Saline Bay, also known as Grandes Rocques, is one of our year-round favourites, whether it’s having picnics on the sand in the summer, watching the sunsets or wrapping up warm and climbing the rocks on a windy winters day, this is the beach that keeps on giving!
Location
Grandes Rocques is located on Guernsey’s West coast, just north of Cobo Bay.
There is ample room for parking with a car park off Rue de la Saline and a further car park off this one which gives closer access to the beach.
Front car park off the coast road
Rear car park (follow lane from the front car park)
There is also parking on a narrow gravel lane off the coast road, before you get to Grandes Rocques, when travelling from the direction of Cobo. There is a small path that leads from this parking area to the beach, or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can access the beach by climbing down the rocks that line the back of the beach.
Parking off Rue de la Saline
Our girls love it when we park here, guess why?…
Why walk along the path when you can trek through knee high grass!
The Beach
Grandes Rocques at low tide
Grandes Rocques is a beautiful beach with a large expanse of soft white sand. At low tide there is a bit of a walk if you fancy a paddle / swim, however, the exposed wet sand makes for expert level sandcastles!
At high tide there is usually ample sand on show, making this a great beach choice whatever the tide, however, it’s the wind direction that can make time on Grandes Rocques feel like an endurance test. The beach faces southwest so if the wind is coming from the east, then Grandes Rocques will be lovely, but when the wind is coming from the southwest (straight across the Atlantic) it will be very windy!
Access to the beach is via a few steps next to the Grandes Rocques Beach Kiosk. It is a little rocky when you first enter the beach so very little ones need to be a bit careful.
Steps to access Grandes Rocques beach
Note that dogs are allowed on Grandes Rocques year round which means the beach can be popular for dog owners in the summer months. If you would prefer a beach without dogs, the following beaches have a dog ban from 1st May to 30th September: Fermain, Petit Bot, L’Erée, Vazon (Northern end), Cobo, Port Soif, L’Ancresse and Pembroke.
Rock Climbing Fun
To the right of the beach kiosk is what makes this beach special for us… the rocks. Small rocks, big rocks, you name it, it’s here, nature’s playground is great fun for all ages. So, if you have family members who won’t sit still on a beach, this is a great choice. We often have one of our daughters playing in the sand and the other off climbing the rocks with Daddy (someone has to volunteer to stay with the bags, me!).
There are also German defences hidden in the rocks. I don’t advise trying to get into the bunker, my husband tried and he was nearly trapped forever!
German Bunker on Grandes Rocques Beach
Rock Pooling
The rocks also provide excellent rock pooling at low tide, though care needs to be taken because the rocks get very slippy.
Facilities
There are excellent facilities at Grandes Rocques including a kiosk, picnic tables and public toilets.
Grandes Rocques Beach Kiosk
The beach kiosk serves hot and cold food, snacks, drinks, ice creams, and if you’ve forgotten to pack a bucket and spade, not a problem, they sell a selection of beach toys. They also hire out deckchairs and windbreaks.
If we’re at Grandes Rocques and the kiosk is closed, we love getting fish and chips from Cobo Fish Bar (which is only a minute down the road) and bringing it back to the beach. Nothing tastes better than eating fish and chips out of the paper!
Fort Grandes Rocques
If you look high above the beach on the right hand side, you can see Fort Grandes Rocques.
Fort Grandes Rocques in the distance
Fort Grandes Rocques was constructed c.1779 and was armed with three 24 pounder guns. The battery was later altered by the German occupying forces during the Second World War. Kids will have great fun exploring what remains of the battery.
Grandes Rocques Battery
The Fort can be accessed by the footpath from Grandes Rocques beach.
Have Fun, We’ll See You There!
Address
Rue de la Saline, Castel, GY5 7FX
Bus Route
41, 91, 92
Dogs on Grandes Rocques
Dogs are allowed on the beach year round.
BBQs on Grandes Rocques
Beach bbqs can be lit between 5:00pm and midnight. Permission is required for beach bbqs to be attended by more than ten people. Beach barbeque Application Forms can be downloaded from https://www.gov.gg/beachbbq
Beach barbeques should be lit well below the high tide mark and away from coastal dune or grassland vegetation.
