Underrated Channel Island gets new daily direct flight from London Heathrow

Big news for the Channel Islands: a new direct flight to its most underrated gem has just taken off from the UK’s biggest airport.

On Sunday, British Airways launched a daily, year-round service between London Heathrow and Guernsey, a pocket-sized paradise of charming villages, rolling hills and idyllic, windswept beaches.

And there was a special touch.

The captain and four members of the cabin crew have roots in Guernsey, or close family ties to the island.

Flights start from £96 return, including taxes, and will operate daily from Heathrow Terminal 5.

It comes six years after the last direct route from Heathrow was cancelled.

In 2019, Guernsey’s States launched a daily service between Guernsey and Heathrow, the first such link in over 20 years.

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The route was subsidised by the States of Guernsey with £825,000 in funding before it ceased in March 2020, coinciding with Flybe’s collapse.

Addressing the new service, Neil Chernoff, BA’s chief planning and strategy officer, said the route would strengthen ‘connectivity between the Channel Islands and London, and opening access to further destinations across Europe, North America and beyond’.

The route is expected to significantly boost the island’s tourism industry.

What a trip to Guernsey looks like

Much like England in the 1950s, doors are left unlocked, traffic is minimal (or outright banned) and everyone knows everyone, for better or worse.

You’ll even get pound notes in your change.

And you’re almost guaranteed good weather.

This southerly speck sees more hours of sunshine than the rest of the British Isles.

It is closer to mainland Europe than Britain, and ties to France run deep.

One of the five inhabited islands that make up the Channel Islands archipelago, Guernsey has a dark but fascinating history.

During WWII, it was occupied by Nazi forces in what became known as a ‘model occupation’ — a sobering chapter that lives on in the underground bunkers and fortifications dotted along the coast.

The memory lingers.

On May 9, Liberation Day is celebrated, marking the end of Nazi occupation.

Today, the pace of life is pleasingly slow, the mass tourism that boomed in the 1980s a distant memory, killed off by cheap packages to Spain.

The island’s biggest draws are its wild, natural beauty and a surprisingly eclectic food scene.

By day, there are 600-million-year-old granite cliffs to hike and sublime beaches to explore.

There are quaint pebbly coves that make perfect picnic spots and subtropical gardens where you can spend an afternoon.

There are natural granite pools, great for wild swimming, and a labyrinthine cave network where you can go coasteering.

Driving the impossibly narrow lanes, you might spot the ‘hedge veg’ phenomenon: upright boxes nestled in the hedges at the end of farm driveways, selling carrots and crocuses, broccoli and beans.

The surf is up there with the best in the UK.

Book a lesson at Guernsey Surf School in Vazon Bay on the west of the island and join locals trying to catch a wave.

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By night, perch up in St Peter Port, Guernsey’s pretty harbourside capital which has historic hotels and bars and restaurants to suit every budget and taste.

The best part?

There’s not a chain in sight.

Octopus, The Hook and Pier 17 are the critic’s choice for seafood.

The Telegraph’s travel experts also recommend lunch at Shell Beach Cafe in Herm, where you can enjoy lobster and chips or pressed crab sandwiches with the sand between your toes.

And don’t leave without trying some local ice cream and Guernsey gache, a cake bread made with raisins, sultanas, butter and mixed peel.