 Herm is only 1 ½ miles long and less than half a mile wide . It is oriented so that its greatest length runs north – south . In the northern part of the island are the Le Petit Monceau and Le Grande Monceau hills . To the north of this is a common , leading to <unk> Beach on the northern coast , with Oyster Point in the northwestern corner and La Pointe du <unk> or Alderney Point at the northeastern corner . To the east of the common is Shell Beach and to the west is The Bear 's Beach , leading down to the harbour . Half of the coastline of the northern part of the island is surrounded by sandy beaches ; the southern half is rocky . Much of Herm 's bedrock is granite . In 2008 , Adrian Heyworth , who was at the time the island 's tenant , said that two or three metres of sand were being lost annually at Alderney Point . 
