Route One
Les Quennevais School to Corbiere Lighthouse
Distance = 5.1 km / 3.1 miles
Approximate time = 15 minutes
Terrain = Mostly flat
Directions
Turn right onto Route de Quennavais. Go past the Communicare, the sports centre and lloyds bank. Turn right at the lights onto La Route Orange. On this road you can see La Moye golf club, La Moye School and Le Creux Country Park. Turn left onto Route da Sud. Turn left onto La Route de la Corbiere.
History
The name ‘Les Quennevais’ comes from ‘chenevière’ meaning an area where hemp was grown. Hemp is an most important crop for rope-making rope during the period of ship-building in Jersey. The Corbiere Lighthouse was built in 1874 by Imre Bell to the design of Sir John Coode.The materials came from St Ouens via an inclined railway. It was needed by sailors because of the dangerous rock around the coast.
Corbiere Railway ended here and there is a large capstone called La Table des Marthes there. This comes from the top of a dolmen which was built during the Neolithic Age. No other stones are left from the dolmen. It is said that the large stone was a place that people signed important documents on. The Railway is now a walk across St Ouen and St Brelade leading into St Aubin’s.
During the Occupation of Jersey, the German army built a tower here which was used for radio communications. They also built lots of bunkers which had guns in them at the top of the cliff.
