The unspoilt British isle where people travel by horse-drawn carriage – with beautiful beaches & world-famous skies

A LITTLE British island that is nearer to France than the UK feels like a step back in time – with no cars and quiet hidden beaches.

The UK is surrounded by thousands of islands, with just a few hundred of them populated.

And one of the smallest is Sark, known as the “jewel of the Channel Islands” and just a 35 to 50-minute ferry from Guernsey.

Just 20 miles from France, famous French author Victor Hugo once called it a ” sort of fairy castle, full of wonders”.

The tiny island is home to just 562 people, with cars banned across the two-mile destination.

Most people travel around by bike, although you’re likely to spot a tractor ‘taxi’ or horse-drawn carriage too.

The popular route to take is across Le Coupee ridge which connects Big Sark and Little Sark.

Expect a mix of English and French culture, despite the majority of its history being under English rule, apart from a brief period in the 1500s when it was captured by France as well as being occupied by German soldiers for five years during WWII.

Now, the island has just one school, two churches and a small retail area – but no cash machines.

But there are a number of attractions for tourists to explore, including Sark Henge, a much smaller version of Stonehenge, as well as Sark Observatory for stargazing and the War-Time Exhibition.

It was the first island in the world to be designated a Dark Sky area, with the lack of car headlights and public lighting making it perfect for stargazing.

In the summer, the best place to head to is the beach, with Sark having 40 miles of coastline.

Dixcart is the most popular, with a mix of stones and golden sand where it’s safe to swim whatever the tide.

One tourist compared it to a beach from Robinson Crusoe while others said it was like something from Lord of the Rings.

Or head down the pebble bay near the harbour to Creux, a natural swimming pool.

And even better, the island has some of the most annual sunshine hours in the rest of Britain, with it rarely seeing frost.

Most people visit the island for a day trip, but there are lots of hotels to choose from too.

This ranges from glamping at La Valette campsite or Pomme de Chien campsite or four-star resorts such as Stock Hotel or Clos de Vaul Creux Guest House.

Ferry tickets from Guernsey to Sark start from £31 while overnight stays start from £11 a night.

Here’s another UK island that’s like Cornwall from the 1970s.

And an island in Scotland has been dubbed the “Hawaii of the North”.