After picking up coffee for Libby and pancakes for Emerson this morning, we headed to the Albert Pier at 8:50 for our ferry ride to the Isle of Sark.
The ferry to Sark takes about an hour to cover the 20 or so miles between the islands. The ride was fairly pleasant in both directions, though the seas had enough swell to almost be problematic.
Sark rises up from the sea with fairly steep, granite cliffs. The island looks largely uninhabited upon approach, but it has a small harbor at the bottom of a steep hill. To ascend the hill, you can either hike up a path or take a “bus” (which is really a trailer with bench seats pulled by a tractor). At the top, you disembark in the Sark’s picturesque village.
The island has no automobiles. Travel around its 4.5 square miles is either on foot or bicycle. However, given that the paths are dirt, Emerson’s stroller was less than ideal for walking. Thus, I called an audible and rented bikes for the day complete with a kid trailer on one of them. This turned out to be a tremendous amount of fun and an efficient way to traverse the island. We spent the day cycling around the island, passing through the village to pick up food and drinks, and stopping for brief hikes along coastal footpaths.
What to say about Sark? I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:
It may, quite possibly, be the best place that we’ve ever visited. It may even be the best place on Earth. Full stop. The pictures don’t adequately capture its charms.
Sark feels remote yet it’s relatively accessible. It seems isolated yet it’s sufficiently civilized. In short, Sark provides a mild adventure in a beautiful setting with a comfortable climate… all with clean public restrooms.
Today was a great day.
Today’s box score: +1 country (Guernsey & Deps, Channel Islands)