View of Guernsey from Herm

This sketch – mostly in water-soluble coloured pencil – is a view towards the coast of Guernsey from a tiny ‘beach’ on the island of Herm.

This is another favourite place of mine. The exquisite beach hosts a few clumps of Common Rush, presumably sustained by a small underground stream, that must survive being regularly swamped with seawater during storms. Colourful lichens grow on the rocks and a rich flora inhabits the stones and pebbles. This is a vulnerable spot; the smallest rise in sea level would obliterate it.

The islet on the left of the horizon is Crevichon (apparently wooded 500 years ago). Just behind and to the left, there is a glimpse of the larger island Jethou, once connected to Herm. All the islands were once part of the European continent. The high places, such as Herm, had special religious significance.

The driftwood has been rendered smooth by the operation of sea and sand and bleached by the sun. I was struck by how much this natural sculpture resembled the skeleton of a whale, and I reflected on the commonality of things, the underlying similarity of form.

You might like this view of Guernsey from Lihou, or this view of Sark from Herm.