On 23 April 2025, Guernsey Post issued a series of postage stamps "Places to visit".

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency that includes the island of Guernsey itself, as well as the small nearby islands of Sark, Herm, Brecqhou and Lihou.

The postage stamps in the series depict fragments of amusing tourist maps of the islands with drawings of the main attractions. The stamp with a denomination of 69 p is dedicated to the islet of Lihou, the stamp with a denomination of £1.37 is dedicated to the island of Herm, the stamp with a denomination of £2.82 depicts a map of St. Peter Port, the main city of Guernsey, and the last stamp of the series with a denomination of £4.63 is dedicated to the islands of Sark and Brecqhou.

Local designer and illustrator Caroline Cummins was invited to work on this series of stamps. Caroline is the author of a whole series of hand-drawn tourist maps of the islands of Guernsey. Created with her light hand, these maps are very bright in style and positive in mood. They reveal the soul of these places and with funny pictures invite you to travel around the islands. According to Caroline, this is her first experience in creating postage stamps. The main difficulty for her was to maintain her artistic style, but at the same time remember that the size of the postage stamp is much smaller than the usual formats of illustrations.

Sark and Brecqhou Islands

Lost in the turquoise waters of the English Channel, the island of Sark seems to be frozen between eras. Walking along narrow paths overgrown with heather and rosemary, you can easily believe that time has stopped here.

On the stamp dedicated to the islands of Sark and Brecqhou, only a piece of the western coast of the island of Sark and the island of Brecqhou is visible. The main attractions on the stamp are depicted and signed: La Seigneurie - the residence of the ancient lords of Sark, Victor Hugo's Cave, the Gouliot Passage separating Sark from the island of Brecqhou and Barkly Castle on it.

And, of course, the map of Sark simply must have an image of a horse-drawn carriage, because horse-drawn carriage rides are the calling card of the island.

By the way, private cars are officially prohibited on the island of Sark. The island's residents value silence and clean air, the main means of transport here are horses, carriages and bicycles. This creates a unique "timeless" atmosphere on the island, where instead of the noise of modern cities, there is only wind, waves and the clatter of hooves.

Just like 100 years ago, all those arriving on the island are met at the pier by horse-drawn carriages. Horse-drawn carriages replace excursion buses, and the coachman not only drives the horse, but also acts as a tour guide, telling interesting stories about the sights, nature and life of the island. Horse-drawn tours usually cover all the important places and main views of the island: La Seigneurie, La Coupée, coastal cliffs and panoramic fields. Guests of the island can choose the format of the trip and the carriage to their taste: there are old Victorian carriages, and there are more modern carts.

A Horse-drawn ride in a carriage is a unique opportunity to get to know the island in a special atmosphere: slowly, smoothly swaying to the light creak of wheels and the clatter of hooves.

Sources: www.guernseystamps.com