Vale
Vale was a separate tidal island until 1806 reclamation connected it to Guernsey—Bordeaux Harbour's quarry produced 3.5 million tons of diorite over the century of extraction.
Vale occupies Guernsey's northern extremity—the territory that was a separate tidal island (Le Clos du Valle) until 1806 land reclamation connected it permanently to the main island. This geographic history explains the parish's distinctive character: settlements developed independently of St Peter Port's influence, creating village centers at Bordeaux Harbour and around Vale Castle that predate the causeway connection. The castle, over 1,000 years old and first mentioned in the 16th century as 'Le Château St Michel,' overlooks Bordeaux Harbour where blue diorite quarrying produced 3.5 million tons over a century—industrial extraction that shaped the bay before fishing and later recreation succeeded mining. L'Ancresse Common on the parish's northern coast provides public access to beaches and golf links, the open landscape preserving something of the island's pre-development character. German occupation infrastructure included a light railway to move construction materials for Atlantic Wall fortifications, traces of which remain visible near Bordeaux. The cromlech of 'L'Autel de Dehus' (Altar of the Devil) near the harbour represents Neolithic occupation predating recorded history, while the parish church maintains medieval Norman architecture. Modern Vale houses residents attracted to northern beaches and relative distance from St Peter Port's intensity. By 2026, the parish that was once a separate island increasingly functions as bedroom community for the finance capital to the south—commuter patterns replacing the independent economy that tidal separation once enforced.