Our trip to Alderney was short and sweet, but we managed to pack in a lot of activities and loved every second of it. We’ve included below our favourite experiences and activities we can recommend, whether you’re a couple, a family or just someone heading over for a few days.
How Do You Travel Around
From the Alderney airport to your hotel, you may want to book Michelle’s Taxi, who can take you to wherever you’re staying and they are incredibly friendly.
Around town, most areas are walkable, but if you want to venture around the island, then you can hire a bike (which I’ll cover in more info in just a moment) or rent a car.
1) E-Bike Tour Of The Island
The e-bike tour was completely guided by Roland from the Alderney Wildlife Trust, a beacon of knowledge, who knew everything from what animals you might find to the history of the island and what every building was and contained.
We visited the Hospital Bunker, which was slightly haunting when you think back to how scary it must have been during the German occupation.
We also visited sites like the Island’s main church, often referred to as the ‘Cathedral of the Channel Islands’, as well as the Mannez Lighthouse and Semaphore Telegraph Tower, just to name a few spots.
Half way along the tour, we stopped at Alderney’s Roman Fort Nunnery Heritage Site for a luxurious picnic, provided by the Blonde Hedgehog hotel, which included sandwiches, a cheese board, salad, fruit, desserts and water.
This is where I have to explain how good the brownies were! Seriously, they were unbelievable. I know I’m getting sidetracked from explaining the bike tour, but wow, the brownies were so tasty, me and Raquel are still dreaming about them now.
If you’d rather go on your own self-guided tour or just hire a bike out for your visit, then head to Cycle & Surf, where you can hire out an e-bike and they will also provide you with a map and list of the main sights to see. The Island cycle route is 8 miles, an easy challenge when boosted by the engine which really did have some decent power behind it.
2) Eat At The Blonde Hedgehog Restaurant
We visit numerous restaurants each month through the blog, but I have to openly admit that this was one of the best food experiences I’ve had in my life. Every meal at The Blonde Hedgehog restaurant was exquisite, I was beyond impressed, I’m just very jealous of locals who can visit here on a Friday night.
They predominantly utilise local ingredients so your meal is made from fresh produce. This means that the menu does change with seasonality, so what I cover off below might not match what you see on the day, but I wanted to highlight some of my favourite dishes.
Beef Tataki
Not to be confused with the French dish Beef Tartare involving minced raw beef, this is a Japanese dish where the beef is lightly seared. It was like eating the best steak ever, but over so quickly I had to order it again the next day as it was all I was thinking about.
The beef was served with Vietnamese pickles, sesame seeds on top and the Japanese zesty soy sauce Ponzu.
Local Sea Bass
Served with new potatoes, artichoke, chestnut & vegetable hash and a salsa verde, this beautiful dish was incredible, the sauce just worked perfectly with the fish and the potatoes. I don’t often order sea bass, but that’s about to change after this experience.
Roast Salmon
I do love roasting salmon at home, the crispiness of the skin is so good, while the flavours from the salmon were unbelievable. I also loved everything else on the plate, with crushed potatoes, butter roasted vegetables, greens and lobster bisque sauce.
Salmon Sashimi
My favourite dish in the world, it’s actually what I requested for my birthday from my family, that’s how much I love salmon sashimi. Seeing it on the menu, served with ponzu, miso and pickles, I was beyond delighted and it certainly lived up to the expectation. This was part of a taster menu, so I can’t guarantee it will be on the final menu when you visit.
Korean Fried Chicken Burger
I’ve highlighted a number of the glamorous dishes I loved, but Raquel isn’t a big fan of seafood and often prefers a burger, so she went for the Korean Fried Chicken Burger. The scent was unbelievable so I had to sneak a bite for myself. The burger was so succulent, while the chips were also perfectly crispy.
This is merely a list of some of our favourites, but they have a great selection to pick from, while you could opt for a deal on two or three portions, if you fancy adding a dessert, such as a sticky toffee pudding or a lemon posset. Also, if you’re looking to visit the island, you should definitely consider staying at the Blonde Hedgehog hotel.
They also have an amazing selection of cocktails that are worth a try. We loved a number of them, such as the Salted Caramel Mudslide, which was a bit like an espresso martini with added caramel. But the absolute favourite was the Midori Storm.
Derrick, the friendly bar tender at Blonde Hedgehog, told us how he had invented it on a stormy day when someone came in asking for a surprise drink. It had a beautiful melon liquor, the coconut hit from the malibu and the sweetness from the pineapple and kiwi.
3) Yoga Class
I might not have the greatest flexibility, but I actually really enjoyed myself. The meditation was incredibly relaxing, while it was brilliant to stretch out, especially after carrying heavy bags and sitting on planes and trains all morning.
The studio in their house is the perfect setting for the class, rather than in a loud and busy gym room, while the view of the garden was also very relaxing.
If you’re interested in booking a class on your visit then you should reach out to Yogalderney on Instagram. Clare and Natalie run an amazing class and have a strong focus on mindfulness.
I was also mesmerised by the mosaic section of the garden they had created. This was built by themselves, adding bits over time, ever since Covid broke out.
4) Sauna & Swim
I’m used to saunas being a side section of a hotel or hidden away at a spa, but this was something completely different. You walk into the mobile sauna room, with the wood fire heating the room up, before sitting yourself down and looking out at the view.
The placement of the sauna is right along the seafront, on top of a small hill, while there is a big window looking out at the sea, so you can calmly watch the waves crash in, or swimmers heading out.
Plus, once you feel warm enough, you can hop out, charge towards the water for a quick wild sea swim. This shock to the circulation system, from the heat widening the blood vessels and the cold sea constricting them, helps to improve blood flow and deliver oxygen around the body. There is also quite an endorphin hit, giving you a ‘natural high’, as well as helping with muscle recovery, which might be useful as we did this straight after the yoga class.
If you want to book a visit, reach out to AdriftAlderney on Instagram where they would be delighted to book you in.
5) Search For Blonde Hedgehogs & Bats
This is certainly a great activity if you’re coming to Alderney as a family, as kids will love searching for the little critters. Wildlife fans will also love the experience, as you search around once the light has gone down, seeing these majestic creatures.
We were also armed with tools, both traditional and modern, to help find bats flying through the air. It was fascinating to hear about how the knowledge of different bat species is constantly being expanded for the area as they learn about all the various bats which live here.
The bat detectors we had would convert ultrasonic to an audible sound that we could recognise and hear, when we aimed it in the right direction. Pipistrelle was the most common from memory, but he also spoke about different variations such as a long eared bat.
Beyond the blonde hedgehogs, we also saw a number of traditional brown hedgehogs as well, so half the mission was to spot what colour they were before they dashed away.
These activities are run by the Alderney Wildlife Trust, during the months of April to October, while ours was run by the incredibly knowledgeable Roland Gauvain, who also handled the bike tour of the island.
6) Les Etacs Gannet Colony
I always love to build in some wildlife aspects to every trip and I was so happy to be able to see the thousands of birds at the Les Etacs site just on the Western tip of the island.
This is one of the largest seabird colonies of the Channel Islands, while it’s also a must-visit for your trip. You can hire out an e-bike to reach this location, or drive and park up nearby.
There is also a bench where you can sit and admire them if you wish, as well as a free telescope to look out at them.
7) Victoria Street
For a small island with a population of around 2,000 people, the shopping area actually wasn’t bad and Victoria Street was a really nice road to walk down, reminding me of Lewes (for anyone who knows this area of Sussex).
There are a number of independent cafes, pubs, shops and galleries along this street, while the cobbled roads also adds to the old fashioned feel you get, which I loved.
One of our first stops was at the Wildlife Trust Shop, where they have a camera aimed at the gannets, which you can muck around with. Their team are on-hand to offer advice, while they also have a number of wildlife books, souvenirs and soft toys.
You’ll find the Alderney Visitor Information Centre at one end, where they have numerous brochures and guides which might prove useful for your trip.
There is also an Indian restaurant here called Nellie Grays. I didn’t visit, so I can’t speak of whether it was good or not, but a couple of locals said how much they enjoy it.
8) Visit The Beach
You will find around 10 sandy beaches in Alderney, while I come from the pebble beaches of Brighton, so this was nice to see. Even when it’s peak summer time on the weekend with 30 degrees heat, it’s still calm in comparison to beaches in the UK, so you can enjoy some space.
One of the most popular beaches is Saye, which is very close to the campsite. The campsite operates between May and September, hence this is the most popular time for tourists to Saye beach, while they also serve woodfired pizzas on Friday nights nearby.
I would give a word of warning to research the tides before jumping into the sea, it was a lot stronger than I’m used to, while the tides do change quickly here. You should also keep an eye out for the gannets and gulls flying overhead if you’re a keen birdwatcher.
Some other beaches you might want to check out include Braye beach, Corblets Bay and Clonque Bay, all with their own appeal.
9) Alderney Museum
The Alderney Society Museum is in an old school building and has numerous displays portraying the history of the island, the maritime heritage and also the local archaeology. One inevitable focus is around the WWII German Occupation, which is such an interesting area to learn about.
Open from 10-12 everyday and then from 14:30-16:30 from Monday to Friday, there is also a telephone booth book swap just outside, something we have here in Burgess Hill as well, so I quite like these, especially if you’ve just finished your book on the plane over.