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.
The playground offers a good selection of play equipment for children of all ages along with a kiosk, benches, picnic tables and pubic toilets.
Location
Les Amarreurs Playground is at the western end of L’Ancresse Common on Les Amarreurs Road in Vale, with ample parking next to the playground.
Alongside Les Amarreurs playground is Les Amarreurs anchorage, a scenic anchorage with a small jetty, a great spot for fishing, snorkelling and jumping off the jetty into the cool water on a hot summers day.
What We Think…
Our girls have fun at this park because there is a good selection of play equipment. Particular favourites are the large slide built into the side of a hill, monkey bars, wooden climbing area and the circular metal climbing frame.
This is a great playground to try if you fancy a more traditional park with enough equipment to keep the kids of all ages entertained for quite a while.
We stopped off at Port Soif beach on our first family trip to Guernsey in May 2018 and fell in love with it, we felt like we were in the Bahamas! As with many place names in Guernsey I spent many months pronouncing Port Soif incorrectly, it’s Port Swoff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TumP_aBRpm4
Our first visit to Port Soif, May Bank holiday 2018
Location
Port Soif is situated on the west coast of Guernsey, just North of Cobo.
The Beach
Port Soif is a picturesque horse-shoe shaped beach with soft sand and crystal clear waters. The bank of rocks at the back of the beach provides really good shelter and also makes for fun rock climbing for the kids.
The 17 steps to go down to enter Port Soif beach
Fun climbing for kids
The beach is easy to access off the coast road (Portinfer Coast Road), with the beach café (Surfside) signposted from the road. There is plenty of parking next to Surfside and also at the end of the road giving great views over the beach and rocks.
Lane off the coast road with parking at the end
Rocky view from the parking area
Right turn leads to Surfside Cafe and the parking area
Effect of the Tide
The main thing to note is the effect the tide has on Port Soif beach. After visiting the beach, by chance, at high tide on our first visit, we made a second trip another day at low tide and there was no water in the bay just rocks!
Around high tide the beach is fantastic for kids, perfect for paddling with soft sand underfoot. For those wanting a swim the water quality is rated as excellent, as highlighted on the information board at the entrance to the beach.
Just after high tide at Port Soif beach
The bay is unrecognisable at low tide, the tide goes out so far that you would need to attempt a significant walk across the rocks to reach the water. Kids can still build sandcastles, collect shells, climb the rocks that provide the shelter at the back of the beach but just don’t promise a swim in the sea!
Low tide at Port Soif
Exposed rocks at low tide
The sea at low tide, all the way back to the parking area
Surfside at Port Soif
Surfside is up there amongst our favourite beach cafés, the food is always really good and reasonably priced and the staff are very friendly. There are a number of tables outside with umbrellas for those wanting shade.
The café serves hot and cold food and a selection of cakes and ice creams. The café also has a little shop selling beach goodies…buckets, spades, beach toys etc. The cafe is set back from the bay so you won’t get a sea view when you’re seated but it means it is very sheltered which is great on windy days.
There are toilets behind the café and a large sanded area which the girls love to play in whilst waiting for their food.
Port Soif sand pit!
There is a gravel footpath behind the cafe (beyond the sandpit), we haven’t walked along it yet but it looks like a lovely coastal walk with great views.
Port Soif footpath
We thoroughly recommend a trip to Port Soif whether you’re looking for a beach to spend the day on or quick stop off at Surfside Cafe and a look at the stunning views.
Address
Port Soif Coast Road, Grandes Rocques, Castel, Guernsey
Dogs on Port Soif Beach
Dogs are banned on Port Soif beach between 1st May and 30th September.
BBQs on Port Soif beach
Beach bbqs can be lit between 5:00pm and midnight on Port Soif beach. 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.
Surfside At Port Soif
Surfside cafe is open (depending on weather) from April until October. More details on their Facebook page.
Portelet offers a lovely sheltered beach with soft sand and clear water and, thanks to it being a small working fishing harbour, there are always plenty of little boats to look at.
Location
Portelet is located in the parish of Torteval, in the south-west of the island. When following the coast road south from Cobo and Vazon, Portelet is at the end of the road.
The Imperial Hotel stands at the end of the coast road with ample parking available beyond the hotel (the road is marked as a dead-end).
The Beach
At the end of the road (beyond the parking and the kiosk) is a cobbled slipway that gives access to the beach. There are a number of benches at the top of the slipway allowing people to take in the stuning view of Rocquaine Bay.
View of Fort Grey From Benches At Portelet
As Portelet is situated in the south west of the island, it’s a great choice for an afternoon beach trip in the summer, as it gets the best of the afternoon sun and offers stunning sunset views.
Low Tide
Low Tide At Portelet Harbour
At low tide, a large expanse of soft white sand is uncovered along with a vast carpet of rocks. The rocks make Portelet one of the best beaches in Guernsey for rock pooling and for sea glass collecting.
For those who have never come across sea glass, it is smooth, frosted, beautiful pieces of glass that are formed from man-made glass products and are polished and refined by the waves and currents of the sea – we’d never heard of sea glass until we moved to Guernsey and now my girls hunt for it on every beach trip!
Rocks Exposed at Portelet At Low Tide
High Tide
During high tide there can be no beach left at Portelet, instead waves can be seen crashing into the rocks at the back of the beach.
Dogs on Portelet Beach
Dogs are allowed on Portelet beach all year round.
Facilities
There is a really nice beach Kiosk at Portelet offering hot and cold food, drinks, ice creams and beach essentials (bucket and spade etc), along with numerous table and chairs. There is also a toilet block that is open year round.
For those wanting a more substanial meal, the Imperial Hotel is located a few minutes walk from Portelet beach. The hotel has a modern restaurant and large outside dining area with a good menu of hot and cold food. The Imperial has a good kids menu but we have learnt that the kids meals are MASSIVE, to the point their roast totally overwhelms our girls!
Kids Roast At The Imperial
Walking from Portelet
We head down to Portelet everytime we have visitors because of the amazing walk from Portelet to the Fairy Ring. Follow the tarmacked road that runs behind Portelet Beach (no access for cars) and you’ll encounter a WWII German bunker, Fort Pezeries and the ‘Fairy Ring’, a site that has become part of local folklore suggesting the site is linked with fairies, witches, and elves. If you carry on past the Fairy Ring you will end up at Pleinmont Observation Tower (used by German forces between 1942 and 1945). The whole walk offers the most stunning views over Guernsey’s coastline and out to the Hanois Lighthouse.
Portelet is a great choice for a day out, combining playing in the sand, swimming, rock pooling, walking and eating and drinking out. Though don’t forget to check the tides as they make all the difference!
