If, at night, I stand on the cliffs near my house I can often see the welcoming beam of a number of French lighthouses. One of these is on the French Island of Chausey. An amazing archipelago I had been fortunate enough to visit on a couple of occasions over the years, fleeting visits which opened my eyes to the sea kayaking potential of the area. When the Kayak Club in Granville got in touch with the Jersey Canoe Club for a joint trip to Chausey, the response was pretty amazing. So Tuesday 9th May, Liberation Day, an important date in the history of Jersey, saw us loading the kayaks on to a Vedette, in Granville, prior to heading across to the main island.
Unloading the kayaks was a simple process and in a matter of minutes we were heading towards the Gîtes, which had been booked for us. Thankfully the tractor and trailer were waiting to transport the mountain of equipment and food we had brought with us. I suppose there were 25 of us for 5 days.
The Gîtes were perfect for our needs, following a quick lunch it was time to get on the water. For most of our visit, the gods of the wind looked favourably upon us although the clouds were reluctant to disperse for the majority of the time.
The rock from Chausey, will be familiar to numerous travellers although they may not be aware of it. It was used in the building of Mont Saint Michel and for some of the pavements in Paris. In Jersey the rock was highly prized as it was easier to work than the local rock. For example, the font in St Clement’s Church dating from the 14th or 15th Century is from Chausey granite. Many of the parish Churches on the island have used Chausey rock in their construction.
I think it is fair to say that very few sea kayakers from the U.K. will have made their way to Chausey, it’s only 25 miles from Jersey and we struggle. Those that do make the effort are richly reward, with a maritime landscape that constantly changes with the ebb and flow of the tides. It is also a landscape, which reflects the significant impact of humans over several millennia. Hopefully it will be possible to return in the future to explore more of this fascinating reef.