The Ecrehous (Les Ecréhou in French or L's Êcréhos in Jèrriais, the Norman language spoken in Jersey) is an archipelago of minute islets and rocks that are part of the Bailiwick of Jersey.

Sticking ominously out of the sea about seven miles to the north east of Jersey, and about ten miles from the coast of France, they have been occupied on and off since the 10th century when a monastery was set up there.

(For those who don’t know Jersey isn't actually part of the UK, nor the European Union, but is rather a separate possession of the Crown, comparable to the Isle of Man.)

"The Ecrehous" , their collective name, has three main islets.

Marmotier or " La Marmotière" , the most concentrated contains 25 or so tiny “huts”, mostly comprising a single room, and none with electricity or fresh water. They were originally built as shelters for fisherman, they became popular in late Victorian and Edwardian times as rather posh beach houses.

Today they are all privately owned with the exception of a single hut that the States of Jersey own, called The Old Customs House, which can actually be rented out.

The other two main islets are "La Maître Île", which has the reamins of the 10th century monastery, and "La Blanche Île" have only a couple of similar buildings on each of them due to their comparatively small size.

AT LOW TIDE: a vast moonscape is revealed. One can walk for a good half mile, right out into the middle of the sea. The retreating sea fills hundreds of deep rock pools, and a large lagoon with water.

The sun heats these up very quickly, and the result is like an extraordinary collection of mini private heated swimming pools, miles from anywhere. The sensation of swimming in the sea, whilst in the middle of the sea really takes a bit of getting used to. The sandy beaches that are also revealed are fabulous.

Having one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, the difference between high and low tides is often over 35 feet. They really are the geographic incarnation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (or should that be Tide!)

The only drawback is that the ONLY way to get there is by boat. And there is no official way to get out to The Ecrehous, it is a popular day trip from the French port of Carteret, and you can arrange a tour from the Jersey mainland, but it can get very crowded in the summer.

This means that only very shallow draft boats can get right in at low tide as there are only two deep-water moorings, one private, the other belonging to the States of Jersey.

Those arriving in between tides have to land an anchor on the beach and play a Canute like game of "guess how far the tide will go in/out". Those without very long ropes will spend most of the day moving their anchors around. In fact a popular pastime for those in the know is watching the chaos that in sues whenever a boat arrives or departs in the bay.

Anchor chains and ropes are inevitable snagged, and there is much fist waiving and typically British shouting, accompanied by typically Gallic shrugs as boats bash into each other as they are dragged left right and centre. It is hilarious.

AT HIGH TIDE: the three islands are totally cut off. In rough weather it is a savage and inhospitable place that has claimed the lives of many fisherman who take advantage of the fertile fishing grounds that are enhabited by crabs and lobsters and scallops. Watching the tide change is curious, as vast areas that seemed like land are swallowed up by the sea. Very quickly the remoteness of the islets becomes apparent, and with the final sea level only a few feet below the threshold of the huts, it suddenly becomes a very very small home from home. People do stay overnight from time to time, but only in the summer, or by accident. The last full time resident, naturally a fisherman, left in the 1980’s.

The ownership of the islets has been disputed for hundreds of years, but was finally decided by the courts in 1954. But inspite of this every now and again “the French” arrive on mass and try to claim the islets as part of France. They are always repelled, the authorities in Jersey are normally tipped off, and they post Police on the islets. A flotilla of boats from Jersey then pitch up, and a standoff in sues.

Now a Union Jack flies proudly from a large, and very permanent flag pole, partly as a show of strength, and partly as a navigation aid, to act as a transit bearing to assist with the torturously rocky approach.

It really is worth a trip out to The Ecrehous. Check your tide tables, check your weather reports, pack water and plenty of suncreen! It is a unique experience.

Some usefull links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecrehous
http://www.jersey.com/
http://www.gov.je/