The Channel Islands

Getting there & away

Boat

Condor Ferries (0870 243 5140; www.condorferries.com) runs daily fast ferries (two to 2½ hours) to/from Poole and Weymouth. Return fares start at £90 for a foot passenger, £250 for a car and driver. There's also a slow daily ferry from Portsmouth to Guernsey (seven hours there, 13 hours back) and Jersey (10 hours), for similar fares.

Condor sails daily to St Malo in France from Guernsey (return foot passenger £40, car and two adults £95, 1¾ hours), and between Guernsey and Jersey (£25 return, one hour).

Manche Iles Express (01481-701 316; www.manche-iles-express.com) links the islands with France and runs regular interisland services for foot passengers - including useful Guernsey/Alderney and Jersey/Sark connections (all routes one way £20 to £30, around one hour).

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Air

Jersey and Guernsey are the main points of entry. Return-trip fares vary wildly between £70 and £300 - shop around.

Air Southwest (0870 241 8202; www.airsouthwest.com) flies from Jersey to Plymouth and Bristol. Aurigny Air Services(0871 8710717; www.aurigny.com) links Guernsey with Bristol, London Stansted, London Gatwick, Manchester and Dinard. It also connects Alderney with Southampton and runs frequent interisland services.

Blue Islands(01481-727567; www.blueislands.com) flies from Bournemouth, Brighton, France and the Isle of Man and between islands. bmibaby (0871 224 0 224; www.bmibaby.com) connects Jersey with Cardiff, the East Midlands airport, Edinburgh and Manchester.

British Airways(0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com) links Jersey with London Gatwick and Manchester. Flybe(0871 700 0535, calls per min 10p; www.flybe.com) connects Jersey/Guernsey and Belfast, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London and Southampton.

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