Antonia Windsor

A feat of pioneering Victorian engineering, La Corbière lighthouse has guided seafarers to safety for 150 years, finds Antonia Windsor.
Perched majestically on a rocky outcrop, La Corbière lighthouse has been a steadfast guardian of the treacherous waters around the south-western tip of Jersey since 1874. Designed by civil engineer Sir John Coode (1816–92), the 62ft-high structure was the first lighthouse in the British Isles to be built from concrete. This innovation in construction material...

A visit to Victor Hugo’s Guernsey home of Hauteville House is like a tour through the literary giant’s imagination, writes Antonia Windsor
Published Date:
1 July 2024
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With swathes of red silk damask spread across the walls and ceiling of a first-floor salon, metres of intricate Aubusson tapestry on sofas, walls and the ceiling of a downstairs sitting room, and an imposing oak room with secret inscriptions carved in bespoke furniture, the inside of Hauteville House is like a...

Meet Jersey's newest producers

Channel Islanders love to go out for a drink and Alderney, one of the islands administered by Guernsey, is often derogatorily described as “2,000 drunkards clinging to a rock”. To be fair there’s little else to do in the evening other than head to the pub to enjoy a drink while the sun sets, and perhaps stay for some live music. St Peter Port has a more cosmopolitan vibe with a post-work crowd on a Thursday and Friday night, while elsewhere it’s more about a granite fireplace and a comfy armc...

If you’re looking for leisurely seaside days, platefuls of fresh local produce and cosy evenings in granite-built pubs, then you’ll love Guernsey.
The second largest of the Channel Islands is quieter than its neighbour Jersey. You won’t find fast-food restaurants or multiplex cinema here. Instead, life revolves around bracing cliff walks, rockpooling on quiet beaches, stopping for ice creams and crab sandwiches and ending the day with a pint at a beachside pub to watch the sun go down.
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Antonia Windsor Destination expert
10 September 2024 11:00am
Whether you’re on the hunt for a warming bowl of mussels to slurp with a sea view, or want to experience the buzz of St Peter Port’s after-work crowd, you’ll find a spot to suit in this round-up of the best restaurants on the islands of Guernsey. Look out for local produce, which includes butter, cheeses and ice cream made from milk produced by Guernsey’s doe-eyed cows; sweet tomatoes and strawberries and, of course, plenty of fish...

Antonia Windsor Destination expert
10 September 2024 11:00am
Whether you want to jump into deep natural rock pools or take bracing walks along floral cliff paths, Guernsey and its neighbouring islands offer boundless outdoor adventures. History buffs will be thrilled with the remnants of the Second World War German occupation, and the traces left by the artists Renoir and Turner and the writer Victor Hugo. Trips to the car-free islands of Sark and Herm are like stepping straight into an Enid...

How I went to Malawi to devise a theatre show and met my husband

Channel Islands expert Antonia Windsor takes us on a summer sea adventure around the islands of Guernsey, Sark, Herm, Alderney, and Jersey
You’re speeding along with Condor Ferries towards the island of Guernsey, having departed Poole Harbour a few hours before.
The cliffs of Alderney, the most northerly of the Channel Islands, are just coming into view, when you spot something dark plunging into the water. At first you think it might be a northern gannet, the large seabird that nests in its ...

There are plenty of ways for visitors to channel their inner seafarer in Jersey, from kayaking, surfing, swimming or simply enjoying the coast on foot. Jersey is the closest Channel Island to France and is small in size, with only nine miles of land east to west and five miles north to south. Yet, its coastal circumference is 43 miles, making it feel like there are more beaches than land. The expanse of Jersey’s coastline is particularly felt when the tide goes out, almost doubling the island...

We know Pine Cliffs Resort Algarve is fabulous, but can it really reset bad behaviour in kids. Antonia Windsor took a one-on-one break with her 7-year old daughter recently to find out.
Pine Cliffs Resort Algarve may not solve everything, but it’s a great start
Any parent or carer of more than one child will know the clamour for attention that is the claxon of daily life.
I had three children in four years and they’re constantly jostling with each other for me to, “look at this” or “listen to...

Escape to Jersey, where the shoreline
provides both serenity and solitude
and conviviality and connections

A Motability Scheme car or scooter can bring a great sense of freedom, especially if you want to get out and about in the UK – but what if you want to head further afield? Some of the world’s cities are surprisingly easy to get around if you have a mobility issue and love to explore. To provide some inspiration for your next adventure, here is Rough Guides’ author Antonia Windsor’s pick of the world’s most accessible places.
Europe
Milan, Italy
The Italian fashion hub is one of Europe’s most ...

Best things to do in Jersey
What is it? Most of the island’s beaches are safe for swimming, and an increasing tribe of locals take to the sea all year round, which has led to a pop-up sauna trend. Sauna Society have a wood-fired Wildhut on the east coast of the island on St Catherine’s slipway (one of the best places to watch the sunrise, if you’re up for an early dip!). There’s also Sandy Toes Sauna, who relocate to different beaches at different times of the year, but are mainly on the sout...

After submitting his music on a whim to the Mastercard creative challenge, Emeka Onyema-Mathews has become one of 14 talented emerging artists to showcase his work at the prestigious ceremony
“I can’t wait to actually be at the Brits,” says 18-year-old Emeka Onyema-Mathews, who will be in the audience of the 2024 awards, thanks to being one of the winners of a creative challenge tied to the ceremony.
“I’ve never been before,” he says. “I came close a couple of years ago when I was in year 11....