GUERNSEY'S ST. Peter Port has lots of waterfront charm. Shore News TRA Guernsey’s Shell Beach is a paradise for collectors - From page 43° over when traffic appears from the other direction. To keep things simple there are few road signs and just the occa- sional direction marker, such as **To the beach,”’ which is rather a waste of time because most roads have a sea view. But the locals are polite, honk-free drivers, and ainazingly tolerant of tourists, easily iden- tified by a large H (for ‘‘hire,’’ but wags can offer alternatives) on the rear of rented cars. Contrast this with other desti- nations, even B.C., where car rental companies are removing logos from cars to protect tourists. It’s the sort of place where you can just drive and you'll find something interesting, as I did the blustery day | ended‘up at Icart Point, whose carpark is like the deck of an aircraft carrier. I started to walk the cliff path near where a hawk rode the stiff wind with uncanny precision. There was a sheer drop tumbl- ing on to jagged rocks and poun- ding surf. ’ Every so often a little bay would unfold, then a tiny beach, and finally a natural harbor at Saints Bay where a young man fished unsuccessfully from a rock. We got talking and later he dyove me up the steep road. | got out at the top and walked narrow roads lined with pretty pink granite cottages. It was like the Cotswolds, com- plete with handsome hotels offer- ing bar meals and pints. } passed a blue mailbox, a reminder that the British system of letter boxes started here when Anthony Trollope was a civil ser- vant. He is better known, of course, * for his novels, and it’s interesting that a distant relative, Joanna Trollope, is a best-selling novelist now making her mark in Canada, The islanders are fiercely pro- British, but like Jersey, Guernsey has its own government, makes its own laws and fixes its own taxes. Population is 58,000, and in- cluded in the bailiwick (as it’s known) are the smaller islands of Alderney, Sark, Herm and Jethou. Herm, 25 minutes by ferry, is a delightful car-free retreat rejoicing in a fine hotel called The White House, which offers the best of everything including a cosy bar and comfortable lounge, where on a typical night perhaps 50 of the 60 guests will sit and socialize. There is neither a TV nor business groups to intrude and spoil the atmosphere. Some 50 cows, more per head than people on the island, graze on fields sloping to sandy beaches. Shell collectors are in paradise on the wide expanse of Shell Beach, where the Gulf Stream de- posits billions of shells from the Caribbean, Author Sir Compton Mackenzie lived here in the 1920s, but found the beauty so distracting that he moved to nearby Jethou where he built a lodge with no windows; the novel Fairy Gold resulted. ; St. Peter Port, picturesque as they come with a harbor bustling with boats bringing fresh seafood to the town’s restaurants, is domi- nated by Castle Cornet, a splendid fortress now boasting a fine mari- time museum. The history is long and bloody, of course, but it has had lighter moments such as the electrical storm that ignited the powder magazine, depositing the govern- or, still safe in his bed, on to the battlements. Like any decent castle, it has a ghost, and no visit to Guernsey is complete without a witch story. The islanders are a superstitious lot with a fear of witches. That’s why many houses, in- cluding new ones, have a large stone sticking out of the chimney where passing witches can sit and warm themselves (and be disinclined to harm the accu- pants). Guernsey had Europe’s last witch trial in 1912. Getting there: Guernsey is 80 miles from Britain and well con- nected by Air UK to several air- ports including London Heathrow and Southampton, Car ferries also operate. ANNIVERSARY YEA Photo David Wishart 1295 Marine Dr., N.Van. For All Destinations ... Talk To Us! MAZATLAN 459 Discover Your World Travel 980-4526 (CRUISE CONNECTIONS in cooperation with Norwegian Cruise Lines iS PROUD TO OFFER HUGE SAVINGS © of UP TO 50% on selected Cruise Vacations! Cali 684-WAVE THANKS.FOR HELPING US MAKE ROOM! Over 470 adults and kids stomped up a storm and raised $35,000 that will go towards a lager transition home on the North Shore for abused women and children. Thank you donors, volunteers, and all those who pitched in to make this first farnily fundraiser for Emily Murphy House a huge success. Diane Sherwoad Liz Dennehy Chris Ludgate Georgy Good Bill Good Linda Davies Jackson Davies June Earl Peggy Mulligan Jamie Woodall Terry David Mulligan Sue Stewart Judie Irizawa Bob York Henry Irizawa Gale Honey Carcle Lee Rick Honey Elizabeth Kirkwood Gwen Sutheland Shamin Laiji Monica Magnetti Elizabeth McColl Jan Skelly Leesa Aldred Janet Turpin North Shore Auctioneers and Appraisers Great Western Promotions Toothpick the Clown Many on site and other volunteers Penny Cooke Penny Albers Sheyenne Line Dancers Cannell Films Andres Wines Alberta Distillers North Shore News Curtis Blayne Band Lions Gate Hospital Presto Catering Alan Gadsby THANK YOU! THE VOICE OF MONTH AND WERT VANCOUVER rthish 2 SPECIAL — FULLY INCLUSIVE & ESCORTED TOURS FROM VANCOUVER June 01-June 11/94 11 days $2939 CDN. May 25-June 09/94 16 days $3524 con. 7 FALCON FT 1280 Marine North Vancouver 1994 WEES 986-5321