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| Journal - |
| August 11th, 2005 > Beach parties, monks, cows & kayaks |
| It’s been long over due…. We haven’t had a properly organised staff party in weeks and us hard working seasonals have a lot of energy to dispose of. Although there is usually something going on somewhere on the island most nights, the close proximity of guest accommodations makes life hard for the party animal. So once in a while, a suitably distant location is chosen to host a bash where we can create pure un-adulterated noise. It reminds me of a comedy sketch I once saw on TV – silent librarians sneaking off on their break to a soundproofed room, in which they stand and shout at the top of their voices to let off all that steam.
In this case, Shell Bay was the venue of choice on a balmy Sunday evening, the traditional day of the week for letting the hair down. A few of us raced down after work to set up the sound & lighting equipment, rented from Guernsey. With the day-trippers gone, we had this mile long stretch of golden sand to ourselves – perfect for flying Dave’s power kite. Even with a very light breeze, the pull on this thing has to be felt to be believed. Dave harnesses this to pull off some spectacular aerobatics and to “get air” – the term used by trendy people such as myself on the occasions when one jumps and the kite carries you off. I, however, generally only succeed in ploughing two furrows down the beach with my heels just before the kite abruptly nosedives into the sand like a suicidal bird of prey. |
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| Contact me like this: |
| Snail Mail - Timo (campsite warden), Administration office, Herm, Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK |
| mobile sms - UK 07781 437 481 International +44 7781 437 481 |
| Enjoying a well-earned beer in the Mermaid pub after work recently, a couple of guys strode in announcing their arrival by boat. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, and I’d be inclined to agree. Further questioning revealed that Frans & Gerard, intent on camping, had paddled here by sea kayak. They’d driven from their home in Holland south to Granville, and then spent a couple of weeks working their way from France across the Channel Islands. Helping them beach the heavy kayaks, it was clear these guys were well qualified for the challenge. And so they’d have to be – the relentless currents and tidal flows around here take no prisoners. They used the campsite as a base to rest up and explore the coast of Herm and nearby Sark, before heading out into the blue back toward France. |
| Small is Beautiful |
| As always, DJ Fez & DJ Gardener provided us with a great range of music to bop away to – and the males once again confirmed the fact that blokes really can’t dance. Oh, apart from campsite assistant Wil and partner Lindie who wheeled around the floor like a couple of divas – hidden talents indeed. Unfortunately our DJ’s had to leave, and so after a thirty second crash course I was plunked in front of the decks. I’ll apologise now for the choice of music thereof – I didn’t really know which buttons to press and neither could I find the play list to accompany the cd’s, thus picking tracks was pure luck. I did learn one thing, however. Being a DJ truly sucks, watching everyone else having a great time and not being able to stray too far. |
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| It’s only since reading Hidden Treasures of Herm Island by Catherine Kalamis that I have begun to appreciate the colourful history of this place. I used to visit regularly in my childhood; summer was for hanging out on the beach, winter for chasing the island’s ample Rabbit population. Beyond those two activities, it was just a big rock out there which of course I would see everyday on my way to school.
But this island has drawn many people. It has many secrets, some of which will never be revealed. It has inspired writers and artist alike, filled the role of hunting estate for some and bankrupted more than a few. Early visitors to Herm are thought to have arrived during the Mesolithic period between 10,000 and 8,000 BC. As hunter-gatherers they took advantage of a larger island than today, heavily wooded with Oak and Alder. The first settlers came during Neolithic and Bronze Age times, around 3,000 to 2,000 BC. They left behind them evidence of village settlements and were the first to cultivate the land and domesticate livestock. Most visible today are the remains of around sixteen burial sites, or Dolmen, as they are locally known. Various archaeologists have had a poke around these, the first in 1837. Artefacts recovered include human bones, pottery and jewellery and can be seen today in the Guernsey Museum. But the majority remain undisturbed apart from the odd rock that was pinched by over ambitious men during the quarrying period. |
| Early Herm |
| They vary in layout; burial chambers containing up to thirty individuals and smaller tombs thought to contain just one or two. Mostly positioned on top of the hills at the northern end of the island, it is a truly surreal experience to stand near one at sunset. Several important sites line up from one hill to another and the mind boggles as to what their significance could be. It almost makes me want to dress up in some Druid gear and dance around a bit.
Some evidence suggests the Romans did pass through Herm, but there is no sign of any settlement. The Channel Islands were at the very edge of the Empire, but they still benefited from the civilization the Romans brought with them. Apart from roads, evidently, which are as bad as ever. The next significant change in the island residents came during the period 485 to 1569 when Monks established themselves on Herm and got busy converting the locals to Christianity. They are responsible for the first proper buildings and the chapel. The latter, named after St.Tugual, was built somewhere between 1028 and 1035, and is still in use today. During the middle ages various orders established the farming, carp ponds and vineries. They were granted full rights to claim any shipwreck cargo for themselves. With many boats navigating the unchartered sea’s unsuccessfully or passing ships attacked and destroyed by pirates, this was a regular occurrence. In the early 1200’s the Channel Islands were politically separated from Normandy, but Herm remained firmly under the control of the Norman church for another 300 years. By the 1300’s Herm would have proved an ideal vantage point from which to watch the warring French and English armies during the Hundred Years War. Finally, in 1536 Henry VIII urged all foreign friars in the islands to swear allegiance of clear off. This they mostly did, and the last of the Norman Monks set sail for France. For the next thirty or so years the island lacked any clear direction and became easy prey for pirates. A historian of the time described Herm and neighbouring Sark as “islands of thieves, banditti, picaroons, robbers, ruffians and murderers”. During the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, under the control of Queen Elizabeth I, the island would evolve again into the private hunting grounds for the Governors of Guernsey, representatives of the reigning monarch. Ironically, I am not the first gamekeeper to stay on the island; they were employed during this period to look after the game populations. I pass their former quarters several times daily. This period passed by relatively quickly, and in 1737 the then Governor of Guernsey, who had no interest in maintaining the island as a hunting ground, suggested to King George II that the island be leased. And so begun the era of the Herm Tenant, a system which is still largely in use today. More on that next time… |
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| Intrepid Paddlers |
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| Farming has always been important in the Channel Islands. The world famous Guernsey and Jersey dairy cows have been the mainstay of agriculture for a long time. Herm has played its roll too, and in the past farming tenancies on the island were the only means of income, before the evolution of tourism. All sorts of enterprises have been attempted over time – but ultimately it was milk production that would prove the most successful. Attempts have been made on sheep (for farming, that is) – but it was found that escapees liked nothing more than to gallop down the hill, along the pier and into the sea. Like a giant waterlogged sponge with legs, they proved difficult to retrieve. In recent times Herm has been well known for it’s high quality dairy herd, but this has been wound down over the last few years as modernising the infrastructure to comply with contemporary regulations was inherently costly. But the dairying legacy lives on – the staff accommodations on the old farm yard have names such as parlour cottage and the island still has rich creamy ice cream made to it’s own recipe from golden Guernsey milk. The first ferry boat to arrive on the island each day is still known to many as the milk boat as it was this that would take the churns of milk to Guernsey for processing. The whole process of getting the heavy churns down the low water landing steps was something of a daily ritual – one so popular with tourists even the holiday brochures invited them to help. |
| Today, the only livestock on the land are a mere forty beef animals. With over three hundred acres of grazing available, the two tiny herds almost look lost in the large fields. Each week a couple are loaded aboard the Sea Horse for a one-way trip to Guernsey, to return in boxes a few weeks later in the form of very tasty burgers and steaks. As an environmentalist and keen observer of wildlife, it’s a real pleasure to view farming on this scale. It’s how it used to be, and perhaps how it still should be. Hedges are left to grow and no artificial inputs are used on the land. If you know what to look for, the results of this are all around; myriad weeds proliferate across the fields. Consequently, insect life is abundant in quantities you’d seldom find in the modern English countryside. I know because at least half of the invertebrate population reside in the lurve shak with me; most mornings I wake up face to face with something that has more than one set of legs and several pairs of eyes. And hell, that’s just the women, you should see the insects! But seriously, what follows on from this is abundant bird life and a very healthy environment. |
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| The island is now well and truly into the busiest time of year; you’ll have guessed that from the lack of journal entries lately. It has stressed me out quite a bit, trying to keep the website up to date and interesting. But the bottom line is this is just the warm up period before I start to travel (which is now only around eight weeks away) – then I will have much more time to dedicate to such things. The weather has generally been very good and the campsite mostly fully booked. I’ve learnt that my enjoyment of the job is intrinsically linked to the type of people we have staying with us at any one time. Some days its nothing but hassle, but thankfully on most the people are interesting, happy, satisfied campers. When I get to the end of a busy day and everyone is in the correct place with the right luggage and enjoying themselves, I get my little bit of payback. It makes up for the other days when things don’t run so smoothly.
I’m quite excited about the next journal, which you can rest assured will be along much more quickly this time. I have recently experienced my first workaway ride on a cargo ship. There’s since been another beach party, we’ve had bush fires, an arrest and a medical evacuation. I’ve even had a whole page write up in the Guernsey Press about this job and my travel plans. Also, the regular people profile and meet the natives will be back next time. So treat this entry as a quick stop-gap (hence few images) and proof that all is well in paradise! |
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| Remember last time I mentioned the competition to win a copy of the often quoted book Treasures of Herm Island by Catherine Kalamis? Well, it's here - go to the home page to check it our. The first correct answer in my inbox gets a copy sent to them. Good luck! |
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