Welcome to the Guernsey History Trails - Occupation 1940-1945. Exploring these 2 self-guided tour trails, the St Peter Port Trail by foot and the Island Trail, by car or bicycle, will let you walk in the path of history while enjoying some of the most beautiful vantage points in Guernsey. Each point along the trails, indicated by a bunker symbol includes an explanation about the site and why it was so important in the history of the Occupation. There is no need to complete all stops in one trip. However, the trail description assumes you are walking it counter-clock-wise from Clarence Battery.
The St Peter Port Trail focuses on events in town, and the memorials to many of the people and the events which defined the 5 years of German Occupation. This walking tour takes at least 2 hours if walked in its entirety, and requires several sections of steps. If you have a car, it is best to park it in a 3 or 10 hour parking bay at the Salerie Corner car park, then 10 min walk to the first stop, Castle Cornet to begin the tour. This will leave time to visit some of the museums along the tour.
The Island Trail focuses on the fortress protection, airport and museums. The tour assumes you start at the Clarence Battery and then drive North. It takes at least 2 hours if driven in its entirety and several hours if on bicycle. However, stops at the museums and walking the beautiful cliffs can make the tour longer. Parking areas are indicated next to most sites by a parking symbol.
A huge thank you to Steve Powell, Festung Guernsey, the Occupation Archive, which hold the historic photos, and the German Occupation Museum, Island Archive and Submarine for all of their assistance in building this app.
Occupation Archive is a local digital archive of World War Two images which can be viewed online at www.occupationarchive.co.uk.