With the recent TV series Island at War focusing attention on the Channel Islands, CAROLINE WOOLLARD visits Guernsey, a place still very much in touch with its military past

A PART of Britain, yet so close to France, Guernsey has something of a split personality.

Road signs, as in Wales, are in two languages - French and English, instead of Welsh and English - and there is a definite continental feel to the place.

Everywhere you go around the coast there are reminders of the island's military history.

Watch towers from the Napoleonic period stand guard over stretches of sandy beaches while German coastal defences peer ominously out to sea.

The German military underground hospital, naval signals headquarters and direction-finding tower complement the German Occupation Museum, which tells heart-rending stories of the deprivations undergone by the islanders - most poignant of which is the small whitewashed room devoted to those murdered in concentration camps.

Even in this most serious atmosphere, there are moments of lightness; the Germans brought hundreds of horses with them, only half of whom survived the war since food was in short supply. The fire crew was half German and half Guernsey residents, with each half wearing their own national tin hats.

And there were the love stories, like the ones at present being highlighted on Sunday nights on ITV.

But Guernsey is about far more than the war. There are long, sandy beaches, almost deserted when we were there, albeit in school term time.

The flowers are spectacular, especially the freesias; there is good walking, great golf, superb sailing, masses of craft shops, jewellery makers and wicked hand-made chocolate for sale.

There are also some wonderful buildings to explore; we visited Sausmarez Manor, St Martin, which was playing a major role in the National Sculpture Festival, with 200 or so pieces by around 90 artists from a dozen countries displayed in wonderful gardens.

Guernsey is a very relaxing place, traffic doesn't go faster than about 40 mph and there's an excellent bus service around the island.

If you want to relax in familiar yet continental surroundings, then Guernsey would be an excellent choice.

FACT FILE

* We travelled with Condor ferries, pictured right, from Weymouth to Guernsey, returning to Poole. The fast ferry service is comfortable and spacious, with good refreshments and a small but well-stocked shop. The journey took two hours there but well over three hours back because of the longer distance and horrendous weather.

* Special deals are available but a standard return for a car, two adults and three children starts at £220 low season and £367 high season. The company is marketing the fast ferry for short breaks on the islands. It's a great idea as long as the weather's favourable but our return trip was blighted by a two-hour delay at St Peter Port and longer than usual trip back to Poole.

* A tip would be to travel back to Weymouth, a shorter sea journey and a three-hour drive back to Wales, compared with four hours from Poole.

* Take a note of 'duty-free' prices on the way over and compare with Guernsey shops, since there is no VAT on the island. You can then buy items that are cheaper on the ferry on the return.

* We stayed at Del Mar Court, pictured right, situated in a country lane in St Martins, five minutes' drive from St Peter Port with its shops and busy harbour. Its comfortable self-catering apartments with well-equipped kitchens surround a heated outdoor pool.

An apartment sleeping two adults and two children cost £150 for three nights midweek at the end of June.