What winter is actually like

Guernsey rarely gets properly cold. What it gets is wind, rain and dark, arriving off the Atlantic in long grey stretches from November through to March.

It is not dramatic. There is no snow to make an occasion of. It is simply weeks of weather that discourages going outside, on an island where most of what you moved for is outside.

Visitor numbers fall away. Some places close or reduce hours. Sailings and flights are more prone to cancellation. The beaches you fell in love with are still there, still beautiful, and largely empty in a way that is either wonderful or bleak depending on the day you are having.

Summer here is sociable almost by default. People are out, there are events, the sea is warm enough. If you arrive in spring you will form a view of island life that winter then tests.

The second winter is usually the one that decides it. Not the first, when everything is still novel and there is a home to set up. The second, when the novelty has gone and what is left is the actual life.

Knowing that in advance is most of the defence against it.

Have a winter thing before winter arrives. A club, a class, a choir, a standing Tuesday. Something that happens whether or not you feel like going, with people who notice if you do not. More on that on the making friends page.

Sort heating properly and early. A lot of homes here run on oil, and heating costs have risen sharply, which the cost of living page covers.

Buy waterproofs that genuinely work rather than ones that look the part. You will use them.

Do not save your trip home for February. Go in January, when you need it.

And if you know you are affected by short days and low light, take that seriously and plan for it before you arrive rather than discovering it in week six. If it becomes more than a low mood, a GP here is usually quick to see.

Winter storms on this coast are genuinely spectacular. A walk on the cliffs in a force eight is one of the better things about living here, and the people who thrive on this island are largely the ones who go out in it rather than waiting for it to pass.