Herm

Herm is beautiful destination for the sea kayaker, although the normal crossing is from Guernsey. Although only a couple of miles wide the Little Russel does provide good entertainment for the paddler. Tidal streams of 5 knots ensure that planning should be accurate.
We had chosen the longer version, heading north from Jersey we spent the night on Sark before making the crossing the following morning. Herm has a fascinating history, ranging from Compton MacKenzie and the Ford Motor Co. to Bavarian aristocracy. Since the late 1940's the island has been leased to private tenants, particularly the Wood family, who have developed the island for tourism. Unfortunately we didn't have time to explore the coastal waters as we were only popping in for lunch prior to an 18 mile crossing back to Jersey.

Approaching the east coast of Herm after crossing the Big Russel from Sark. The sandy sliver on the right of the picture is the famous Shell Beach.

Our kayaks on Shell Beach. It is hard to believe that this isn't the Caribbean.

Looking back towards Shell Beach as we walked towards Belvoir Bay for lunch. It was surprising that it was possible to hire sit on tops off the beach. The tide runs particularly strongly in this area.

The view from Belvoir Bay across to Sark. We had camped on Sark the previous night. After lunch on Herm we took a direct route back to Jersey, a crossing of 18 nautical miles. Through good use of the tides we completed the crossing in just over 4 hours.