The Channel Islands Trivia Quiz

Answer: British Crown Dependencies

The Channel islands were once part of the Duchy of Normandie, and came into the possession of the English Crown when William I conquered England in 1066. Although they have never been part of the United Kingdom, they are Crown Dependencies which means the United Kingdom is "responsible" for them.

The exact definition is somewhat complicated! There are three Crown Dependencies: the Isle of Man, The Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the last two of which make up the Channel Islands.

The Bailiwick of Jersey consists of the largest Channel Island, Jersey itself, together with some outlying rocky reefs. The Bailiwick of Guernsey consists of the islands of Guernsey, Herm, Sark, Alderney, Brecqhou, Jethou and Lihou, plus other outlying reefs.

Answer: Wight

Although the Isle of Wight is an island in the English Channel, it is close to southern England and is an English county. Alderney, Sark and Herm are the three smaller Channel islands that you can visit as a tourist.

Answer: Alderney

There's not a lot in it. Alderney is ten miles from La Hague on the French Cotentin peninsula. Jersey is almost as close, at fourteen miles from the Normandy coast. The French influence on the Channel Islands is evident in the proliferation of French place names, and to some extent local people's surnames.

Answer: Herm and Sark

The big islands of Jersey and Guernsey have good roads (although narrow in some places) that visitors can bring their own cars to, and they also have an efficient bus service. Alderney has good roads but no public transport, although locals can own cars and there is a good taxi service. On Herm and Sark, no cars are allowed at all. In fact on Herm, not even bicycles are allowed!

Answer: A group of rocks in the sea

The waters around the Channel Islands are littered (some might say infested!) with rocky outcrops, which with the fast currents and high tides make this an area where seamen have to be very careful. The Minkies, a few miles south of Jersey, form an expanse of reef which at low tide leaves an area bigger than Jersey itself, and at all times are treacherous hazards to shipping.

There are a couple of stone houses there but no regular inhabitants. It is said that weeks after the end of World War Two, local fishermen found some German soldiers there who were unaware that the war had ended!

Answer: Jersey

Although there are plentiful sea cliffs, there are no mountains or even real hills in the Channel Islands, which makes them great places for walking. All the highest parts are remarkably flat. A place called Les Platons on the north coast is the highest point on Jersey at 136 metres (446 ft). The highest points on other islands are: Sark 114m, Guernsey 100m, Alderney 89m and Herm 84m.

Answer: Herm

The shell beach on Herm is composed entirely of sea shells, of which over 200 varieties have been identified. It is about half a mile long and is a magnet for children collecting different types of shell.

Answer: Only in the issuing Bailiwick

The currency of the Channel Islands is the pound sterling. The banknotes and coins issued by Guernsey and Jersey may officially be spent only in the Bailiwick of origin. This means that Guernsey money can be spent in Herm, Sark and Alderney, these being part of Guernsey. Channel islands notes may be exchanged at par in British banks, similar to the situation with Scottish and Northern Ireland notes. All the Channel Islands accept UK sterling money. Coins, although having different designs from British coins, have the same size and weight, so may be used in slot machines unofficially any where in the UK or the Channel Islands.

The banknotes of each island do circulate freely in the other, but they are not, strictly speaking, legal tender.

Answer: Rabbit

Perhaps surprisingly there are no wild animals bigger than a rabbit on any of the Channel Islands. No foxes roaming the streets, no badgers lurking in the woods. They do have hedgehogs though, and small rodents. Of course you will come across quite big animals in the shape of cows, but they are not known for being wild.

Answer: St. Nicholas

St. Helier is the capital of Jersey, St. Peter Port the capital of Guernsey and St Anne the capital (in fact the only town) on Alderney. The other islands have no towns at all, only villages and farms.

Answer: Alderney

When it became obvious that the German Army would soon reach the French coast and certainly occupy the Channel Islands, the local inhabitants asked to be evacuated to England. Six ships arrived on June 23rd 1940 and almost everybody on the island (about 1500) were taken off, after getting 12 hours notice. When the Germans did arrive, they turned the island into a fortress, importing some 2000 slave labourers to build a series of towers, gun emplacements and blockhouses.

It was not feasible to evacuate the population of the bigger islands, so they had to endure occupation until the end of the war in 1945.

Answer: Little Sark

La Coupée is a high narrow causeway that connects the part of Sark known as Little Sark to the main part of the island. The ridge is about 80 metres high but only three meters wide, and will eventually erode and make Little Sark a separate island. It is probable that this process occurred to separate the island of Brecqhou from Sark eons ago. One memory of my honeymoon (many years ago) is taking a steep footpath from La Coupee down to the beach and exploring caves there, and having to wade round an outcrop to avoid being cut off by the fast rising tide.

Answer: Sweaters or jumpers

The name Jersey for a sweater or jumper came in to general use in the same way that Hoover came to be the word for a vacuum cleaner. A Guernsey is a special type of sweater made from wool whose fibres are tightly packed and are made using tightly knitted stitches. This makes them ideal for sailors, because as well as being warm they tend to repel rain and spray.

Answer: Guernsey

Victor Hugo went into exile from France after the fall of Napoleon III, and after spending some time in Jersey, moved to Guernsey where his home, 'Hauteville House', is now a museum to his life and works. It was during his stay in Guernsey that he completed and published "Les Miserables", "The Toilers of the Sea" and other books.

Answer: Underground tunnels

During the German occupation they built on both islands a series of tunnels - using slave labour of course. The tunnels on Guernsey were last used as an underground hospital, and are a tourist attraction, although rather lacking in interesting contents.

The ones in Jersey have been made rather more interesting to visitors, being a museum explaining life during the occupation, with the addition of a War Trail, garden of reflection, and an "Escape Room" experience.