Braye Bay
49° 43.80N - 002° 11.45W
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Braye Bay 49° 43.80N - 002° 11.45W |
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Sheltered by Alderney's famous Breakwater, which stretches three quarters of a mile out to sea, this is the best sand castle beach, a few minutes' walking distance from town.
Bordered on one side by hostelries and hotels, and an imposing Victorian fort on the other, beaches don't come much more family-friendly than this one: clean, safe and uncrowded.
All the shipping coming in and out of the Island can be watched from the wide, sandy beach. Fishing boats ply from the Quay and the Inner Harbour. Yachts have moorings here and sailing races are often held in the bay; so is the Daft Raft Race in Alderney Week. Braye Bay is the favourite place for water skiing and wind surfing. The dunes provide comfortable resting places and launch pads for high jumpers.
When the tide is high, particularly in early morning and late evening at spring tides, the water below Douglas Quay forms a natural swimming pool. It is also from this beach that stalwart swimmers go bathing on New Year's Day !
At the quieter Albert end of the beach it is stony and there are rock pool offering bait for fishermen. It is a great vantage point when rough seas spray over the Breakwater. There is a ramp here for easy access.
An extensive grassy hinterland provides scope for exercising dogs, which are not allowed on the beach from June to September. It is also ideal for flying kites.
Braye harbour
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Facilities |
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| Company | Contact | Address | Information |
| Lodgings | |||
| Hotel | |||
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Newtown Road,
Alderney, GY9 3XP Tel +44 (0)1481 823174 Fax +44 (0)1481 823174 |
5 rooms. Guest Lounge. Garden. L'Haras is a family-run guest house, open all year round. Located within minutes from Braye Beach. Children over 10 years only. | |
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Braye Street |
16 rooms. Fully licensed. Own pub and restaurant. Terrace patio with stunning views. This hotel is located at Braye Beach, Alderney's most popular golden sand beach. Dogs accepted. Credit cards accepted. Duty-free shop. | |
| Eating | |||
| Mai Thai Restaurant | Braye Harbour Tel +44 (0)1481 822738 |
hotel, restaurant and pub, (terrace) English and continental cuisine. Seafood and vegetarian specialities. | |
| Braye Chippy | Braye Harbour Tel +44 (0)1481 823475 |
Traditional fish & chips, Terrace (no drinks license). Also Take-away. Open every evening | |
| The Moorings | Braye Harbour Tel +44 (0)1481 822421 |
bistro and pub, terrace. English and continental cuisine. Open all week. (with large terrace overlooking Braye Bay) | |
| The Divers Inn | Braye Harbour | ||
| The First and Last Restaurant | Braye Harbour Tel +44 (0)1481 823162 |
Well known for its "fruits of the sea". Traditional English and continental cuisine. | |
| Bumps Eating House | Braye Street Tel +44 (0)1481 823197 |
International cuisine. | |
| Other | |||
| Alderney Sailing Club | 49° 43.80N 002° 11.45W | Braye
Harbour
Tel +44 (0) 1481 822342 |
Private yachts are always welcome in Braye Harbour, an excellent stop-over en route to Guernsey. There are 64 yellow visitors' mooring buoys, and it is possible to raft up on these in good weather. All other mooring buoys are private, and should not be used without permission. The anchorage in the middle of the bay has good holding ground in sand, but there are areas of rock and weed. Towards the entrance of the harbour, the bottom is generally more rocky. Because of the tidal range at Springs ( up to 6.9m ), a good scope of anchor line should be used, especially if anchoring in shoal areas. It is not permitted to anchor in the Fairway or close to Braye Jetty, or to tie up to Braye Jetty without permission. The mooring charges are £10 per day for the buoys, and £2 per day for anchoring; these charges include use of the showers. Mainbrayce Chandlers run a water taxi in the harbour, June - August 0830 - 2400; April, May & September 0830 - 1800, but later by arrangement (see telephone & VHF radio). The charge for this is £1 a head each way. The harbour launch patrols the harbour most of the day during Harbour Office hours. |
