Bo's Plaice

Back when the GH was dragging himself around the island with a black eye and many stitches to keep his chin attached to his jawbone, we came upon this beautiful patio in Speightstown and had a wonderful cup of coffee here, watching the waves roll in and feeling glad to be alive.

Back then, it was the Cassareep Cafe. When we went back this time, we found it operating under new management and a new name—Bo's Plaice.

The first meal I had here seemed just so-so. The breadfruit chips I ordered with my marlin steak seemed a bit dry; the marlin steak itself was similarly lacking in moisture. But the service was good, and the patio exuded an air of rundown elegance that, to me, is what Speightstown is all about.

A couple of nights later, we came here again. This time, I ordered some flying fish and plaintains—all very juicy—and came away a very happy customer indeed. Unfortunately, I had already written my review on Trip Advisor (incidentally, the official TA photo for the restaurant is the one you see above, submitted by yours truly!) and droned boringly on about my marlin on the dry side.

So, here is my chance to make amends to the chef of Bo's Plaice. You're great! Everyone should eat your food! I'm coming back again next year!

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 ...

Getting To and From Bathsheba

As mentioned in an earlier post, there is a bus to Bathsheba that leaves the Speightstown Bus Terminal every two hours on the odd hours. The trip takes about 50 minutes.

There is also a bus from the Fairchild Street terminal in Bridgetown that leaves at the top of every hour (every half hour in the rush hours). The running time for this journey is 70 minutes.

The "terminus" in Bathsheba is the Soup Bowl Cafe (about which more elsewhere). The buses leave from here to go back to Bridgetown every hour and to Speightstown every two hours on the even hours.

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.

And while you're chomping down ...

This is the view from the dining area of the Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown.

The Fisherman's Pub, Speightstown

The Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown is a great place to have an affordable, authentically Bajan meal.

It's hard to miss if you head towards the beach from the bus terminal and then turn left to walk south along the shore.

Here's the drill: You join the line in the front of the restaurant. If it's a long line, you can while away the time by watching a cricket match on the wall-mounted TV.

When you get to the glass-covered counter, behind which are trays and trays of traditional Bajan dishes, you point to what you want and a server will dish it onto a plate.

It can be hard making yourself heard through the glass but in general the folks at Fisherman's Pub are more than happy to explain what each dish is.

Definitely point to the flying fish.

When your plate is ready, you bring it to the bar and someone will decide what you should pay for it.

The Speightstown Bus Terminal

The Speightstown Bus Terminal is one of three terminals operated by the Barbados Transport Board (the other two are in Bridgetown).

If you're anywhere north of Holetown on the West Coast, this will be your starting point for tours of the island.

Our favourite excursion from here is to Bathsheba, but the many tourist attractions of the northern parishes (the Animal Flower Cave, Farley Hill, and the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, to name a few) are accessible by bus from Speightstown.

Routes and schedules from Speightstown may be found at the Transport Board website.

Speightstown

Speightstown (pronounced "Spikestown") is a very charming town in St Peter's Parish, at the north end of the West Coast.

It is the "second city" of Barbados after Bridgetown. Named after its founder, William Speight, Speightstown was a thriving port until the 20th century.

Nowadays, however, Speightstown has a pleasantly sleepy air to it, and the words "roaring trade" do not exactly apply.

The former wealth of Speightstown is still apparent in some of the grand stone buildings that stand along Queen Street. One of these, Arlington House, has been turned into a museum that's well worth visiting for insights into Barbadian life, both past and present.

Virtually all buses running north along the main West Coast road will end up in Speightstown. From the Speightstown bus terminal (about which more elsewhere), you can also catch buses to other parts of the island, notably Bathsheba on the wild, Atlantic East Coast.

There are nice places to eat here (watch for a future post about the Fisherman's Pub), a well-stocked supermarket (Jordans), and several banks, including a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada.

The West Coast from Bridgetown to Speightstown

Many visitors to Barbados stay on the West Coast. It's not surprising, since most of it looks like this.

There are buses running up and down the stretch between Bridgetown and Speightstown all the time. It's rare to have to wait even five minutes for one.

Both Speightstown and Holetown are good for shopping and dining, as well as banking and communications.

If you're staying on the West Coast, getting around by bus is surely the easiest and cheapest option.