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Out and about visiting various places
We still had a few days to stay at Gavin’s place, the girls were off with Edna, Gavin and Katie were working and as Chrissie and Quest were in quarantine we had the use of her car and free time, which is rare for us.
Hog Bay Park
Our first outing was to Hog Bay Park. At Hog Bay Park there are 32 acres of quiet, unspoiled rural land. A network of trails lead around the park where were able to follow the trails past agricultural fields,
woodlands, a lime kiln, and down the steep hillside to a lovely shoreline.
Along the shoreline the seas were a beautiful, turquoise, we then climbed upward again, back towards the fennel lined over grown trails.
Why the name “Hog Bay”? As the story goes, mariners in the 17th century dropped hogs off in this area in the hope that they’d provide a perpetual source of bacon and ham for sailors shipwrecked on Bermuda’s treacherous coral reefs. The hogs are long gone and Hog Bay, (where hogs were particularly plentiful), is now called Pilchard Bay.
We found the trails to be very over grown, but this had benefits as there were butterflies, bees and insects everywhere. I wondered if the farmer was letting the pathways by the fields go wild, to encourage pollination for the crops grown near them so they are then “organic”.
West end Dockyard and Whale Bay
We took our Granddaughter May out with us on the following day of wandering about. Our first destination was Dockyard.
Royal Naval Dockyard
“Built by Royal decree to defend British superiority on the seas, the Royal Naval Dockyard is today a resplendent place of discovery. Within the walls of this nineteenth century fortress, where troops once marched, there are now lawns, flower lined lanes, fine dining and a quaint Clocktower Mall. Where once all was war readiness, now exists an invitation to adventure. Cruise ships dock, visitors swim with dolphins, snorkel at theSnorkel Park, explore the historic National Museum of Bermuda.”
We just walked about looking at the sailboats, the Spirit of Bermuda, which the Bermuda Sloop Foundation created as a purpose-built sail training vessel that now evokes the seagoing traditions of Bermuda while providing a safe, effective, and comfortable platform for Bermudian youth.
We ended up at a very nice eatery, the Bonefish Bar and Grill having a delicious lunch of fish sandwiches. Well we thought so, but May was just interested in coloring, I think she was past being hungry, plus we had earlier given her a doughnut.
Next stop was Whale Bay Fort
Bermuda is home to many old British forts, Whale Bay Fort & Battery overlooking West Whale Bay Beach was Originally built in the mid-1700s.
The fortress once had powerful, 12-ton cannons to protect the island from invaders. The cannons are long gone, but you can still explore the fort and battery, including sturdy stone walls, troop barracks and underground storage rooms.
We parked up and ascended the hill to the fort. Here we explored the walls, grounds and tunnels. The view was lovely. May was impatient to swim, so we soon went down to change and walk to the beach.
Whale Beach normally offers a calm, scenic escape with craggy cliffs surrounding a stretch of Bermuda’s classic pink sand. However on that day there was a tropical storm Henri lurking off shore this meant there was a surf running. We all had a lovely swim, May especially enjoying the big surf with Papa.
Whale Bay beach got its name as it was near the island’s whaling grounds in the 18th century. Whaling is long gone from Bermuda and the whales themselves are returning each spring, to Bermuda. I swam too, the water was as wonderful as ever.
Back at Gavin’s place the surf was powering ashore, salt spray filled the air, and the wind was blowing steadily as Henri circled around Bermuda.
Across the bay we could spy some young fellows “surfing” attempting to ride the surf. Rather dangerous as those seas can take the strongest down.
By the morning the weather was flattening out and John and I set out for yet another day of adventure.
Our first stop was Flatts.
Flatts was a sleepy fishing village located in Hamilton Parish halfway between Hamilton City and the town of St. George, basically it is a through way now. There are beautiful pastel colored houses, regal palm trees, and lovely turquoise waters.
Under Flatts bridge the waters of Harrington Sound rush to the sea. Harrington Sound itself is almost entirely surrounded by the Bermuda mainland, and is only open to the sea at this inlet. The water is fast moving, carrying water in and out from the Harrington Sound as the tide ebbs and flows.
John and I went for a look under the bridge, often rays can be see in these waters.
We could see the bright red of the sponge growing along the rocks, but no rays that day. (You can find more than 100 types of sponge in the waters of Harrington Sound).
St David’s
Next stop was the very eastern end of Bermuda. We hadn’t visited St David’s for many years and I had a real hankering for a visit. This is the eastern most edge of Bermuda, known as St David’s Head which comprises of Great Head and Little Head Parks.
The entire area spans across some 24 aces. David’s Battery is also found here. It was built in 1910 and went through several transformations from a small gun platform to a formidable fort that was built to defend the Narrows Channel that leads to St. George’s Harbor.
There are still two 9.2 inch and two 6 inch caliber Breech Loader guns mounted in the battery. The guns were constructed in UK and the largest ever mounted in Bermuda. They had a range of 7 miles and could easily stop enemy ships coming close to Bermuda back in the day. However, they never had to be fired against any enemy attacks. In fact, the sound from such gunfire was so loud that the neighboring residents complained and the guns were seldom fired even for practice drills.
We really enjoyed walking through the park, looking at the guns, and over the cliff at the Head.
We followed the overgrown pathway down the cliff face to the small lookout platform below, there the seas were just so wild and beautiful.
Back at the top we looked at the Figurehead Memorial, a lifeboat monument that stands to commemorate all the Bermudians lost at sea.
As we were in the area we drove to the St David’s lighthouse. This Lighthouse stands on the highest point on the Eastern tip of the island standing 208 feet above the sea level.
It sends its beam out 20 miles to sea. It was built in 1879 mainly to provide signals to the ships so that they didn’t come too close to the hidden reefs in the Bermuda waters. And to this day it serves as a beacon for mariners.
Clearwater and Cooper’s Island
An incredibly beautiful area of Bermuda is Clearwater and Cooper’s Island. This was our next stop. The area is famous for its quiet beaches and walking trails.
Clearwater is the first of these beaches. It has good public facilities, a restaurant and playground.
Next to Clearwater beach is Turtle Bay Beach. This is where we parked the car. This beach has a wonderful smaller stretch of sands with interesting rock formations fringing. As you look out from the shore, you will see dark patches of turtle grass on the sea bed which provide feeding grounds for turtles and fish.
This is not a natural beach though. It is an artificial manmade beach which was created at the time of land reclamation in the mid 1900s. The land reclamation was done to build the nearby U.S Naval Air Station which was operational until 1995.The entire Cooper’s Island was then a restricted area. After the U.S closed its base, it was opened up to the public.
We walked down along Cooper’s Island Road where the beautiful Long Bay is found, we had a 250 meters beach all to ourselves. The scenery is just stunning and on this day it was spectacular.
The next beaches located close by are Annie’s Bay, Well Bay, Fort Hill Bay and Soldier Bay.
They all are picturesque beaches, which we visited after an easy stroll along the old roadway and adjoining pathways.
At the very end of the pathway you can gaze out to sea, the view never grows old, it is always awesome!
Most of these beaches are excellent for snorkeling, but that would have to be saved for another time.
As we were leaving we passed the NASA Tracking Station, it is really all that is left of the Americans in Bermuda and is said to be:
“The NASA Tracking Station at Cooper’s Island, Bermuda is a critical component of NASA’s monitoring of current and future missions, including the use of launch vehicles, which are designed to deliver satellites and rockets into orbit and supplies to the International Space Station.” Of course this area is restricted.
By this time it was early afternoon and we both were very hungry, so it was off to St Georges.
By this time it was early afternoon and we both were very hungry, so it was off to St Georges.
Once there we bought food from the deli, sat on a shaded bench in the town square and enjoyed our picnic lunch.
Devonshire with May
May came to Gavin’s for a morning, so we took a walk to Devonshire Bay. Of course we took Amy too. Devonshire Bay has a sheltered beach area, a slipway for the fishermen, a park and an old fort. This fort was built by the British in the 1750s. The park has been renamed Mary Prince Park after Mary Prince, the enslaved Bermudian who gained her freedom, wrote a book and became a hero of the abolitionist movement in Britain.
Our walk was peaceful and quiet under the shade trees. The views through the trees was lovely. Then May wanted to walk Amy…..and Amy decided to walk May.
It was decided that May would jog back instead.
We had a wonderful few days out and about in Bermuda.
