The Walk from River Bay to Animal Flower Cave

For the past three years now, we have taken the bus to River Bay and then walked along the plateau to the Animal Flower Cave and caught the bus back again.

The big drawback of this itinerary is that the inbound bus from the Animal Flower Cave is an unreliable creature. I see in my notebook a note that reads "Inbound bus from Animal Flower Cave is at 44 mins past the hour. Or 12 mins. Who knows?"

Last year, we stood in the hot sun for about an hour and a half waiting for it. I began to lose hope. I was about to bail and call for a taxi, but the walk back to the Animal Flower Cave concession stand to find a phone book would have been about ten minutes long—and what if a bus came during that time?

The GH counselled patience (a situation rich in irony). But sure enough, about ten minutes later, the welcome sight of a blue bus!

So, the strategy nowadays is to ask the driver to let us off at the Animal Flower Cave, have our picnic there, and then walk back to River Bay. Either way, it takes about an hour over rocky ground. I recommend sturdy shoes (at least Crocs) and good sun protection (about which, more to come!)

St Lucy's Parish by the Connelltown Bus

Back in 2010, we had planned to explore the north coast of Barbados, as we had heard it was spectacular. Then the GH's face met with a rock on Gibbs Beach and our plans were derailed. In 2011, we finally got to visit St Lucy—and were blown away. It is now a staple excursion for us, just as Bathsheba is.

The Connelltown bus leaves Bridgetown on the hour every hour and travels up the West Coast road. I figured it would pass by Gibbs Beach at a little past the half-hour, and I was right. The bus came by at about 11.35. The ride took us north along the coast (calling in at the Speightstown bus terminal briefly on the way) and through an interesting-looking settlement called Six Men's Bay. There's a good-looking restaurant there called the Fish Pot which I would like to try some day when I win the lottery (Fodor's guide lists it as $$$$).

If you are going to the Animal Flower Cave (which an old gentleman at the Speightstown bus terminal once told us, sotto voce, was not worth visiting), the Connelltown bus will take you there, but you have to tell the driver that's where you want to get off, because there are no clues from the road that the Cave is even there. You get off at a bend in the road where the bus swings right, and walk down a dusty street past a couple of stalls selling postcards and seashells.

Alternatively, you can do like we do and walk to the Animal Flower Cave from the River Bay picnic ground, which looks like this ...

In Case You Are the Surfing Kind ...

Here's some East Coast surf. I don't know how you'd avoid those bad-looking rocks though ...

Our Harrowing Ordeal at Long Pond Part II

When we went back to Long Pond (or, more correctly, where it had been), we saw to our shock and horror that The Idiot (who was now nowhere to be seen) had succeeded in draining the entire pond into the ocean!

A huge swathe of the sea was discoloured brown by all the mud and silt that had washed out, and through a wide breach in the berm, a gushing torrent of water was running out to the ocean.

Although most of the pond had been drained--and the muddy bed of the pond was now exposed--the stream of water flowing seaward was still running so deep and fast that we didn't dare wade across it. We didn't fancy being knocked off our feet and washed into the Atlantic Ocean--not so close to dinnertime.

We saw freshwater fish being swept into the salty waters, and a crab desperately trying to scrabble against the current and hang on to the side of the breach with its pincers. It occurred to me that The Idiot had single-handedly destroyed an entire ecosystem all by himself, for no better reason than that he'd had nothing to do and too much destructive energy to do it with.

Meanwhile, our bus back to Bathsheba was passing by Barclays Park in rather less than an hour. We would have to try crossing upstream, over the now exposed muddy bottom of Long Pond.

As soon as we stepped off the sandy bank, though, we sank almost to our thighs in mud that had collected over years, possibly decades. My left Croc was swallowed up in the gooey, sucking, black silt. I had to plunge my arm in to retrieve it.

Now, I had spent a fair chunk of my childhood playing in just these conditions on the mudflats of Pasir Panjang in Singapore (now built over with container wharves), so I wasn't quite as alarmed as the Good Hubby, who seriously thought we would be sucked whole into the mud and never seen nor heard from again. Still, it was an unpleasant and unforeseen situation, and I wasn't quite sure how it would end.

I wish I had a photo to append to this post, but by this time my muddy left arm was carrying my muddy left Croc and it just didn't seem like a good idea to take out any personal electronic devices.

So we just hobbled up and down cursing for a few minutes.

Then the Good Hubby had a bright idea. He found us a couple of walking sticks, and using these to find the bottom, we hauled ourselves across at the narrowest point and made it safely to Barclays Park, where we had enough time to wash ourselves under a running tap before getting our bus.

No thanks to The Idiot.

Our Harrowing Ordeal at Long Pond Part I

At certain points along the Bathsheba coast, the ocean waves have pushed the sand up into berms like this one. These berms can be about four to five feet in height and about a hundred yards long.

One such berm that we came across, north of Barclays Park, held in a body of fresh water that was marked as Long Pond on our map. We figured it must have been a stream that had been dammed up by the berm.

It was a thriving ecosystem. Just walking casually along the top of the berm and looking in the water, we could see shoals of little fish swimming and enormous freshwater crabs lurking about the bottom.

Another species of wildlife we noticed was a tourist madly digging at the berm with his hands and feet, like some sort of demented dog. Apparently it was his bright idea to dig a channel from Long Pond out to the ocean.

Having mentally registered that he was an idiot, we went on our way. About an hour later, we despaired of ever reaching the end of the beach and turned back.

We weren't at all prepared for what we saw next ...

Barclays Park

Barclays Park (so named after the banking institution, I believe) is a pleasant picnic spot about ten minutes' drive north of Bathsheba.

The bus from Speightstown passes by on its way to Bathsheba at about 20 minutes before an even hour (i.e. 40 minutes after it has left the bus terminal).

The bus to Speightstown passes by at about 10 minutes past an even hour.

It took us about an hour and a half to walk to Barclays Park along the beach from Bathsheba. We dawdled along the way, of course.

On weekends, Barclays Park is a popular picnic spot for Barbadian families. Especially on Sundays, they always look awfully properly dressed for being on the beach. But perhaps for Barbadians, going to the beach isn't the rare occasion it is for us and so there just isn't the same enthusiasm for stepping out in hobo attire when it happens.

More likely, we are just incurable slobs.

Fortunately, this doesn't seem to discourage acts of great friendliness. Last year, just as the Speightstown bus was pulling up, a lady whose family was picnicking nearby came to ask us if we would like to ride back with her in her car.

We were so taken aback by her generosity--and flustered by the fact that the bus was fast approaching--that we declined, thanking her profusely as we hopped on board. We felt bad afterwards, as we felt we might have been rude and also that we had missed out on a chance to get to know some local people better.

Barclays Park is also where I saw my first ever mongoose. It's a nice place.

The Beach on the Bathsheba Coast

The beach on the Bathsheba Coast goes on seemingly forever. There is a tricky bit just past the Round House where you have to walk across piled up rocks for about a hundred yards, but otherwise, it all looks like this.

Last year, the Good Hubby and I walked for about five hours from the southern end near the Soup Bowl, past Barclays Park and north. We never did make it to the end of the beach, as we had to turn back and catch the bus back to Bathsheba to make it in time for supper.

The picture is one I took as we were trudging back, sunburned and weary. Note how unpopulated the beach is--long may it stay that way! In fact, all day we met only a couple of other people. Unfortunately, one of them was behaving like an idiot and caused us a great deal of inconvenience--but more on that in a later post.

Swimming on the Bathsheba Coast

Hey, by the time this post is published the Good Hubby and I will be in Barbados on our fourth visit!

In a previous post I'd mentioned that the Bathsheba coast is unsuitable for swimming. That's not entirely true.

At low tide, the ocean recedes just enough to expose a number of shallow rock pools. Some of them are wide enough for floating in. That's me in the picture, demonstrating my buoyancy.

It's a wonderful feeling to lie in a rock pool while the Atlantic Ocean pounds away on reefs less than 20 metres away.

If you're going to try this, I recommend wearing shoes. I found my Crocs were just the thing for walking over rocks to get to the pool and for protecting my feet from the sea urchins that lurk about the bottom. Crocs also float, which makes lying in the water a little easier and more comfy.

Bathsheba

Bathsheba is the main settlement on the East Coast of Barbados. The pounding Atlantic surf on this coast makes it unsuitable for swimming, so it is not as popular with tourists.

In our view, that's a plus.

Bathsheba makes a great day trip from the West or South Coasts. You can also stay there, if you don't mind its remoteness.

Last year we stayed in Bathsheba and thoroughly enjoyed being away from the bustle and development of the West Coast. There is very little traffic in Bathsheba, and it was easy to walk from our guesthouse each night to the several restaurants that line the main drag.

There is no proper grocery store in Bathsheba (although there is a small convenience store up the hill from the Round House), but a couple of visits to the Jordans in Speightstown took care of everything.

If you worry about your hairdo, Bathsheba is not for you. My main memories of being there are pretty elemental--the sun, the wind, and the unrelenting roar of the sea.

Andromeda Botanical Gardens

Just before the bus from Speightstown descends into Bathsheba, it stops at the lovely Andromeda Botanical Gardens.

Like everything else in Barbados, the gardens are small but full of charming surprises. Here's a picture I took of a frangipani tree that happened to be in blossom--but out of leaf--at the time of my visit.

There are brochures that guide the visitor on walks through the gardens, and a cafe where you can stop for a light meal.

The bus back to Speightstown leaves Bathsheba on the even hours, so watch for it to pass by Andromeda Botanical Gardens at about five minutes past.

If you are a good walker, it's possible to make the rest of the journey to Bathsheba on foot. It's not a busy road and Bajan drivers are good at looking out for pedestrians, but remember to walk facing oncoming traffic.

Barbados Wildlife Reserve Part II

This little fellow we saw running around in the reserve. I thought it was some kind of marsupial at first, but upon reflection I realized it was an uncommonly large and charming rodent.

I think it is a mara (not native to the Caribbean). Like the capybara, the mara is a large South American rodent and a close relative of the guinea pig. It is also sometimes called a Patagonian cavy or a Pampas hare.

Anyway, I had never seen one before visiting the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. Perhaps I ought to watch Planet Earth or The Life of Mammals again to see if I can learn something about them.

Barbados Wildlife Reserve Part I

The Barbados Wildlife Reserve turned out to be smaller than I thought it would be, but as we have learned, size isn't everything.

I wasn't, for instance, prepared for the large number of tortoises clattering about underfoot. Each of them seems to have its own, somewhat opaque agenda, but at close to 2 pm they all head purposefully for the feeding area.

The green monkeys (who don't necessarily live in the reserve but are free to come and go as they please) also know that it is feeding time. Since the ground is thick with tortoises, many of the monkeys will just perch on the tortoises' shells and reach for fruit over their heads.

The reserve is also home to a strange animal whose existence I'd never suspected prior to my visit. But that is for another post.

Farley Hill

About twenty minutes out of Speightstown, the Bathsheba bus makes a stop at Farley Hill, a small public park set atop a 300-metre escarpment. This is also the stop for the Barbados Wildlife Reserve.

The view from Farley Hill is spectacular, taking in almost all of the Scotland District (the name given to the rugged northeast coast of Barbados).

The cordoned-off, charred ruins of a 19th-century sugar baron's mansion stand in the middle of Farley Hill park. I had always thought the house must have burned down in its heyday, in a time before electric lighting, but my guidebook informs me otherwise.

Apparently, the mansion had been restored in 1956 for a lavish Hollywood movie starring Harry Belafonte. Sadly, the various movie-set embellishments turned out to be fairly inflammable, so that a few years later the house was destroyed in a fire.

The bus back to Speightstown stops by at about 20-25 minutes before an odd hour. Or if you're going on to Bathsheba, cross the road again and catch the bus at 20 minutes past an odd hour.

From Bridgetown, the Indian Ground bus that leaves from the Princess Alice bus terminal makes a stop at Farley Hill. The best departure times for a day excursion are 11.45 am and 1.45 pm from Mon-Fri; 9.45 am and 12.45 pm on Saturdays; and 10.45 am and 1.30 pm on Sundays. You'll have to check with the driver for inbound times.

Speightstown to Bathsheba

Our favourite excursion from Speightstown is to Bathsheba, a small settlement on the East Coast.

Buses to Bathsheba leave from the Speightstown Bus Terminal every two hours on the odd hours. The journey takes about 50 minutes and there are great views to be had along the way.

This is also the bus to take to visit the Barbados Wildlife Reserve or Farley Hill. The two attractions share the same bus stop and are across the road from each other.

As the bus turns south and starts travelling along the rugged East Coast, it stops at Barclays Park, which is a great place to have a picnic.

Just before descending into Bathsheba, this bus also goes by the quite lovely Andromeda Botanic Gardens.

So there are at least four sightseeing excursions that can be made using this one bus route. It's a good bus to know about.

St Peter's Parish Church in Speightstown

This is St Peter's Parish Church in Speightstown. When our friend The Curmudgeon was little, he served as an altar boy here.

St Peter's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Barbados, having been built in the 1630s. It was destroyed in a hurricane in the 1830s, then burned in a fire in 1980, but was lovingly rebuilt and restored after each of these events.

Our friend The Curmudgeon has yet to revisit this old haunt of his boyhood, but I always think of him when we are in Speightstown and hope we can visit together one day.