Gorey Castle among sites to reopen in Jersey

Gorey Castle is one of the attractions in Jersey to reopen as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

Only the outside areas of the castle will open along with those at Hamptonne Museum and La Hougue Bie.

Mont Orgueil, as the castle is formally known, will open on Monday 25 May with Hamptonne and La Hougue Bie following on Wednesday 27 May.

Usual admission prices will still apply to the sites, but visitors will only be able to pay with a contactless card. Entry for members remains free.

Jersey Heritage says indoor exhibition spaces at each of the sites will stay closed as well as shops and cafés.

The cafés at Hamptonne and Mont Orgueil will soon offer take-away drinks, but the Tearoom at La Hougue Bie will remain shut for now.

Elizabeth Castle will stay closed until licensing issues for the ferry service are resolved after the process was delayed prior to the lockdown. Jersey's Museum and Art Gallery, the Maritime Museum and the Jersey Archive will also not reopen for the time being.

Jersey Heritage closed all of its sites to visitors on 20 March after government advice to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

To try and keep islanders engaged in their historic sites, the organisation set up a new initiative called Heritage at Home to give people the opportunity to explore stories from the island's past.