That is the feeling the Trust responsible for the island calls ‘The Lihou Experience’. 

The small island of Lihou holds a special place in many people’s hearts. A true community gem bought by the States of Guernsey in 1995 and maintained by ‘The Lihou Charitable Trust’ since 2005, it has been the base for dozens of different groups to explore nature and find solace.  

For those willing to scramble across the slippery, seaweed strewn causeway before the tide closes in, the reward is a uniquely private slice of island life. 

It’s this promise of a life removed that first drew Steve Sarre to the island in 2019, coupled with a job that focused on educating children about the world around them. 

"It was mainly education, being outdoors and teaching kids... and of course having your own island. 

"The schools come over [for 24 hours] and, if the weather's nice, we'll take them for a swim down the Venus pool. We'll go for a walk around the island, talk about the flora and fauna and about the history of the island. 

"Then, once we've done our walk and talk, we'll do a scavenger hunt and if they've listened to me, they'll be able to find all sorts of things.” 

Steve replaced Richard Curtis as warden in 2019 and has spent the last four years maintaining the one house on the island and supporting the charity, the aim of which is to provide an outdoor education for schoolchildren, while also offering a place for people to undertake their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and host community events.  

It meant a lot of learning on the job for Steve, who was a photographer by trade and before that a mechanic. 

"When I did my apprenticeship, we did it mostly while the school groups were over, to learn that aspect of the job.” 

When Steve isn’t bouncing across the causeway in his tractor – carting people and bags to and from the island - he enjoys sharing stories of Lihou with the people who visit and for such a small place the island is full of them.  

Hundreds of years ago a church priory was built on the island and in 1304 one of the servants of the priory allegedly murdered a monk. The dramatic story saw a former Bailiff arrive in Lihou, intending to capture Thomas Le Rover, the Bailiff instead accidentally killed him. 

Later, in the 1700s, the Governor of Guernsey had the priory destroyed to stop French forces occupying it, and during World War II the Germans used Lihou for target practice. 

The most fantastical story from the second world war involved a Royal Air Force pilot by the name of Sgt Robert Stirling who mistook greenhouse reflections in Guernsey for the white cliffs of Dover. Lost, confused, and running low on fuel, he downed his plane in Lihou. After crossing the causeway and unwittingly stamping through a minefield he turned himself in to the Germans and spent the rest of the war in a prison camp in France. The story was dramatised by a local filmmaker in a movie called ‘Stirling’s War’. 

During the Great War the main house used to be an iodine factory and in fact “supplied most of the iodine used in the war” according to Steve. 

“They used to dry the seaweed [to produce iodine] in the area in front of the house,” he said. 

While the eclectic history of Lihou gives Steve plenty of content for his talks with schoolchildren, it’s the maintenance of the house that occupies most of his time.  

“There's all the maintenance and the upkeep of the house; the fundraising and organising people to come and do the jobs. There's all that and the bookings as well."  

Most recently he oversaw the replacement of the island’s solar panels, while also securing a second backup generator. The Trust takes pride in its fully self-sufficient house, which runs nearly 100% on solar power. 

“Recently were placed all our solar panels and I've just bought a newbackup generator. Not that we need it, but the other one is starting to creak a bit and it's quite nice to have some redundancy if the generator fails. 

"However, the panels produce 99% of [our power], it’s only in the evening, if it’s a big group, and they’re all running hot water, that the generator will kick in. And if it’s in the middle of winter.” 

While the house is a point of pride for both the Trust and Steve, it’s no secret that it is starting to show its age. The Lihou Charitable Trust depends on donations to get by, with Steve referring to the Trust as a “hand to mouth charity” bolstered by renting out the Lihou House to groups of up to 30 people. “The families that come to stay subsidise the schools,” he said.  

"Most of the time, we're pretty much making a loss. So, the money we get will not go forward to that pie in the sky project it’ll be to fix that window. 

"There's some irons in the fire about developing some more ideas. You could scale up, you could get a skipper's licence and run a boat and put in a pier and even invest in an amphibious vehicle,” he said, suggesting that easier access would ensure more overnight stays and therefore more money for the Trust,“the only real hold-back are the finances”. 

Steve says the Trust is always open to support and there are many ways people can help keep ‘The Lihou Experience’ alive. 

It’s a self-described ‘open organisation’ and the Trust welcomes people who want to join the management committee, or simply help paint during maintenance weekends.  

"I try and convince people to come over and do some work all the time, but most of the time I’m alone, doing bits and bobs,” said Steve, who despite the hard work still maintains his love of Lihou and the varied wildlife that inhabits it.  

You can find out more about supporting the Lihou Charitable Trust by visiting their website: www.lihouisland.com