel Islands to France...
Option 1: Anywhere in Britain ►
Poole or Weymouth by train ► Guernsey & Jersey
by fast ferry...
Take a train from your local station to Poole or Weymouth on
the south coast.
Condor Ferries operate fast and comfortable catamarans from Weymouth & Poole
to both Jersey (St Helier) & Guernsey (St Peter Port) in
just 2-4 hours, all year round. This is a very relaxed
and comfortable way to travel.
Example timetable from London:
On many
days you'll find train & ferry times something like this.
However, times vary by day of the week and time of year, so
treat this as an example and check actual train & ferry
times for your own specific date:
London ► Guernsey/Jersey:
Take the 12:05 train from London
Waterloo to Poole, then a taxi ride or walk to the ferry
terminal, then the 16:10 fast ferry from Poole arriving St
Peter port (Guernsey) at 18:40 and St Helier ( Jersey) at
19:55.
Guernsey/Jersey ► London:
Sail
from Jersey by fast ferry at 11:15 and from Guernsey at 12:30, arriving
Poole about 15:10. Take a taxi or walk to Poole station.
A train will get you to London Waterloo by about 18:45,
trains run at least every 30 minutes.
How to check train+ferry times for your own date of travel:
First, check ferry sailing times & dates at
www.condorferries.co.uk.
Then check train times and fares from London or any
station in Britain to Weymouth or Poole using
www.nationalrail.co.uk. Allow for a one-hour
check-in at the port, plus at least half an hour to get from
the station to the ferry terminal on foot or by taxi.
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Above: The civilised
way to go! Take a modern air-conditioned train
from London or any other station in the UK to Poole,
then the fast ferry to Guernsey or Jersey. |
Fares...
You can buy
separate train & ferry tickets, of course, but you can
usually save money by using special combined
train+ferry fares from any British railway station to
Jersey or Guernsey via Condor Ferries (ship or catamaran).
These combined fares allow you to travel to Weymouth, Poole
or Portsmouth on any suitable train service to connect with
your chosen ferry, even at what are normally peak times.
They also allow you to travel the day before the ferry if
necessary, for example to catch the morning ferry out of
Portsmouth. These fares are (stupidly) no longer
posted on
www.condorferries.co.uk,
please call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 to
check the fare from your local station.
Combined
train+ferry fares...
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Children under 5 travel free.
Child
fares apply to children under 16.
Bicycles are carried free on the ferry.
Foot passengers can take dogs & other animals for £10
one-way, £20 return. For
comparison, a Poole-Jersey foot passenger return for the
ferry alone costs around £114. |
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London
to Jersey or Guernsey: |
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One-way: |
£88 adult, £44 child |
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5-day return: |
£111 adult, £55.50 child |
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1-month return: |
£131 adult, £65.50 child |
How to buy a
combined train+ferry ticket:
You can
buy the special combined train+ferry tickets at all main British railway stations,
and by phone from South West Trains on
0845 6000 650 (lines open
daily 06:00-22:00). You cannot buy them online.
First, book the
ferry online using
www.condorferries.co.uk.
This is easy, you book online and print out your booking
reference. When you get to the ferry terminal, you
simply quote your booking reference, there is no ticket
involved. Then buy the train tickets either at your local station
on the day of travel or online via
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
What's it like
on board the fast
ferries Condor Express or Condor Vitesse?
The vessels have plenty of seating, a self-service
cafe-restaurant, a bar and open observations decks from
which to enjoy the sea views both leaving the UK and arriving in
Guernsey and Jersey. You'll be treated to a departure
past all the small boats in Poole Harbour, a call at
St Peter Port in Guernsey, then a trip right along the south-west coast of
Jersey past Corbière lighthouse, St Brelade's Bay and
Portlet Bay, then
an entrance to St Helier Harbour passing right by Elizabeth
Castle. Club Class seats in an exclusive lounge are available for a
supplement, with complimentary tea,
coffee and pastries, and a stewardess service of wine,
spirits, snacks and meals. Condor Ferries' Club Class
is easily the most comfortable and civilised way to reach the Channel
Islands!
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Above: The Condor Express
arriving in St Helier, Jersey... |
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The main seating saloon on
the Condor Express... |
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Stewardess service in the
exclusive Club Class lounge... |
Option 2: Anywhere in Britain ► Portsmouth by
train ► Guernsey & Jersey by ship...
The fast catamarans can occasionally be cancelled if the
weather is very bad, especially in winter. Condor
Ferries operate a daily all-year, all-weather sailing
by conventional ship from Portsmouth to Jersey & Guernsey
taking 9-10 hours.
Portsmouth ► Channel
Islands: The ship sails by day, leaving Portsmouth Continental Ferry
Port at 09:00 and arriving in St Peter Port (Guernsey) at
16:30 & St Helier (Jersey) at 19:30. Private cabins &
reclining seats are available. To catch this ship, you'll
need to leave London Waterloo at 05:00 (Mon-Sat only, check
times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk), or travel down to Portsmouth
the night before.
Channel Islands ►
Portsmouth: The ship sails overnight, leaving Guernsey at
17:30, Jersey at 21:30, arriving Portsmouth at 06:30.
Cabins and reclining seats are available. A train
connection from Portsmouth & Southsea station will get you
to London Waterloo at about 09:30 - you can check times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
To double-check
sailing days & times, see
www.condorferries.co.uk.
Then check train times and fares from London or your local
station to Portsmouth using
www.nationalrail.co.uk. Allow for a one-hour
check-in at the port, plus at least half an hour to get from
the station to the ferry terminal by taxi. Bicycles are
carried free on the ferry, dogs and other animals for £10
one way, £20 return.
What's it like
on board
Condor Ferries Commodore Clipper..?
The Commodore
Clipper is designed to carry passengers, cars & freight,
so her passenger accommodation isn't as extensive as on some
ships, but it's clean, very comfortable and well-run.
Cabins are available, and there's a self-service
café-restaurant, a bar with panoramic views, a duty free
shop, and Club class seating available for a supplement.
You'll be treated to a departure from Portsmouth Continental
Ferry port past the Royal Navy frigates and even the odd
aircraft carrier in the naval dockyard, past Nelson's
'Victory' and ironclad HMS Warrior in the dockyard museum, a
call at Guernsey, then a trip along the coast of Jersey from Corbière lighthouse, past St Brelade's Bay, then an entrance
to St Helier Harbour with great views passing right by
Elizabeth Castle.
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The all-weather Commodore Clipper... |
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A cabin on the Commodore Clipper.
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Fares & how to buy tickets...
The same
combined train+ferry fares from any UK station to Guernsey &
Jersey are valid via the Condor Ferries ship from
Portsmouth, see above. You can
buy the special combined train+ferry tickets at all main British railway stations,
by phone from South West Trains on
0845 6000 650 (lines open daily 06:00-22:00). You cannot buy them online. Alternatively,
you can book the ferry
online at
www.condorferries.co.uk,
then buy train tickets to Portsmouth separately, either at
your local station
or online via
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
