Europe's last feudal state — no cars, no planes, just horses and silence
Sark is a tiny Channel Island — just 5.5 square kilometres — that remained Europe's last feudal state until 2008, governed by its own Seigneur under a system dating to 1565. There are no cars, no aeroplanes, and almost no noise: transport is by horse-drawn carriage, bicycle, or on foot. The island has been designated one of the world's first Dark Sky Islands, making it exceptional for stargazing, and its coastal cliffs, caves, and the famous natural arch of La Coupée (a narrow ridge connecting the main island to Little Sark, with 100-metre drops on both sides) make it a uniquely atmospheric p…
Sark has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The island was granted as a fief to Helier de Carteret in 1565 by Queen Elizabeth I, who established the feudal system — the Seigneur held the island in exchange for providing soldiers. The feudal constitution survived virtually unchanged for 440 years, finally giving way to an elected parliament in 2008 after a campaign led by the Barclay brothers, who own neighbouring Brecqhou. Sark was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1940–45, the only part of the British Isles to be occupied in WWII.