← Jersey Marathon·Day trip

St Aubin and St Brelade's Bay: A Gentle Day on the South Coast

A harbour village on the west of St Aubin's Bay and a long sandy beach beyond it, a short bus ride from the finish and kind to a runner's legs.

DurationDay trip
TransitJust over 20 minutes by bus from Liberation Station in St Helier; check the timetable
DepartsSt Helier

After the Jersey Marathon: St Aubin and St Brelade's Bay

The Route: St Helier → St Aubin → St Brelade's Bay → St Helier Logistics: Local bus from Liberation Station. Leave luggage at your hotel. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

St Helier ──(approx. 20+ mins, bus)──> St Aubin ──(bus)──> St Brelade's Bay
    ▲                                                          │
    └──────────────────────(bus back)──────────────────────────┘

You finished on St Aubin's Bay, so the bus on Monday takes you back along the last kilometres of the course at a more reasonable speed. This is the right sort of day for a marathon morning-after. Nothing is far, the ground is flat, and a bench is never more than a few minutes away.

October on the south coast is quieter than summer. The beach is open all year, but do not count on deckchair hire, watersports or warm swimming, and the summer market that the tourist office mentions is not promised for a Monday in autumn. Bring a windproof and a plan B.

The morning

Take a bus from Liberation Station to St Aubin. Visit Jersey gives a journey of just over 20 minutes in normal service, and route 15 is among those that make it. Sit on the sea side and you watch the course go past in reverse: the bay, the sea wall, the long flat stretch that felt much longer at kilometre 38.

St Aubin is a small harbour village, with a quay, a ring of old buildings and a handful of cafés. Walk the harbour wall, find a coffee and sit. This is a stroll and not a coastal hike.

The afternoon

If the legs allow, continue to St Brelade's Bay on route 12A, or use the bay's own listed service, 14. The beach is a long curve of sand with a small church at one end. A paddle in the shallows is as much cold-water therapy as the calves need. Skip the steep steps down to nearby Portelet Bay, which are a poor idea on tired quads.

The tourism itinerary warns that the return on route 15 involves an uphill walk to the main road from one of the stops, so take a bay-level service back if you can.

The way home

Keep a current timetable in your pocket and take the bus back to St Helier in the late afternoon. Sunday and holiday services are thinner than weekday ones, but a Monday should be fine. Check before you leave.