Nice one mate, I've always wanted to visit Guernsey. Top tip for when roaming isn't included in your contract, in Google maps download for offline use the area you'll need. GPS still works so you can use maps :)
Did this trip a couple of years ago. The big benefit of the lounge area to me was the power points, after a day exploring and the travel there, the opportunity to charge my phone on the way back was priceless! I was able to upgrade on board at the information point which was very handy. It's also so much quieter as less screaming kids... Loved Guernsey and the bus network - I got on so many buses that one of the drivers recognised by the end of the day 😂
This brings back such happy memories of childhood holidays in Guernsey in the 70s & 80s! It doesn’t seem to have changed too much. The harbour at St Peter Port is one of my favourite views in the world. Thank you 😊
The same for me. We used to spend two weeks in Guernsey every August from the late 70s into the 80s. I've been back quite a few times since those days, either for short trips, and even a couple of times for work. You're right, it's changed very little since the days of those cherished childhood summer holidays!
That brought back memories. I've not been to Guernsey for a few years now but used to visit quite regularly. For anyone going there and wanting a hotel, I'd recommend the St. Pierre Park Hotel. It's not the cheapest but it's great value for money. Wonderful food, Heal Spa, Gardens, choice of restaurants, etc, etc. Also, renting a small car to get around the island is very cheap.
As a Poole resident (1969-76 and 1991-2018) I can confirm the main road (A35) regularly features when there are surveys of the slowest moving traffic flows in the country. As a previous poster says you'd have been better off getting the train. We used Condor years ago to take our kids to Guernsey using one of the offers you mention. Keep up the good work, always enjoy your trips.
Cheers Kevin. I was getting really worried sitting on that bus in the traffic! Monday morning too wasn’t it so yep, i’ll know for next time. Live and learn and all that!
I've only travelled on Condor Express and Vitesse, but I'm pleased to see that Liberation seems to have a decent amount of outside deck space, which is the most important thing on any ferry as I'm sure you'll agree
that one brought a few memories back I recall leaving from the same departure building with Channel Island ferries back in 1991 for a night crossing to Jersey
Been to Guernsey about (100) times now, mainly to visit a close friend, but I have flown many times to the island, more than using Condor. Just a 55 min flight time in a privet prop 4 seat plane (which my friend has) thats from Southampton. Use to get to Guernsey from Weymouth back in the day by Condor Ferries, but that stopped. Love the Island and will be moving there when I win the loto or when I retire, which ever comes first. Many beaches, perfect Golf and friendly locals.
Ray, if your friend ever has a spare seat and help with the costs, let me know! That must be a great way to get to the island 👍 and if you’re retiring there too all I can say is, I’m very jealous!! 😊
Great video. Did the day trip to Guernsey and Jersey many times from Weymouth. Such a shame they moved Condor to Poole. We once went from Weymouth at 5am to Jersey and didnt leave Jersey till after midnight as there was a problem with the ferry. Got back to Weymouth at 6 am the next day.
Not sure what date this was but this ferry has had issues with one of its engines, especially when we were on it 27th July. I also used Islander recently which is similar ferry to the Condor Clipper. More modern but I still prefer the clipper to be honest.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Not sure, I know you like lots of deck space but as I was on the overnight I didn't explore that aspect. But whilst islander has more modern decor I feel there is less room, for example the clipper has a seperate bar. I do know however the club class lounge on the islander looked pretty decent.
Amazing vlog as always. There's a row of houses on sandbanks that are valued at over a billion pounds. A family member used to live on sandbanks and he sold his property for just over a million pounds . I've got a friend who lives in Poole and he runs a pub called the red lion in hamworthy and it's worth a visit
Cheers mate, I can well believe those prices. A nice area for sure but is it overhyped? Probably. Well out of my price range but if I had the money, Scottish castle on an island every day of the week 😊👍
I'm really glad you do these types of trips - I've chosen not to fly for environmental reasons and so learning about land and sea options is very helpful; thanks. My take aways from this one are that HSC is the sensible choice, Condor need to a) improve the differentiation for their lounge upgrades and b) take better charge of their departure terminals, that a day trip isn't worth it and wear a head covering out in the sun!👍
As a Guernsey resident myself I can comment on a few things. The Horizon lounge in my experience is only worth it if you want plug sockets at the seat. I believe the taped off section is widely used by large groups i.e. school trips etc. The white bunker is the Vivier Bunker. It was built by the Nazis and was used as for fuel Storage. As for the mobile data situation it is equally annoying for us as we have the same issue coming to the UK. The whole situation with transport to and from the islands (via air or sea) is a hot topic of conversation with not great reliability and high prices. Would love to see your take on the government owned airline Aurigny if you did visit Guernsey again
Thanks James, lots of useful information there - much appreciated. I will be back and more than likely with Aurigny as I’ve wanted to try them out for a while and I think I can fly from BHX too. I’ll check out the buses next time 👍
I have been to Guernsey several times. Went on the condor from Weymouth once. Best to stay on Guernsey for about a week. I saw a lot more of the island and went over to Sark and Herm.
Guernsey is a scenic Island, I have been tempted to do a day trip for the novelty of it really, and put it to the back of my mind until i watched this😂
Yaaay…”Cheers for now” is back!!. 🎉 Just need the “baby change” check in a random bus toilet and all will be right with the world. 😊 Great vid, we did the same trip 9 years ago. 👍🏻
I live in Bournemouth and enjoy driving down to Poole Harbour to watch the bigger ships leave and always wondered taking the Condor - this was a very informative and useful video. I think like yourself I'd stay a couple of days - being in amateur radio I can see several very nice 'parks on the air' locations in Guernsey which would be lovely places to go to get out on the radio and see new and interesting places as well. Very informative, and well put together. Thanks again !
@@LetsMakeaTrip i booked my trip to Guernsey - only staying the one night, but very excited! Thanks again for your video ! As I'll be doing as much radio as possible whilst in Guernsey I'll be adding a video to my youtube once I'm back. Its kind of a try-out before taking the missus over to see if she would like it as well.
You were really lucky with the weather for that trip. Crossings on Condor Liberation can get interesting when the sea is choppy !😂 Castle Cornet is certainly worth visiting if you return to Guernsey. The annual Discovery pass includes admission to Castle Cornet, Fort Grey Shipwreck Museum, Guernsey Naval Signals Museum and Guernsey Museum plus 10% discount in the museums' shops and cafes.
Cheers Bethan, I’ll definitely look into the discovery pass next time. I’ve heard the fast craft can be a bit unstable in bad weather! Might try Aurigny next time 😊👍
Hi Mark, we travelled to Guernsey from Jersey on Condor, years ago. I remember I asked someone if we had to actually sit in our allocated seat numbers (not sure why I asked😂) but he said no one ever does! Guernsey is lovely, in particular Candy Gardens😍
Yep it was no big deal for me really, just sat somewhere else. Quite a laid-back trip really once I’d actually made it! And yes, Guernsey looks lovely but I need to stay for longer next time. 😊
My favorite part of this one was about a minute in where that massive guy nearly knocked over the girl in the hi-vis vest. He was huge!! Undoubtedly the tallest human I've ever seen..... Great video all round though!
This reminds me of this huge tall Welsh policeman at Holyhead one winter on the ferry to Dublin - I was travelling with a group of middle aged women on the coach from Manchester and we all thought that he was gorgeous and handsome, we all fancied him like mad, as he was 6 foot 2, striking blue eyes, bald head, rugby type build - I was the only openly gay one travelling so I was the first to notice him and the first to flirt with him (shamelessly lol) - it turned out that he (was) gay, so my Gaydar was on point that night lol - as I got older, at age 53 now, I have a reputation for being a shameless flirt and I flirt with handsome men all the time, regardless of whether or not they are straight, my aunt says that I’m “man-mad” and I’m not afraid to own it lol ❤
Great video Mark. That boat is very like the old seacat vessel. I prefer the larger ferry with more space etc but i assume you didnt have any other choice.
Mark, this was more of a cautionary tale than a recommendation. Time ashore was obviously a big problem. Was there not any bus tours on the island, you could have perhaps filmed more from an open topped bus? Interesting as always, and thanks for filling us in with all the prices, (some scarey!). Be good John
Re mobile phones. I'm in Jersey and until recently if I went to the UK it would cost be 50p per MB which is obviously crazy these days. Now if you are on a certain plan in Jersey you can use your data allowance in the UK. I also have an EE sim which I obtained as I travel to the UK quite often, if I used that in Jersey it would charge me £2 per day, which I think is reasonable.
Someone else in the comments said they were on EE and the Channel Islands were included in their plan. Sounds pretty good but I’m not exactly sure what the plan was.
If you have a whole day on Guernsey take the circular bus trip round the island. You can hop on and off to explore all the sights. The beaches on the west coast are spectacular.
Thanks Mark, great video, nice ferry journey, busy busy though 😒, that bacon barm on the way over looked anemic bud, I agree, maybe a night or 2 on the Island would be better for the full experience however a great day out if your down that way 👌
Cheers mate. I quite enjoyed the food - captive market isn’t it on board. A couple of nights in the premier inn next time would be good if I can get it for a decent price 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTripSlightly off topic, but Premier Inn have moved themselves out of the economy hotel market to some extent with their current prices -hard to bag a bargain with them these days.
Fascinated to see this and your opinion overall of Condor and Guernsey too, having sampled both back in June but sadly closest I got to their catamaran was watching it departing the quay at St Helier just as the Clipper was pulling into harbour from Guernsey alongside! One benefit for sure of the Horizon lounge was getting individual plug sockets although for a 2 hour crossing that's not so essential as when I did, go overnight on the conventional ferry and there weren't any even in the Horizon Lounge. Was great to see Guernsey again too, i flew in on Aurigny in the morning and left on the Jersey ferry at 4.30. You had less time but saw more than I did I think 🙂 Super informative video as ever Mark! 👌
Cheers Phil. That conventional ferry and the plug sockets thing is crazy. If you saw my video on that, you’ll see why. I was under the impression the lounge had sockets too. I am hoping to try Aurigny next time I’m over there so watch this space!
My Parents visited a few years ago and they enjoyed it especially the visit to Sark. They bemoaned the lack of any decent bread though. We stayed on Sandbanks over 30 years ago which was great as very close to the beautiful beach. The boat you took look decent for the journey and I agree the food looked a good price. I would not like to be on board when full though. I had a look at my phone plans and it would have been £2.47 a day, the same as the EU. My Dad once mentioned in his younger days he went down to Newquay in an open top car and had exactly the same issue with the sun and wind resulting in a fried head, hope it was not too painful.
if you ever go back there you should try one of those ducks that goes from guernsey to jersey. 18:26 - that building might be a WW2 lookout post for soldiers watching for landing Germany troops. It seems it didn't work though as the channel islands were taken over by Germany in the war.
Mmmm and the normal seats even cheaper! I dunno, if I didn’t worry about money I’d give it a go but y’know I could spend that on two nights in spoons 😂
Another great video Mark. You won't forget your cap next time will you ! Such a shame you missed out on the half price offer for your trip, would've saved you loads - especially ditching the horizon lounge. I live in Poole, so it was good to see the port and Sandbanks etc. Keep up the great work !
I blimmin won’t be forgetting my cap Andy no! It was good to try this route out and I did learn a lot and yep, would definitely do it slightly differently next time. Cheers mate 😊👍
Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Scilly…so many places I want to visit, so little time. Don’t forget your hat/sunscreen next time. (Happy that the “cheers for now” is back in its traditional place)
The Dublin Swift fast ferry operates between Holyhead and Dublin and Irish Ferries should really withdraw it altogether, as it’s not reliable despite the reduced journey time - the Irish Sea is very unpredictable and it has to be cancelled in the event of rough weather
Great video. I did this trip last month and had an identical experience. Right down to problems getting a taxi and random taped off seats. I reached the same conclusion it's too long a day for the time you get ashore. At £30 or even £20 it is great value though.
Cheers Paul, yes for the money I paid, I don’t think it’s worth it tbh and I would probably fly next time and stay even though obviously that would be even more expensive but I want to see a bit more of the island.
@@LetsMakeaTrip definitely worth exploring. The Renoir Picture Frame walk looks fun. See also the round the island bus. Flights from Southampton are a lot dearer than they used to be.
Oh man Mark… as a middle aged slightly balding man myself, I can really empathise with the sunburn. Fun video, made me want to go to Guernsey too (like the potato peel pie movie did a few years back…!) will have to go!
Cheers, I haven’t seen the film tbh but feel like I ought to now. I’ll definitely go back but stay a while longer next time and have a proper look around👍
Re the mobile signal: my contract is with SMARTY and likewise did not include coverage for a trip to Jersey last year. I bought a digital sim for one week for 3GB which cost £4 before I left UK and all worked out well. Incidentally, Switzerland is another ‘non-included’ country for SMARTY so one needs to be well prepared when travelling away from the UK. Another excellent account of your travels; many thanks.
The channel islands, IOM and switzerland aren't in the EU and so aren't included in the EU free roaming that some providers include and that's part of the reason I switched from Smarty to ID mobile which does include the IOM and the channel islands
Great video, Mark. Been to Jersey a couple of times, but never visited Guernsey, so it was good to see. I went sea fishing in Jersey and got sunburnt and looked like a tomato for a few days. We live and learn 😂 Andy.
Always love a ferry video mate , not sure if it would be for me as it looked so busy and cramped , I like it a lot quieter in the winter … great vlog tho man cheers 🙋🏻♂️
That bunker is currently being redeveloped been used as a harbour store for a good few years. It has just been taken on by Wheadons gin and by next year there will be hopefully a distillery up and running with a small shop.
I have wanted to visit the Channel Islands for some time but did not managed yet. It is not great indeed that the Channel Islands use the same country code of the UK and most UK plans are not covered there whilst I checked with my Maltese SIM Card provider (my mobile plan covers all the EU and the UK but does not cover Switzerland, and Norway) and my UK coverage also includes them. Sounds daft. Anyway, seems you had an overall lovely trip and its convincing me more to visit the Channel Islands
The Condor Liberation gets a bad rap due to some of her history of being unreliable however as an HSC, she's really nicely appointed and very comfortable. Normally not a fan of the Aussie HSCs (although don't dislike them), but the Liberation is rather nice.
Not done this trip so it was good to learn about it. However you mentioned the Breezer services at the outset and I've to one all of them. The 50 between Bournemouth and Swanage must be one of the most attractive bus routes in the country.
Good stuff mate, what were the prices like in duty free? Still a bit of a novelty since we left the EU and I'm not quite old enough to remember what it was like before!
Gotta be honest Jon, I didn’t check them out. Matts Planet RU-vid has done some good content on duty free prices though if you want to have a look at his channel. I definitely recommend it.
Nice vid. Conclusion is that unless you want to spend 7 hrs in a day on a ferry, doing a day trip to Guernsey makes no sense. Guernsey is a lovely island and worth a proper stay. Look forward to next vid.
Yes I would say it allows you to do a few things around St Peter Port, grab a coffee or something then back. If you enjoy ferries (like me), it’s great. But I’d definitely want at least a couple of nights next time.
😮 wow nice one Mark great info shame about the club class on the ship and ripping everyone off with the phone shame on them 🤔 All the best my friend John 😊
Cheers John, just my personal opinion on the lounge and the phone thing, I have had a comment wrt ee being a provider that covers the Channel Islands so they might be worth a look.
Another great trip. I travel to Jersey and Guernsey regularly. I'm with EE and my data plan covers The channel Islands without issue, and all included in my normal plan. 5G Speeds. Just for your info, there is a Premier Inn just outside St Peter Port should you want to stay for longer next time.
Cheers guys, I did wonder if you could get any kind of plan that worked, ee must be worth a look by the sounds of it. I am aware of the premier inn and I think that would probably be my first choice next time I go. Quite fancy an Aurigny flight - that’s gotta be worth a vid 👍
Another great video. I remember a few years ago going from London to poole via Bournemouth and corfe castle in a day, was a lovely day out. Does this include dark web? Asking for a friend 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole (BCP) is one of the worlds most congested conurbations (lots of new housing but no new roads or bus lanes). You might have been better off getting the train from B'mth to Poole! Thanks for an interesting trip report.
Cheers, yes the premier inn was really expensive in Poole whereas Bournemouth ones were surprisingly cheap. And I agree, train would’ve been better. Live and learn though I guess. 😊
I was on there at the beginning of June and some of the cheap seats at the back were also taped off like that. No idea why and no one attempted to sit in them. It does seem an odd thing for them to do.
That lounge did not seem worth it. You got nothing free, not even a tea or coffee. Was it a ship or a catamaran. I don’t know. I used to work for Sealink in Guernsey in the early 80s. Things have definitely changed since then. Good video though.
The reason your plan doesn't work in Guernsey is because there are no UK Networks in Guernsey, just Sure Telecom, JT Gloval and Airtel Vodafone (which is completely separate to the UK one). Guernsey is a country in its own right and not part of The UK. It's part of GB
