Beautiful beaches and delicious food were abundant during Ashley Barnard’s trip to Guernsey – but she also discovered an island steeped in history from the remains of a Roman boat to the heavy German occupation of WWII.

I WASN’T sure what to expect from Guernsey, other than hopefully a bit more sunshine than North Yorkshire had been offering all summer. I’d never been to the Channel Islands, but I like a cream tea and nice countryside walks, so I thought it would make for a relaxed break.

With flights now available from Leeds Bradford Airport, it is a relatively short and pain-free journey from home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, to the island on a Friday afternoon, and we were excited to get stuck into the itinerary organised by Travel Guernsey which included a bit of culture, some watersports, and free passes and recommendations for places to eat and things to do.

Our hotel, in the outskirts capital of St Peter Port, was Les Rocquettes, a pretty mansion house with a cosy bar area, gym and pool, and adjacent pub.

We sampled a fruity gin cocktail in the bar on our arrival while we perused our itinerary for the weekend – and as we had nothing lined up for us that evening, my husband James and I decided to walk the short distance to the seafront town centre and try one of the recommended restaurants.

After a quick drink in a couple of the town’s pubs, we decided on The Boathouse for an early dinner and were not disappointed at the harbour views and vast array of seafood on offer – I tackled a whole crab and James enjoyed his spiced fillet of cod.

Saturday was an early start, and were greeted in our hotel by our tour guide Sylvia Brouard, one of the few gold-accredited guides on Guernsey. Our first port of call was to the ridiculously cute Little Chapel – possibly the smallest chapel in the world measuring nine feet by 16 feet. It was a labour of love, first created in 1914 by Brother Déodat, who wanted to create a miniature version of the grotto and basilica at Lourdes, the Rosary Basilica. Unfortunately the first chapel was demolished, and the second was so small a visiting bishop could not fit through the door, so started the current structure was started in 1923 and was finished in 1940. The chapel is completely covered in shiny mosaic tiles and shells, so it gleams in the sunlight. Sadly, it is currently supported by scaffolding while ongoing restoration work can slowly continue – slowly because it is looked after by the local Blanchelande College and money has to be raised to fund it.

Sylvia continued our tour with a history of the island, which is rich in the remains of military bunkers and fortifications. During WWII the Channel Islands were the only part of the UK occupied by Germany, and around 17,000 women and children were evacuated to the mainland while Guernsey was heavily fortified with hundreds of mine fields and battlements on the cliffs.

Sylvia took us to a restored bunker that had been the German Naval Signals Headquarters – and introduced us to enthusiastic members of the Channel Islands Occupation Society who have worked tirelessly to re-create the interiors of many bunkers around the island.

“The group works so hard and were thrilled to welcome back Oberleutnant Willi Hagedorn recently – he was the commander of the bunker which was responsible for radio communications and control of all coast artillery," she says. “The society is working on restoring a number of bunkers around the island and is passionate about bringing them back to their former standard.”

Other highlights from our extensive tour included seeing the remains of a Roman wreck, discovered in 1982 by a diver, which is considered to be unique outside of the Mediterranean; and several Neolithic caves which date back to 2500 BC. We also stopped off at Karting Guernsey to have a spin around the newly-refurbished race track. I’m no speed fiend, but James unleashed his inner rally driver and took on two other racers for a white-knuckled hour.

After a full day of culture, we set off the following morning to Petit Bot Bay - a beautiful beach which was the start of our kayaking jaunt with Outdoor Guernsey. Our guide took us in and out of caves and secluded coves around the perimeter of the island, and we threw ourselves into the experience, rock jumping into the sea.

The tranquillity of paddling around the rocky coastline was one of the best features of the trip, but it left us ravenous, so we finished off our final day with a must-have Guernsey cream tea at the beachfront cafe.

Ashley Barnard was a guest of Visit Guernsey. To plan your own trip visit www.visitguernsey.com.

Doubles at Les Rocquettes Hotel in St Peter Port start at £146 until the end of September, and £126 from October. Visit http://lesrocquettesguernsey.com or call 01481-722146.

A kayak exploration costs £37.50 per adult for a two hour session. Outdoor Guernsey also offers other water and land based activities. Visit http://outdoorguernsey.co.uk.

An adult karting session starts from £21. Visit http://kartingguernsey.co.uk.