It’s that time of year again when old ice cream tubs come into their own, it’s blackberry picking season. Guernsey has some fantastic blackberry picking spots and we’ve pulled together our favourites along with some helpful hints (who knew there were do’s and don’ts when it comes to blackberry picking?!).
If you know of any good places we have missed off, please let us know, thanks!
Points to Note;
I hadn’t appreciated that there are do’s and don’ts with blackberry picking until we did it last year and I was wearing flipflops and my feet were covered in scratches! Here are some pointers to note;
- Wear trainers or wellies – wear sensible shoes that won’t allow prickles to get you!
- Bring tubs for everyone – we’ve been blackberry picking before with only one pot to put the blackberries in and it caused lots of arguments with my kids, ”I can’t reach it”, ”why can’t i hold it?” etc etc, it turned a relaxing activity into something very frustrating, especially when Lottie dropped the tub!
- Bring a walking stick – yes this sounds strange but anything with a hook can be used to bring branches that are out of reach a little closer.
- Have wet wipes handy- It seems impossible for kids to blackberry pick and not end up with purple fingers (and a purple mouth and teeth if mine are anything to go by!).
- Don’t wear white! – this might only be relevant to my very messy child but last year she wore a white t-shirt blackberry picking and when we finished she was covered in purple and it never came out!
- Store blackberries correctly – don’t wash them when you get home, wait until you are ready to use them as washing makes them prone to spoiling and refrigerate as soon as possible after picking.
Blackberry Picking Top Spots
L'Ancresse Common
This is hands down my favourite place to go blackberry picking in Guernsey, it’s like the Rolls Royce of blackberry picking spots. We only realised it existed when a friend took us there last year and the amount of berries is staggering, to the point it doesn’t matter how many people are in the same place you will never run out of blackberries to pick.
There are many ways to access L’Ancresse Common and, thanks to the abundance of blackberries on the common, you can access it from any side and start filling your Tupperware. We park to the right of Amarreurs playground, behind Ladies Bay, cross the small road and enter the common by the golf course. It only takes a few minutes to get away from the golf course where there are many routes you can take which are all lined with berries ready to be picked.
Les Vardes Quarry Nature Walk
This 2k walk takes you around the quarry with amazing views, and every time I go I am always amazed by how deep the quarry is! The path is mainly gravel for the first part, then it changes to a dirt track before you come to a grassy area with a picnic table (with fantastic views), a bench and the start of the blackberries. A new addition for 2022 are a number of beautifully carved wooden animal statues and a Children’s Whisper Seat that have been dotted along the nature trail. My girls loved looking out for them and they have been kindly sponsored by local Guernsey businesses.
There are low level blackberries by the picnic table (i’m sure as a kid I was told not to pick the low blackberries as dogs could have peed on them!), and they also line the end of the nature trail. If you follow the concrete steps down from the end of the nature trail it brings you out into a small residential side-road, there are usually lots of blackberries on this road too.
Le Guet
Le Guet is a small pine forest which offers trees to climb, rope swings, dens and hundreds of blackberries to pick. It also gives a breathtaking view over Cobo Bay.
Le Guet is located behind Cobo Community Centre, just behind Cobo Bay, on Guernsey’s West Coast. The entrance to the Community Centre is quite hidden on Rue De La Lande and there is ample parking past the Community Centre.
There are lots of blackberry bushes throughout Le Guet so make sure you have lots of pots to put them in!
Bordeaux
This hidden gem of a walk, play area and great blackberry picking spot is a place we always find ourselves going back too.
The best place to park is at the end of Les Petils lane which can be tricky to find but it does have a green Ruettes Tranquilles sign at the start of the lane. If you’re coming from the direction of The Bridge, drive past Woodies Kiosk at Bordeaux Beach on your right, and when you get to the end of the road turn right onto Rue du Bordeaux, and Les Petils lane is the next right.
Once parked you’ll see the footpath to the left of the parking area and this takes you along a beautiful scenic route with blackberries lining the left hand side. Once on the path for a few minutes you’ll come across some concrete steps up the left bank, these take you to my kids’ favourite spot thanks to the swings. There are a number of rope swings and proper swings tied to the trees, there are also a few benches giving you chance to sit and take in the view. Last year we didn’t find any blackberries up on the top level, but there’s no way I can bring my girls here without a visit to the swings! On the top level, on the far side by the proper swing, you’ll see all the blackberry bushes on the level below, you can’t walk down from here they need to be accessed from the ground level before the car parking area.
Back on the ground level, there are a lot of blackberry bushes at the end of the path. This is such a lovely spot that blackberries are an added bonus to this tranquil area.
St Saviour's Nature Trail
Tucked away in St Saviour’s is the Millennium Walk which will take you through lots of woodland, over a dam, over a few bridges and down some country lanes. It’s always an hour enjoyably spent and is suitable for children of all ages. We haven’t been there in the last few weeks so haven’t seen the blackberries, but friends have told us that it’s definitely worth taking some tubs with you as there are blackberry bushes dotted along the trail.
There are 3 parking areas dotted around the reservoir, on the following roads; 1) Rue des Annevilles, 2) Rue A L’Or, 3) Rue du Moulin. We park at Rue du Moulin, which is a small parking area off the road for a few cars. Once parked, look out for RW painted on the pavement a little further on from the parking area, which takes you to the Millennium Walk trail.
Herm
We were in Herm the first weekend of September last year, and came across lots of blackberries on the cliff path. If you get to Herm by ferry and it drops you off at the Rosaire Steps, walk up the steps, under the arch and only a minute up the path on your right is a small set of steps, follow this to get to the cliff path. This takes you on a lovely scenic route around Herm with lots of blackberry bushes lining the path.
Cooking With Blackberries
Blackberry and apple crumble is an absolute favourite in our house and that was the first thing we cooked with our pickings last year. Here’s the recipe we used, it’s good for those that don’t like the topping soft as the top is cooked separately then added to the berries so it doesn’t go mushy.
Blackberry and Apple Crumble Recipe by Raymond Blanc
Ingredients
For the crumble topping
- 120g plain flour
- 60g caster sugar
- 60g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
For the fruit compote
- 300g Braeburn apple
- 30g unsalted butter
- 30g demerara sugar
- 115g blackberries
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Method
- STEP 1: Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Tip 120g plain flour and 60g caster sugar into a large bowl.
- STEP 2: Add 60g unsalted butter, then rub into the flour using your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb texture. Do not overwork it or the crumble will become heavy.
- STEP 3: Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until lightly coloured.
- STEP 4: Meanwhile, for the compote, peel, core and cut 300g Braeburn apples into 2cm dice.
- STEP 5: Put 30g unsalted butter and 30g demerara sugar in a medium saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Cook for 3 mins until the mixture turns to a light caramel.
- STEP 6: Stir in the apples and cook for 3 mins. Add 115g blackberries and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and cook for 3 mins more.
- STEP 7: Cover, remove from the heat, then leave for 2-3 mins to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.
- STEP 8: To serve, spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard.
Blackberry picking is great fun with kids, it actually surprises me how much they enjoy doing it! Hope we’ve inspired you to dig out the tupperware and get out there and start picking! Have fun x
