Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish - reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!
Last week, I reviewed the new film version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Tina reviewed The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles (and baked baguettes). Sim read Juliet, Naked in advance of last week's movie opening. Jean shared her summer of Angela Thirkell books. Gaele reviewed two summer-themed books: The Summer Getaway by Tilly Tennant and The Summer House of Happiness by Daisy James.
This week, I'm introducing The Guidebook, a structured process for creative projects, on my blog and inviting people to work on a creative project this fall. Yesterday's post covered logistics and has links to the previous posts. Later today, I'll post an FAQ about The Guidebook and this fall's cohort.
For British Isles Friday, I thought it would be fun to demonstrate what a quick pass through The Guidebook looks like for making an itinerary. Since we talked about Guernsey last week, that's my destination.
Idea. Plan a trip to Guernsey.
Dreamer. While dreaming about an idea, I like to take a fun hour to explore resources. Some times, that's all an idea needs and I can move on to another. Often, that hour provides a better understanding of my half-formed thoughts and is the foundation for everything that follows.
When I was writing my post last week, I pulled up the Wikipedia article about Guernsey to learn some basic facts. Human habitation goes back to 5000BC. September, my usual favorite month to travel, looks reasonable with highs in the 60s and not as much rain as in the winter months.
I also encountered, last week, this lovely article from the Los Angeles Times about how the book and movie boosted tourism on Guernsey. That article led me to Visit Guernsey, the tourist website that has been overhauled to feature the film.
I know from experience that the TripAdvisor page on lodgings in Guernsey will help me quickly choose accommodations - especially for a fantasy itinerary when money is no object.
I also know that I'll want to figure out how to get to Guernsey from London. The National Rail site will help with that. Although, that still leaves open the question of how to get to the island. That will be fun to figure out later.
At the Dreamer stage, I ask myself how this idea fits into my life. A real trip to Guernsey doesn't fit at all, but a fun itinerary to post on my blog fits astoundingly well, since several of us watched the film in the last couple of weeks and I've been posting about The Guidebook all of this week.
Wish. I wish for a fun itinerary for Guernsey.
Dabbler. Often, the most effective exercise that I complete during the Dabbler stage is to brainstorm 100 ways to get what I want. Sometimes, those 100 things come from my head. Sometimes, like in this case, the exercise gives me a reason to dig deeper into the resources that I found in the Dreamer stage. A list of 100 things that could go on my itinerary will give me lots of possibilities to choose from when I'm ready to write the itinerary.
One of the hundred discoveries was The Granary, tourist accommodations in the midst of a nature reserve and a short walk to a west-facing beach to admire the sunset. I could imagine a relaxing week there!
Possibilities. One hundred ideas of things to do on Guernsey, including some ideas about how to get there and where to stay.
BFF. Now, it's time to make some preliminary decisions. Since I found so many wonderful things to see and do on Guernsey, I was tempted to write an itinerary for a week-long trip. My imaginary best friend pointed out that this post is already long and that my purpose will be served just as well with a shorter itinerary. Good point, imaginary friend!
Commitment. Write a three-day, two-night itinerary for a trip to Guernsey.
Planner. Since it's often easier to work with a list of a hundred things in print, I'm going to format it into two columns and print it to use while I'm writing the itinerary. I'm also going to pull up Google Maps, a helpful resource to figure out what is within walking distance and which destinations will require transportation. With those two things at the ready, I can get to work.
Plan. Write the itinerary from the list of a hundred things while using Google Maps in a fun hour or two of virtual exploring.
Traveler. And, here's the itinerary....
Take the train from London's Waterloo station to Poole (about two hours). Take the ferry from Poole to St. Peter Port, Guernsey (about three hours). Take a taxi or walk ten minutes from the ferry terminal to the Old Government House Hotel.
Take the self-guided audio walk of the seafront, including where a bomb fell in 1940, killing 30 islanders.
Enjoy supper at The Brasserie Restaurant in the hotel with a view of gardens and the harbor.
10:30am: Take guided tour at Castle Cornet
Noon: Watch cannon fired at Castle Cornet
Visit the German Occupation Museum (use the public bus or a taxi)
Take the self-guided audio walk that includes Victor Hugo's house (it's closed for renovation in 2018, but may be open by the time any of us are able to make it to Guernsey).
Fly from Guernsey to Gatwick.
Shepherd. Yay! I did it. It took longer than I expected but turned out better than I hoped, because Guernsey is just that cool.
Next Idea. Let's see if I can figure out how to get to Guernsey for real.
About Joy Weese Moll
a librarian writing about books
