trips to minquiers

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OUR VOYAGES

We offer a variety of boat trips and all of our trips are scheduled to maximise your experience. Some of our boat trips are scheduled according to tides like the Ecrehous, Minquiers and Carteret. All other can be run on any state of tide, but we always advise on the most suitable tide for your trip.

Ecrehous - 2 and 3 Hour Trips

Explore the crystal clear waters of the Ecrehous, opportunity to see dolphins, seals and other wildlife. We offer 2 and 3 hour trips as standard schedule trips but can customise the trip to yours needs.

Prices from £45.00 per adult and £40.00 per child

Minquiers - 3 Hour Trips

Explore the crystal clear waters, walk on deserted sandbanks that get covered twice daily and visit the main Island where you can find the most southern toilet in the British Isles.

Prices from £60.00 per adult and £55.00 per child

Carteret - 4:30 Trips

In just 30 minutes, you can be enjoying the friendly company, food and beverages of our French neighbours. From "Moule e Frite" to fine dining, all just across the water. Passports are required.

Sark - Day Trip 8:30 Hour Trip

Sark offers a truly unique experience for those wanting to escape the bright lights and hubbub of the office. Free from the intrusive noise pollution of cars, explore Sark in a relaxed horse-drawn carriage. Being the world’s first Dark Island, Sark has no light pollution, and is perfect for star gazing.

Prices from £85.00 per adult and £80.00 per child

Herm - Day Trip 8 Hour Trip

Herm has no cars, no crowds and definitely no stress. It is the perfect place to visit for a truly relaxing pressure free time. Ideal for families and anyone wanting to get away from it all. While away an hour on the stunning shell beach or explore the natural coastline. Take in the spectacular views of neighbouring islands and the French Coast. Perfect for that relaxing day.

Prices from £90.00 per adult and £85.00 per child

Chausey - Day Trip 8 Hour Trip

Chausey is not known for its boutique shopping or nightlife, but for its nature, foraging for shellfish or simply sitting on the shore and looking at the tide rise and fall. With one of the biggest tides in the world, Chausey is a must on everyone’s Itch List. Chausey boasts one hotel and two good restaurants and the latter as been recently refurbishment and serves one of the best Moule I have ever had!!!

Prices from £95.00 per adult and £90.00 per child

North Coast - 1:30 Hour Trip

Explore our beautiful north coast from the sea. This trip takes you in and out of the bays stopping along the way to absorb some of the historic sites. Rozel bay with its historic harbour, Bouley bay and the black dog legend, Bonne Nuit where the Governor's summer residence is, and Devil's Hole. We take you inside Devil's Hole cave - where we may have to sacrifice one or two passengers!!!!

Prices from £40.00 per adult and £35.00 per child

South Coast - 1:30 Hour trip

Run along our south coast and hear the many tales that our very knowledgeable guide has to offer. From the decapitation of Helier,  see up close where the Roebuck sunk and the first UK concrete lighthouse,  and hear about the adventure of Louisa Journeaux who was lost at sea only to be found a month later, alive or not... Join us on this historic trip around the south coast of Jersey.

Water Taxi Service

We can provide a Water Taxi service to Guernsey, Alderney, Granville, Ecrehous, Minquiers, Sark, Herm, Chausey and St. Malo.

Granville, Carteret and Chausey requires Jersey Customs Authorisation and a valid passport.

Prices vary per destination and you'll need to contact us with your request.

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Visit Minquiers

24th January 2022

Roughly half way between Jersey and Brittany, Les Minquiers National Park is the southernmost part of the British Isles with just a cluster of fishermen’s cabins clinging to the rocks. At low tide, the rock shelf around the Minquiers has a larger surface area than Jersey itself but at high tide only a few islets remain above water.

Maîtresse Ile , at 50 metres long and 20 metres wide, is the largest of these and supports 18 or so stone cottages originally built by fishermen and quarrymen, a helicopter landing pad and a small shack that is home to the most southerly toilet in the British Isles. It is a great place for swimming, paddle boarding or picnicking, especially from the large sandbank. Sea kayaking around the huge sandbars and rugged rocky outcrops is also an incredible experience and trips can be booked with local guides.

The archipelago has had various claims over its sovereignty throughout history, perhaps the most bizarre came in 1998 with a small group of French ‘invaded’ on behalf of the ‘King of Patagonia’ in ‘retaliation’ for the British occupation of the Falkland Islands. In 2019, history repeated itself as more people attempted to reclaim the island in the name of the king but this time, they also reclaimed the toilet, painting the door of the southerly shack blue, white, and green. The invaders also placed a new plaque on the toilet, declaring it the most “northerly” building in the Kingdom of Patagonia.

Today there are no permanent inhabitants, though it gets plenty of passing yachtsmen, fishermen and day trippers in the summer. Boat trips leave from St Catherine’s Breakwater in the north east of Jersey. Dolphins are often spotted on the journey to the islands.

Visiting Jersey

Check out our island page for Jersey for more information on getting to Jersey , and getting around Jersey and our favourite food and drink in Jersey .

You may also be interested in:

• Walks from Rozel Harbour to St Catherine’s Breakwater or Bonne Nuit Bay
• Discover Jersey’s Occupation story
• Walk to tidal L’Islet (Elizabeth Castle) from St Helier
• Discover the horrible histories of Mount Orgueil
• Go glamping at the Durrel Wildlife Park
• Try some of the best seafood in the Channel Islands
• Swim or walk on the best beaches in Jersey
• Enjoy a seafood BBQ in a WW2 bunker
• Visit one of the ten oldest buildings in the world

Islands nearby

The other Channel Islands are also excellent walking destinations and, together with Jersey, walks around their coast paths form the 110 mile Channel Island Way.

Guernsey – find out about walking in Guernsey, Guernsey’s outdoor activities, cafes and more here

Sark – find out about walking in Sark, Sark’s outdoor activities, cafes and more here

Herm – find out about walking in Herm, Herm’s outdoor activities, cafes and more here

Alderney – find out about walking in Alderney, Alderney’s outdoor activities, cafes and more here

Other islands in the British Isles

We have explored nearly 600 islands in the British Isles and are trying to write them up as fast as we can. Check more here or contact us as we are happy to share our info.

Further information

Our two books are stacked with more ideas on what to do in the Channel Islands and more more info here

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Trip to Les Minquiers - Jersey Seafaris

• Europe    
• United Kingdom (UK)    
• Channel Islands    
• Jersey    
• St. Martin    
• St. Martin - Things to Do    
• Jersey Seafaris

Excellent trip, friendly, safety conscious, our holiday highlight. Congratulations to the team... read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our morning . Dan and Patrick were very organised and professional . It was... read more

Trip to Les Minquiers

This trip is absolutely FANTASTIC!! Rich and his crew made us feel welcome and very safe on board - always in contact with the coastguard. The sights are beautiful and the boat is SOO FUN - you will never laugh and smile so much than you do on the speed boat :-))) It is a MUST for everyone!! See you on board again!!

Had a fantastic 3 hrs with Jersey Seafaris. Richard and Stephanie were absolutely brilliant and gave us a warm welcome. The RIB journey was great fun, with Richard and Stephanie making sure we were well looked after and comfortable throughout. We saw seals and plenty of birdlife.and we were able to explore the Les Ecrehous reef at low tide. This is a fantastic opportunity to visit a wonderful place, and I cannot recommend Jersey Seafaris enough. If you have a few spare hours to kill and fancy a really good day out then get in touch with Jersey Seafaris, you will not be disappointed.

The highlight of our stay in Jersey was without doubt the trip we had with Jersey Seafaris to Les Miniquiers, if you enjoy water, speed, boats, a bit of adventure, wildlife & getting 'away from it all' then this is the trip for you because it has it all. Sadly we didn't get to see any dolphins or seals this time but we had so much fun I'm sure we'll be back.

A wonderful trip to these outlying reefs and sandbanks with Richard and Gareth. It took about half an hour each way from St Helier by fast-moving RIB. We landed for about 40 minutes on one island with a few small fishermans' huts and cottages, nobody there at the time, then on to a sandbank for 30 minutes. Incredible clear sea and cream-coloured sand, almost Caribbean. A great and memorable afternoon. Thoroughly recommended, hope to be back one day to vist Les Ecrehous.

What an amazing trip, the weather was just perfect, we have never been to the Ecrehous before and it really is the most beautiful tranquil place, crystal clear waters, the rib ride was just fantastic - saw some seals, didn't get to see any dolphins this time but it was still a brilliant trip & I cant wait to book to go again! Thanks guys for a brilliant day out - this trip is a "must do"!!!

Just back from a couple of hours rib trip to the ecrehous with my wife, and we both had an amazing time, well done seasafaris, good luck to you guys.

Les Minquiers

• Channel Islands
• Isle of Man

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What to expect from Les Minquiers?

Les Minquiers are a group of small, uninhabited islands located about 9 miles south of Jersey. They are known as the ‘ Minkies’  in local English and are made up of a group of islets and rocks. The largest of the islands is known as Maîtresse Île , and is about 50 m long by 20 m wide.

A collection of stone buildings can be found here, which are mainly used by fishermen and local hut owners. No permanent residents live on the islands, and they are therefore quite beautiful in their remoteness.

Interestingly, the rocky shelf which surrounds Les Minquiers actually has a larger surface area than Jersey – the largest of the Channel Islands. However, rising sea levels have long since submerged every part of the shelf besides the islands and rocks which now remain. They can be a great place to visit during the summer months and are popular amongst yachtsmen and kayakers.

Things to See and Do in Les Minquiers

Typical costs when travelling.

Accommodation – There is no accommodation on Les Minquiers. Therefore, your best option is to stay on Jersey and travel to Les Minquiers from there. Jersey’s capital, St. Helier, is a good base, as the majority of boat tours sail from here. There is a range of accommodation available in St. Helier, with many hotels and BnBs. Hotel rooms during summer can be booked for as little as £70 per night, while BnBs can be more budget friendly, with prices from around £50.

Food – There are no places to eat on Les Minquiers, with St. Helier being the closest source of restaurants and other eateries. Luckily, the town has some great dining opportunities, with fantastic seafood restaurants and quaint little cafes. A meal with a drink at a typical restaurant in St. Helier will cost you around £17, though it is easy to find cheaper options if you search around.

Transportation – Les Minquiers is only accessible by boat . You can charter your own, although the seas around the islands can be dangerous due to the shallow waters and jagged rocks. Alternatively, there are several companies which offer tours to the islands. For example, Jersey Seafaris offer 2.5 hour trips, which cost £49.99 for adults and £45 for U16s.

Suggested daily budget : 105 – 116 EUR / 127 – 142 USD / 90 – 100 GBP

(Note: This is a suggested budget assuming you’re staying in a hostel, eating out a little, cooking most of your meals, and using local transportation. Using the budget tips below, you can always lower this number. However, if you stay in fancier accommodation or eat out more often, expect this to be higher!)

Money Saving Tips

What else to expect from les minquiers.

The Minquiers toilet – located on Maîtresse Île – may not sound like a glamorous destination, however it takes the crown as the most southerly toilet in the entire British Isles . It is therefore something of a tourist destination. The toilet is formed of a stone shack and is quite possibly one of the most peaceful places to go to the bathroom anywhere in the world.

Les Minquiers is mentioned on several occasions in Victor Hugo’s novel, Ninety-Three , where he notes how treacherous the waters around the islands can be . The French writer spent a large part of his life in the Channel Islands and was very appreciative of the islands’ beauty.

In 1950, The UK and France entered into a dispute over which country Les Minquiers should belong to. Although the French fished in the surrounding waters, Jersey exercised administrative control of the islands and was therefore awarded the islands.

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