Mathieu, MJ0ASP will be active as GJ2A from Jersey Island, IOTA EU - 013, in CQ WW DXX CW Contest, 23 - 24 November 2024.
He will operate in Single Operator Single Band 20m Category.
Recent DX Spots GJ2A
QSL via LOTW.
Isle of Jersey - what interesting things are hidden in this small territory?
The Isle of Jersey is located in the Bay of St. Malo in the Channel, about 24 km from the coast of France and 160 km from the coast of England. The largest of the Channel Islands, it has an area of 116 km², is 14.5 km long and 8 km wide. According to 2011 data, the island is inhabited by 97,857 people. The capital is the city of St. Helier.
The island of Jersey is a possession of the British Crown, but it is not part of the United Kingdom, but is part of Island Normandy.
Jersey Island. Author - Davey J. Hotspur.
Features of the island's nature
When approaching Jersey by air, beautiful valleys, vast fields, and picturesque coastlines come into view. During a sea voyage you can observe the majestic rocky southwest coast of La Corbière, the spacious bay of St. Aubin.
The scenery here is dominated by the Atlantic Ocean, with a diverse coastline of proud cliffs and caves, sandy beaches and picturesque bays. And all this beauty is everywhere, close to every settlement.
The most interesting feature of Jersey is its tides. The tides here are the highest in the world - 12-14 meters! It happens that cars disappear from the island: they are stolen by the sea! And it is the fault of hapless tourists who park their cars very close to the water and do not know how high its level rises compared to the tide level.
Jersey Island. Author - dr3w2u.
Highlights of Jersey Island
At first you might think that there is nothing for tourists to do on such a small piece of land. However, there is not only natural beauty on the territory of Jersey. Travelers are attracted here by the majestic medieval fortresses of Mont Orgel and Grosnez, the unique Elizabethan Castle, museums, the Shell Garden, as well as the zoo, which was founded by the famous naturalist Gerald Durrell.
Fortress of Mont Orgel
This fortress was erected in 1204 to protect the harbor of Gori, and it successfully performed its task until the massive use of artillery made it vulnerable. From the 17th century onwards, the fortress was used as a prison, where political prisoners were held.
In 1907, the British Crown gave Mont Orgel to the people of Jersey. Since then, the fortress has been home to a museum, and various historical performances are often organized: medieval jugglers and actors perform, and shows with the participation of birds of prey.
Grosnez Castle
Grosnez Castle was built on the northwest side of the island, on a high promontory. Nowadays only ruins remain, but when it was built in the 14th century, it served as a reliable defense for the island against enemies. There is a viewing platform on the walls of the fortress, which offers magnificent views of all the Channel Islands and the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Elizabeth Castle
This castle, built at the end of the 16th century on a small rocky island near the island of Jersey, was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I. At low tide, the bastion can be reached on foot, but when the water rises, it can only be reached by the castle ferry.
There is now an exhibition in the Elizabethan Castle, showing its crucial role in the island's history.
Zoo
This zoological park, which has been in operation since1959, is visited by about 150,000 people a year. That's a lot, especially when you consider that the zoo is very inconvenient to get to and that there are no large spectacular animals on the grounds.
Durrell justified the zoo specifically to preserve those species of rare animals that were endangered in the wild. And the focus was on species that most people are not even aware of.
The Jersey Zoo has about 200 species of animals.
Shell Garden
This garden is unique, there is nothing like it on the whole planet, more than a million specimens of seashells are collected here. There is a souvenir store on the territory of the park, where you can buy handmade shells and various souvenirs made of them.
What else is the island of Jersey famous for
First of all, the island is famous all over the world for its knitwear, which has received the same name - “Jersey”. Jersey knitted material first appeared on the island of Jersey in the Middle Ages, and then it was produced only from natural wool.
Every year various festivals are held here, the most popular of which is the “Battle of the Colors”. During this festival, grandiose demonstrations of huge figures made of a wide variety of flowers are organized.
During World War II, the Nazis erected impregnable concrete bunkers with thick walls on the coast of the island. Now one of these bunkers has been turned into a fish supermarket, another into a beer restaurant, and the third is rented as a residential apartment for those vacationers who appreciate exoticism.
Video GJ2A Jersey Island.
