Showing posts with label L'Etacq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L'Etacq. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Hello Again

It's been a while since I last posted (April) so it's time to catch up. Thanks for all the comments I received (all one of them!), asking when I'd be back. I'm glad to report that Google have sorted out the image upload bug that was making posting here far more tedious than it should be.

Before I post collections of pics on specific topics, let's cover the usual Misc first...


The most recent and newsworthy first - the old Jeffery's Leap tearooms have been demolished...
 .. won't be long before picturesque old Anne Port is defiled by a modern monstrosity.





The Chateau has been torn down too.
 I did enjoy the dual Lancaster spectacle...
 .. two of these did look rather good, even on the ground.







 The Red Arrows were wonderful as always...
 .. pictured here a day or two after the display.







Norman's had a temporary improvement of their hideous attention seeking yellow buildings, but this has been removed since.







On St. Martin's Village Green, a cafe is going up, to replace the one on the main road that has closed...
.. always good to find a new footpath, there's a way through from that green to the little carpark by the St.John's Ambo building.



A road was named this year after an airman who crashed nearby back in the war...
 .. closer.
 .. and another at the other end of the short lane, off 'hydrangea avenue'.
 A 'percentage for art' piece at the new development opposite Grainville playing fields, St.Saviour.
That's certainly one way to make a point! :)


The Normandie 3 power cable came ashore this summer...






 .. heading ashore along the footpath at Longbeach.






Nearby at Gorey Village, during that pleasant walk.


 The tower at Corbiere was open for a look around this year, so we couldn't resist another peek. Here's the view over the 5 Mile Beach.
 .. and the interior up top.







The roads at the Elizabeth harbour have been slightly rerouted, and the carpark near the shore has been removed. There's now just a narrow path with an unsightly view of a trailer park through the hideous fence for our visitors to enjoy if they walk between the ferry terminals. 



Still, the harbour area is still a great place for a walk. If you head down along the wall to the south of the marina here...



.. you reach a wide open area with benches, an artwork that is supposed to rise and fall with the tide, and good views of the castle and the marina entrance. Worth a visit if you've never ventured down here before.






Before you set off, there's an artwork to enjoy between the two Castle Quay blocks - The Wing...

 .. closer.
 On a Sunny evening, it's really rather nice down here, despite the general grotty nature of the area just inland.
 I've seen worse!








Some coastal views to finish off, starting with the 5 Mile Beach from the other end. Taken from Les Landes, just a little walk away from the bunkers up there.
Talking of bunkers, there's a sprinkling of German structures to visit at Le Pulec, near La Voûte ("vault") Guardhouse (which has a sign saying "La Votte" - is there discussion to be had about that?).

The bunker at Les Havres, L'Etacq, at high tide.


Another coastal defensive position, La Crete fort between Bonne Nuit and Giffard Bays...
.. closer.







A ruin at Flicquet caught my eye from St.Catherine's Breakwater (no, you can't wander in, it's fenced off).
And finally, a little spot of remembrance.

Saturday, 12 April 2014

The Best View Bunker

I found a bunker that I'd never seen before, with a view that was absolutely breathtaking. I had noticed an intricate pattern of well worn paths on the north side of Mt Rossignol :
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=49.216953~-2.211495
and this looked like something that deserved a look on the ground :
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=49.218097~-2.213412

First you'll probably find a bunker some distance away from the one with the great view. Clamber down to this trench and you may find that an old armchair has gone here to die, spilling its stuffing all over.
The first entrance is well blocked up...
.. but farther along and there's one for those of you who always carry a torch and are happy to venture inside. I didn't :)
Instead, I was eager to proceed onwards to where I expected great views to lie in wait...
.. and I certainly wasn't disappointed. We'll have a look at the awesome views from the flat top on the left, after one quick shot down a shaft on the right here...
.. looks like you intrepid explorers could be very happy with this one as well!
So what can we see from here? All the way from south to north taking in so many of the Best of the West features.
Right a bit, Corbiere and La Rocco Towers enough for starters?
A ribbon of light, the road from La Pulente to Le Braye.
I think I may have mentioned these, beyond the driving range near Le Port.
There's a lot of pleasantly green fields, and water features...
.. the White House...
.. the Lord of the Manor's pond...
.. with its new bird hide.
And the sights continue all the way to the north...
.. with two more old towers...
.. another Bailiwick in the distance, beyond Lewis's Tower and the bunker at..
.. L'Etacq, etc. Trust me, there's so much to see from here you'll be wondering what to stare at next!
Another bunker some way away, the "doctor's house" one on Mt Matthieu.
.. plus there's a view up a little valley up to the St.Ouen's Mill and Church.And you'll get a good view of airport movements too. Etc.

What a great place to find!
If you want to take a look, it's probable that the bunker is on private land so proceed at your own discretion. The track may well be public, it's difficult to tell. The well worn paths suggest it's open to the public, at least no attempt has been made to limit access.

I'll leave choice of parking spots up to you, as far as walking to the site goes, there is the track from here :
https://maps.google.com/?ll=49.220029,-2.209003
From the lower end, it has the hallmarks of a private track but could well be a public right of way for all we know :
https://maps.google.com/?ll=49.216924,-2.212232
On more detailed maps you may find names like Chemin du Vau a Charriere suggesting a very old right of way. There's a house down there for which the only access is along these tracks, it doesn't have its own direct access to the lane Rue du Val de la Mare.

Also there's a gap in the hedge here on the main road hill, with a footpath of sorts that leads up to the heights :
https://maps.google.com/?ll=49.215607,-2.210634

If you have a great time, mention this blog when you tell people all about it! :)

UPDATE : Sept 2014
I have been informed that the bunker with the great view was the HQ of the First Battalion of the Army Coastal Artillery Regiment 1265 (or HKAR : Heeres Küsten Artillerie Regiment). In the mid 1980s it was discovered that it was being developed into accommodation in contravention of the local planning laws, so that work was stopped and the bunker was 'buried'. Not very well, I'd say, thankfully!

The nearby bunker a little inland is apparently a Type 622 Personnel Shelter.

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