Natural Jersey
The rich diversity of Jersey’s natural landscape is due to its geology, size and shape. Five hundred million years ago it was buried under a towering mountain range that extended through Northwest France. Shale, volcanic rock, including granite, accounts for about 90% of the area. The peculiarly pink granite that has been used for building many of the farmhouses and public buildings forms about one third of the island.
Over the course of geological history, sea levels have risen and fallen. Some 18,000 years ago, a vast ice sheet lay 200 miles north of Jersey and the sea level was 100 meters lower than it is today. At that time, the channel islands lay on a bare tundra wasteland and Palaeolithic hunters followed herds of animals across Europe.
The present perimeter of the island only began to take shape about 10,000 years ago when rising sea levels severed the last link from south-east Jersey to France.
The topography of the island is quite straightforward with the highest points and rockiest shorelines located in the north. Most of Jersey comprises a plateau etched by parallel and wooded gullies and ravines that flow to the sandy shores to the south.
North Coast
The north coast is the wildest part of Jersey. The steep, heather and bracken-clad cliffs have many caves, some accessible only by boat. These same cliffs provide a dramatic backdrop to some of the most beautiful bays, including Grève de Lecq, Bonne Nuit, Bouley and Rozel.
On either side of Bouley Bay are two forts, Leicester and L’Etacquerel, built to keep out the French; the latter was used to house the British Garrison during the Napoleonic Wars. Further east is the Dolmen du Faldouet, an unusual gallery grave.
West Coast
The magnificently wild sandy expanse of St Ouen’s Bay dominates the western coastline. The area known as Les Mielles encompasses the shoreline. The flat, marshy land behind these dunes provides a number of different habitats for plants and animals. The rocky outcrops at either end of the bay team with life among the rock pools and shallows. An area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest are the dunes to the south, Les Blanches Banques, with a wealth of floral diversity. Marshy land and thick reed beds surround St Ouen’s Pond, Jersey’s largest natural expanse of fresh water. The rough grazing land, small cultivated fields and the escarpment also contribute to the diversity of the islands’ western region.
South Coast
Jersey’s southern coast has four main sub-regions – St Brelade’s Bay, a beach of golden sand protected from most winds; to the west of St Helier, the sweeping expanse of St Aubin’s Bay; the town area of St Helier and low-lying farming area surrounding St Clement’s Bay. The dramatic silhouettes of La Corbière Lighthouse in the extreme west and Seymour Tower in the east stand as proud guardians of a shoreline both beautiful and treacherous. The tide can recede up to two miles from the coast, and, when incoming, races through exposed gullies and ravines cutting off the unaware.
East Coast
This coastline faces Normandy and comprises the Royal Bay of Grouville and St Catherine’s Bay. Mont Orgueil (Gorey Castle) dominates the skyline. Its strategic position indicates that there were fortifications here long before the existing castle was built in 1204. La Hougue Bie, a massive burial mound and one of the finest prehistoric sites in Europe is evidence that the island has been inhabited for thousands of years.
The Interior
The interior of the island has a combination of woodland, intensely-farmed arable land and the mineral rich grazing land that provides both the pasture for the world-famous herds of Jersey Cows and that special flavour to Jersey’s other famous export – the Jersey Royal. Most fields are small and bordered by granite walls or hedgerows – Côtils (steep south-facing slopes) are also used for the growing of early potatoes and other crops.
Most woodland is set in deep valleys eroded by fast-flowing streams. In the early morning the blended notes of many song birds echo through the glades and dells. In the summer, broad canopies of Oak, Ash, Wild Cherry and Sycamore shelter the thriving population of Red Squirrels and host a rich array of other mammals, birds, flowers and shrubs.
PTGH wish to thank Jersey Tourism for their help in providing the above information.
15/11/07
