It's been way too long since I have joined up with Fiona over at Coombe Mill for her #CountryKids linky so today I am rectifying that. At the end of October we took a family holiday to Jersey and it is a wonderful place. I'd be happy to recommend it as somewhere to take the kids and get outside and explore. The island is beautiful and the beaches just divine.
One day we took a short drive from our hotel in the capital St Helier and headed to the Jersey War Tunnels. You might not be aware that during WW11 Jersey was occupied by the Nazi's and the whole island had to bow down to their power. One of the things they did during their time on Jersey was to build a complex web of tunnels into the hillside. These tunnels were used as a hospital and were a safe haven from overhead attack.
I'd read a few posts about how good they were and my JJ is seriously into learning about the second world war, so he really fancied visiting. If I'm honest I was not convinced that I would enjoy it that much, nor my 7 year old twin girls but actually it was superb and we all had a great time. Such a trip back in time and we all learnt lots of new information and became much more knowledgeable about what it was like in war times. As it was the 100th anniversary of the first world war this year the kids have all been studying war in general and therefore had a heightened interest.
The tunnel complex is a series of underground galleries that tell the story of the Jersey Islanders under German occupation. You travel through time and each gallery is different and provokes conversation and thought. There were lots of hands on exhibits to help the children and adults learn, we all sat in a bomb raid shelter and felt what it was like to be there when the air raid siren went off, we were able to listen in on phone conversations detailing key events and we met simulated German soldiers, who asked us questions and really got each of us to remember they were people too, not just faceless killers.
The Jersey War Tunnels are open for the summer season from 1st March through to 31st October and the 2014 cost was £11.50 for an adult and £7.50 for a child (aged 7 - 15 years). We spent about 3 hours touring the tunnels and then enjoyed a coffee and cake in the on site Pantry so it was long enough for us to feel as if the attraction was worth the money we paid for it.
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