Guernsey

This morning I left the hotel with a positive attitude wanting to like Guernsey. A bit like my naive opinion of people, everybody is good unless they prove otherwise, and in my head  Guernsey set off on the same footing.

I may plan my trips with intricate details however sometimes I’m a little blasé, and minor facts such as local speed limits can tend to slip through. 

It wasn’t until a chance meeting with a local photographer, to discuss the origins of the many stone towers dotted around the island, that I became aware that the maximum speed limit here is 35mph! A decent speed for posing yes, but possibly a tad on the measly side when riding a bike of two and a half litres?  

To be fair, I think the limit is appropriate for the island and I never had the urge to say ‘sod it’ and grab a hand-full of throttle. Now you might think that with such a low legal limit I would yet again be turned off by another Channel Isle, but strange as it may seem I’m not. Motorcycling seems to be big on this small island, and I was fortunate enough to stumble across a popular bikers cafe, I even saw a Suzuki Hayabusa (200mph top speed) but wondered why, a moped or bicycle would be adequate! As with Jersey, it’s not a place I would personally rate highly for motorcycling, but for me it just has a nicer feel than its larger sister.

One plus of Jersey which I forgot to mention was the courteousness of its drivers, I’ve never experienced such consideration for fellow road users, remarkable.

However, as opposed to Jersey I could see myself returning to Guernsey, not for motorcycling, but possibly for a different type of visit.