Just a stone’s throw from Brittany and set between the salty rollers of the English Channel, Jersey is the largest and most oft-visited of the Channel Islands. It comes with a curious fusion of French and English cultures, with plenty of Parisian-style bistros marking the streets of Saint Helier next to hearty English country pubs. Then there are the soaring castles and forts, crowning the cliff tops at Mont Orgueil Castle and Elizabeth Castle; a testimony to this much fought-over crown dependency and its defiance of French power for more than 600 years. 20^th century history is also still raw seeing Jersey’s occupation by the Nazis). Check out the shocking exhibitions at the Jersey War Tunnels, and don’t miss the modern monument on Liberation Square. Jersey tour guides also recommend cliff walks and boat trips, sea kayaking and paddle boarding around the wild and windswept coast, with unspoiled sand stretches beckoning at Bonne Nuit, Portelet Bay and St Brelade’s.