Notes from a SMALL ISLAND

Herm

What is it about islands that we find so alluring? It must be something to do with being marooned, the physical separation from the mainland forcing us to embrace a sense of isolation. Islands offer us another world – and this concept alone is both romantic and exciting.

A stone’s throw from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, Herm is an idyllic place characterised by quaint cottages and a no car policy. There’s a lively history here too, with settlers first arriving in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages; their tombs are still visible today near Petit and Grand Monceau – two hills to the north.

In medieval times, Herm attracted missionary monks in search of solitude and spiritual reflection. In fact, for much of the Middle Ages, Herm was under the control of Norman monasteries and later became a hunting ground for the rich elite from Guernsey.

Then as the Industrial Revolution was engulfing Britain,