Alderney Regions Guide - $section

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The little island of Alderney, with its picturesque capital, St Anne's, is the most British in flavour of all the Channel Islands, despite being just eight miles (13km) off of the coast of France. St Anne's is a delightful town of cobbled streets and colourful cottages, its main street, Victoria Street, lined with inviting shops, pubs and restaurants. The island was once home to a British fleet guarding the Channel, and its harbour, Braye Harbour, is still protected by its famed huge Victorian breakwater. The fascinating military history of the island and its coastal forts is explained dramatically in the town's museum.

Alderney also has another uniquely English feature: retired London Underground train carriages now carry passengers along the Channel Island's only working standard gauge railway line that encircles the island, giving visitors the chance to view the passing scenery at low speed but in high comfort.

Many visitors cross to Alderney by ferry from Guernsey, Sark and Helm, but the island has an airport too with regular scheduled connections with the UK. Once settled on the two-mile by three-mile (3km by 5km) landmass, holidaymakers receive a warm welcome from the 2,000 permanent inhabitants as they enjoy the beautiful bays of the north coast, like Corblets, Arch and Saye.