Parish guide published for relocation

Wednesday 03 August 2022

Locate Guernsey has produced a factsheet on the island’s 10 parishes for those looking to relocate.

St. Peter Port, the island’s capital, is labelled “one of Europe’s prettiest harbour towns… full of top-quality restaurants, pedestrianised shopping streets and leading names in finance, insurance, and law".

Each parish description carries an interesting fact; for St. Peter Port, the factsheet points to Victor Hugo’s residency in town, where he completed Les Misérables.

Pictured: Victoria Marina in town. Credit: Locate Guernsey.

St. Martin is billed as a place where “cliff paths and sandy coves meet green lanes and spectacular views for walking” and one of the most popular parishes because of its proximity to town and the airport.

Castel is celebrated as the largest parish which is perfect for the family given “a number of community events such as La Viaer Marchi and North Show… with the finest sandy beaches in the island”.

The Vale’s former history as an individual island to the rest of Guernsey before 1806 is highlighted, as well as the “Royal 18-hole links course which is home to two of the island’s golf clubs”.

St. Pierre du Bois is noted as comprising both “exceptional sandy beaches on the West coast and dramatic high cliffs on the South coast”. The factsheet points out that many houses in the parish feature ‘witches’ seats’ – a piece of granite sticking out for witches to rest on, “rather than causing havoc”.

Pictured: Le Gervaise Farm in St. Saviour. Credit: Locate Guernsey.

Farmhouses and agriculture are sold as the main feature of St. Saviour, “with plenty of green spaces for pasture”.

Forest is hailed for its community floral displays “which have won many Floral Guernsey and Britain in Bloom awards”, whilst the “mysterious” Fairy Ring is central to the description of the island’s smallest parish of Torteval.

St. Andrew, whilst identified as the only landlocked parish, is “filled with rural pasture and orchards once pivotal to cider making”. 

Pictured: The Bridge, St. Sampson. Credit: Locate Guernsey. 

Finally, St. Sampson’s harbour anchors descriptions of the parish; “the harbour was historically a centre for shipbuilding and an export hub for Guernsey granite”, adding that the parish claims to have the oldest church in the island.

The factsheet concludes: “Many professionals have discovered that Guernsey, is the ideal location to enjoy a high-flying career balanced with a healthy lifestyle outside of work.”