Miles Hiked 16.13
Elevation Gain 981 feet
Here I am in Bermuda. I got here by crewing on an Oyster 47 sailboat. We sailed from Providence, RI, which took almost six days. So now I’m looking for something to do while here. Turns out Bermuda has many hiking trails.
The most prominent of the hiking trails on the Islands is the Bermuda Railway Trail. This trail, although running with gaps in it, is throughout the Islands. There is some to a lot of road walking depending on the section chosen to walk. Road walks are not my favorite, but there are also some really great sections of hard packed dirt and/or asphalt with tree coverage and quiet from road noise.
The part of the Bermuda Railway Trail I chose today runs from Hamilton to east of Somerset on the eastern most section of the island. Its total length is almost eleven miles. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to hike to the end since the plans are to move the boat later today, and I need to be present for the move.
At 9:00 am I left the marina where the boat is docked. To get to the beginning of the trail, it’s necessary to walk through downtown Hamilton to the trail start, which is about 1 1/2 miles away. Thank God I don’t have to carry a 30 pound backpack like I do when long trails are hiked. Today, I have a little day pack with a liter of water, some protein bars and a marine radio to attempt contact with the boat while gone.
My pace was pretty fast and I reached the trail in about 30 minutes. Here’s where I made a mistake. Instead of checking AllTrails to ensure I was on the Bermuda Railway Trail, I just kept going on the sidewalk beside the roadway. When I finally did look at my map on AllTrails, I realized I was not on the trail. A quick turn at the next cross street and a few minutes later, there was the trail.
Much to my surprise the Bermuda Railway Trail was dirt and hard packed with NO rocks! Generous portions of it had a tree canopy, which blocked most of the sun (no sunburn, thank you). I stepped up my pace and enjoyed the trail. The noisy traffic of cars and the ever present scooters was gone. The trail became a serene hideout from the crazy hustle that is Hamilton.
There were a few other hikers out, but the trail was mostly devoid of others. When I broke out of the tree shaded parts of the trail, the surrounding neighborhoods of the area were revealed to provide some diversity to my views.
At the six mile point of the trail, it was time for a break and a couple of protein bars. I happened to temporarily come out to a road and found a covered bus stop with a bench. That was a good place for my break, so I stopped and had a snack.
At noon, it was time to head back to the marina and boat, so I turned around and started hiking back. My pace was about 3 mph and I was back in the craziness that is Hamilton in a couple of hours.
The hike was well worth it. Anyone needing a little exercise would do well to try this section of the Bermuda Railway Trail. If you go to the end, you can catch a bus back to Hamilton. You don’t have to double back like I did.
