The UK is filled with plenty of interesting places to visit and stay for a week or a weekend. Furthermore, its proximity to Europe makes it a perfect launching pad for European holidays.
However, not everyone wants to travel abroad whilst leaving the familiarity of home. Alongside, a series of beautiful seaside towns, villages, and cities, Britons also have access to Channel Islands such as Sark.
Sark, like other Channel Islands such as Jersey and Guernsey, is a Crown Dependency, but not part of the United Kingdom.
However, unlike fellow Crown Dependency Isle of Man, none of the 500-plus residents are allowed to drive a car on the roads.
The lack of cars on the island and a ban on using tractors on Sundays isn’t the only strange rule on the little island. Another strange piece of legislation covers the fate of pigeons who make the mistake of landing.
The law reportedly states that “any rogue pigeons that land on the island are to be murdered forthwith”. Another says that all tenants on the island have to “pay a feudal due in capons on their kitchen chimneys”.
Furthermore, the way Sark is ruled is also a little different. The island is run by a Seigneur, a hereditary ruler who holds a title passed down from generation to generation. There is also a body of elected representatives and unelected officeholders known as the Chief Pleas.
Sark is also one of the few British places to have been occupied by Germany during World War 2. Earlier this year, it celebrated the 79th anniversary of its liberation on May 9, 1945, a day after Jersey and Guernsey.
Despite some strange laws, Sark is an incredibly interesting place to visit. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “Step back in time when you arrive on Sark and enjoy the relaxing pace of life. Our trip over on the Trident ferry was fast and smooth with helpful and friendly staff.
“After a short ride up the hill from the harbour by tractor and trailer we took a short horse and cart ride round the island. Shame there are so many deserted and run-down buildings on the Island – it must surely be possible for the owners to put them to better use than as a wreck that nature is slowly swallowing.”