LOCATION

Jaonnet Bay

Jaonnet Bay is a deep cove on Guernsey’s south coast. It can be accessed from the coastal path, with some effort. It is around half a mile’s walk from the car park at Icart Point, and the only access is by way of a long, steep set of steps. There is somewhere to sit half way down (and, crucially, half way back up again) but it is unsuitable for children and anybody without a good set of strong legs on them.

The last section is a ladder down to the beach itself.

Steps to Jaonnet Bay

Jaonnet Bay was the site of a second world war raid on Guernsey by a British commando. Taking place on the night of 8 July 1940, when the island was under German occupation, it was led by Hubert Nicolle, a Guernseyman himself, who spent three days on the island and was picked up again by the Royal Navy so he could return to the mainland and give his report.

He was transported to the waters around Guernsey by submarine, but made his final approach to the south coast by canoe. He then met up with friends and acquaintances on the island, gathering information from as many as he could, before being collected by the submarine under cover of darkness.

Nicolle returned to Guernsey on a second information gathering mission two months later, but when his escape transport failed to turn up he was forced to surrender and was taken prisoner.

Steps to Jaonnet Bay

A fictionalised version of a larger commando raid takes place in book 2, Blowfish, where it is being filmed by the BBC 25 years before events in the story itself take place. Local builder Frank Hollett is one of the many extras employed to act in the production.

Steps to Jaonnet Bay

A carved granite stone was unveiled on the cliffs at Icart Point on the 70th anniversary of the raid at a point where you can look along the south coast towards the landing point at Jaonnet Bay.

Carved granite block at Icart Point

Read more about Jaonnet Bay

A body on a beach, an impossible alibi and an unstoppable race against time!

Jaonnet Bay appears in The Sarnian, the explosive adventure series in which the discovery of a dead body on one of Guernsey's most secluded beaches blows the lid on a world of intrigue and deceit.

Click below to download your copy today…

Jaonnet Bay in context

Jaonnet Bay in brief

Jaonnet Bay is a deep cove on Guernsey’s south coast where a team of British Commandos staged a raid during the Second World War. It of often cut off at high tide, and gaining access involves a long walk down steep steps cut into the cliff.

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The Sarnian series of books is published by Ovingo Limited. Ovingo Limited is a private limited company, registered in England and Wales, number 7468217. Registered office: 16 The Maltings, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, SG12 8UU.

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All of the characters, organisations, publications and narrative of the Sarnian series, any related publications, products and web sites are fictitious. Characters, events, organisations and publications are not intended to refer to actual entities or events and any similarity is unintentional and entirely coincidental.

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This web site, and its contents, are here to support The Sarnian, a series of books set on and around the Channel Islands, and Guernsey in particular. It started as a means of keeping track of each character so that their features, loves, desires, abilities, looks and so on didn't change from book to book and has grown to become a complete encyclopedia of the series. Unless otherwise stated, the images included on this site were taken by The Sarnian author, Nik Rawlinson, who is also the author of the content.