JE 110

Antigua

Tim

Tuesday, March 14 – Antigua

I’m going to take a walk west today; ultimate destination is Fort Barrington. With photo diversions along the way, it should take about 2 hours to get there.

THREE ships in port today!!
First diversion on the way to the fort…
…rather uninspiring.
The second stop is Yepton Beach.
Not a bad spot, and nobody else was here.
Approaching my final destination. Fort Barrington is on the top of the hill on the left.

Fort Barrington is situated on Goat Hill, the westernmost entry point into St John’s Harbour. It was built in the late 18th century to control entry into both St John’s Harbour and the neighboring Deep Bay.

At the base of the hill, ready to make the climb!
Got a little steep at times; the rope definitely helped (more so on the way back down)!
Almost there!
And what a view! The color of the water amazes me.
Made it to the top!
Another look back towards St. John’s. You can barely make out the cruise ships in the port in the upper right-hand corner.
Now looking south at Deep Bay and Deep Bay Beach. Wow! (I wonder how much those bungalows on the water go for?)
This is the entrance to Deep Bay and that’s Galley Bay Beach in the background.
Looking back towards Deep Bay Beach as I make my way out to the furthest point on the trail from Fort Barrington.
End of the line!
The view from Deep Bay Beach back towards Fort Barrington on the right, and the trail end point on the left.

This was a great walk. Well worth the effort. The views from the fort were amazing!

On my way back to the apartment I was going to stop here in St. John’s to get something to eat. Until I discovered their prices were more than double what I paid at the roti shop in Grenada! I passed! (I am cheap, after all!)

Wednesday, March 15 – Antigua

Road trip! I’m traveling to the south of the island today to visit Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour. My mode of transit will be (mini)bus.

The walk from my apartment to the bus terminal took about 20 minutes. Then there was a 20 minute wait for the bus to depart. And then it took 40 minutes to reach the dockyard. The one-way bus fare was 1.40 USD.

Nelson’s Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour. It is part of Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, which also contains some other sights that I will be visiting today. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Royal Navy Dockyard from 1784 through 1787. The entry fee to the park complex was 15 USD.

Most of the buildings here date from the 18th Century and have been converted for modern-day use. This is the marina office.

Adjacent to the Dockyard is a trail that leads to a Guard House located at the entrance to the Harbor.

View of the Dockyard Marina from the trail.

To view the other sights in the Park will take a little walking. (A guide at the Dockyard suggested I take a taxi, but you know that’s not going to happen!)

I had a little company on my walk!

My next stop is Shirley Heights, a restored military lookout and gun battery. The lookout is on a high point (about 490 ft.) that affords a superb view of English and Falmouth Harbours; claimed to be the best view in Antigua. We’ll see (literally!). To get there, one can either go via the road or a trail (most visitors drive there). Can you guess which route I’ll be taking?

Shirley Heights is located at the top of this hill.
Of course I’ll be taking the trail!
On my way!
The view of English Harbour from the trail…
…and Falmouth Harbour in the background.
The south coast of the island.
The 18th Century Guard House on Shirley Heights.
And the view of the two harbours from the top of Shirley Heights. Yeah, I’d say it’s pretty awesome!

(The Dockyard is located on the isthmus to the right of center, and the Guard House that I visited is on the little peninsula in the center of the photo).

Next on the excursion is the Blockhouse, which is a combination of a small fort and garrison complex that was used by British soldiers in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Again, I could get there by road or by trail. Which will I choose?

Was there any doubt?
Along the trail.
Sadly, the complex is mainly in ruins.
The visit is mainly for the views! More of the south coast.

My last stop in the Park is Dow’s Hill. It was originally used as a fortification (ca. 1789) to secure the ridge above the Dockyard from a land attack. Today the site contains some ruins and an Interpretation Center that presents a short history of the island. Also, more great views!

Shirley Heights
English Harbour

Another fun day on Antigua! Finished off with a return bus ride back to St. John’s.

Thursday, March 16 – Antigua

Another walkabout today. This time to the west of St. John’s, where I’m going to visit another fort and some beaches. Let’s go!

Fuel Price Check: 14.25 ECD/gallon, which works out to 5.28 USD/gallon.
This is Fort James Beach
Fort James was built in the early 18th Century to guard St. John’s Harbour. Except for the cannons, today it is mostly in ruins.
The color of this water continues to entrance me!
Working my way north to Runaway Beach.
Wow!
And finally, a little further north, Dickenson Bay Beach.
This beach is a little more populated than the others, due to the resort located at the other end.

Wow! The beaches I’ve visited today are wonderful! And I can’t get enough of the beautiful water! A great day!

I’ve done a LOT of walking the past three days; over 25k steps each day. It feels great!

4 thoughts on “JE 110”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *