This is the second hike on Antigua for me. The hike was much easier than the hike to Pigeon Beach, which isn’t saying much, because none of these hiking trails are all that difficult. Still, there were some interesting views to see once I reached Shirley Heights, but I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
As you can see from the two maps above, there are actually two trails. The first beginning at Galleon Beach is Desmond’s Trail and the other is Carpenter’s Trail. I chose to skip Carpenter’s Trail since I had to get back to the Marina in Falmouth Harbour.
To get over to Galleon Beach, I hitch hiked a ride on a boat from Nelson’s Dockyard over to the beach. The dockmaster at Nelson’s was very accommo-dating once he learned I was with the Salty Dog Sailing Rally. The dinghy operator was a nice fellow who took me right up to the beach, and I hopped off without getting wet. He then pointed the way to the trail and I was off.
I had a little trouble finding the start of the trail, but eventually I found it. While the hike yesterday had blazes on the rocks and the trail head was easy to find once I was pointed in the right direction, such was not the case today. Anyway, I started going up. The trail had some tree canopy, which provided protection from the sun, unlike most of the trail yesterday.
As I began hiking, I made it a point to find a walking staff. I got lucky soon after I started climbing up and found a fairly straight and very strong stick to use. I guess I got spoiled with trekking poles in the Appalachians, and it was comforting to be able to rely somewhat on a walking staff for balance. So me and my recently acquired walking staff continued on.
I stopped here for a break and to take in the scenery. That’s my backpack and walking staff in one of the above pictures
I decided to take a break about halfway up the trail. From my vantage point during the break, I had a wonderful view of English Harbour in the foreground and Falmouth Harbor in the background. The elevation on the trail at the highest point was only about 500 feet, but that was enough.
After my break, I continued on. Unlike yesterday, there was no one else on the trail, which was fine with me. As the trail grew nearer to Shirley Heights it got even easier to hike it.
Finally, I reached Shirley Heights. Apparently, this is a tourist destination. There is a small bazaar with locals selling trinkets and of course, t-shirts. I walked around for a bit, talked with some of the vendors and shot some pictures. There were a few tourist on hand and a bus, which was their transportation. There really isn’t much else here or even nearby.
Shirley Heights does have some interesting history, though. The following is from their web site:
“At the most southerly tip of Antigua, The Lookout, part of the Shirley Heights military complex, commands a breathtaking view over the whole of English Harbour. Behind the catchment on the highest ground, 490ft (150m) above sea level, was the Signal Station from which a system of flags was used by day and guns by night to convey messages to St. John’s by way of Great Fort George on Monk’s Hill.
The Shirley Heights military complex also included a guard house, magazine and kitchen, officers’ quarters, adjoining parade grounds, a 40-bed hospital, canteen, and a cemetery. An obelisk in the cemetery commemorates the officers and men of the 54th Regiment (2nd Battalion Dorsets) who died in service in the West Indies between 1840 and 1851.”
Images of the two harbours seen from Shirley Heights along with a picture of the bazaar.
After I roamed around the bazaar for a while, I got restless and it was time to go. Now for the long hike back to the marina. A little ways down the road I came upon the ruins of an old gun emplacement. I wonder if the men who stayed here hundreds of years ago really appreciated the view they had.
Continuing on, the hike was all road and downhill to start and flat once I descended from the top of Shirley Heights. The image below shows the path (really it’s a road) I took. The road colored yellow is where I had to go. Being the Caribbean, it was another hot day and walking along the blacktop road didn’t help any. As I moved down the road, I reluctantly gave up my walking staff. It had served me well, but it was no longer needed. It took me over an hour to get back to the marina. If I ever get back to Antigua, I’ll check out Carpenter’s Trail.
