← Guernsey Marathon·1 night

Sark: A Night on the Island Without Cars

A small island with no cars, where tractors and horse-drawn carriages carry people and luggage and the roads are the only gradient problem.

Duration1 night
TransitAbout 35 to 55 minutes by Sark Shipping ferry from St Peter Port, depending on the vessel
DepartsSt Peter Port

After the Guernsey Marathon: Sark

The Route: St Peter Port → Sark → St Peter Port → Guernsey Airport Logistics: Sark Shipping ferry, about 35 to 55 minutes depending on the vessel, then a tractor-drawn bus or a walk up from the harbour. Marathon Month: April Duration: 1 night

St Peter Port ──(approx. 35-55 mins, Sark Shipping)──> Sark (Maseline Harbour)
                                                              │
        Guernsey Airport (GCI) ◄──(ferry back + taxi)─────────┘

The Guernsey Marathon finishes on a Sunday, and Sark is the sensible Monday and Tuesday. You will not be asked to walk very far on tired legs, because there is no real alternative to walking, and the island is arranged so that a bag and a body can both be carried.

April on Sark is quiet and changeable. The cliff paths are in grass and early flowers, the weather is cool, and some of the island's hotels, cafés and shops may not yet be open for the season. Sark Shipping says it runs year-round, but the sailing times for the days after the race were not published in October 2026, because the timetable then covered only 1 to 14 April. Look at sarkshipping.gg once it is out and book your boat and your bed together.

Sark has no cars. Tractors, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are the traffic. The harbour is below the main part of the island, and the road up from it is steep and long. A tractor-drawn bus normally meets the boat; ask your hotel to confirm how luggage is moved, and use it. Walking up that hill is not the day-after-a-marathon plan.

Night one: Sark

Sark's roads are narrow lanes between stone walls, and most are level once you are on top of the island. The main street, the Avenue, is a flat, unpaved track of about a kilometre with a few shops, a bakery and cafés. It is the recovery walk. There are benches, and you will not meet more than a handful of tractors.

The island is also known for La Coupée, a narrow isthmus with railings that links Greater and Little Sark, about 80 m above the sea. It is a fine thing to look at and a poor thing to walk on bad legs on a windy day. The path down to it is steep, and there are steps. Go by bicycle or on foot only if the legs are working, and check the weather before you try. Sark was designated a Dark Sky island in 2011, so a clear night is worth staying up for.

Where to stay: La Sablonnerie on Little Sark is a country hotel known for its restaurant, though it is a long way from the harbour and only suits a runner with a bicycle or a carriage booked. Hotel Petit Champ, on the west of the main island, is nearer and looks west over the sea. Check which are open in April, and book early.

Where to eat: Seafood and local produce are the staples, with lobster and crab on the menus of the island's hotels and pubs. Ask your hotel what is being served that week, and book dinner.

Getting to Guernsey Airport

Take the morning boat back to St Peter Port and then a taxi to Guernsey Airport (GCI). Do not book a flight for the same morning. Fog and wind can delay ferries, and a missed boat on a small island is not recoverable. Leave a full day between your last night on Sark and your flight home.