Sark

About this place

Sark is a small island in the English Channel, one of the Channel Islands, about 13.5 km in a straight line east of St Peter Port, Guernsey's capital. With the neighbouring island of Brecqhou it covers about 5.4 square kilometres, and some 500 people live there, most in the main village. Sark is one of the few places in the world where cars are banned from the roads: only tractors, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are allowed. In 2011 it became the world's first «Dark Sky Island», thanks to its lack of artificial light, so the stars shine on clear nights with rare brightness. The island is made up of Greater Sark and Little Sark, joined by a high, narrow isthmus called La Coupée, about 91 m long with a drop of around 100 m to the sea on either side. Fields, pastures, cliffs, bays and walking paths spread across the island, with sea stacks and neighbouring islands in view from its cliffs. Exploring is free, and the ferry from St Peter Port is paid. Allow at least a full day, hire a bicycle or take a horse-drawn carriage to get around, and clear nights are perfect for stargazing.