| The Islands of the Guernsey
Bailiwick lie on the south-western side of the English Channel and form a
natural northerly rim to the "Golfe de St. Malo" - that wide expanse
of gulf stream water captured in the pincer of the Normandy and Brittany coasts
of nearby France.
At latitude 50° North, the Islands lie
essentially within the mild westerly airflow that separates the sub-tropical
high pressure belt to the south, and the more northerly track of Atlantic low
pressure systems. They are offered protection by the English mainland some 60
miles to the north, and the much nearer French coastline to the east and south.
The local climate is tempered by its maritime
position and does not suffer the extremes of temperatures found in more
landlocked areas but thanks to the shelter offered by their giant neighbours
they escape the worst of the winds often associated with offshore locations.
Channel Islands climate is therefore temperate in
nature with mild damp cloudy winters and warm drier sunnier summers. |