Antigua Hiking – A Great Reward for a Little Effort
When I heard about a short but rewarding hike up to a hilltop in Antigua that had stunning views of Falmouth Harbour, I had to check it out. Part of Antigua’s National Park system, the remains of Fort George, sits atop Monk’s Hill – The English fortification, built on the island in the 17th century, can be found just north of the popular English Harbour, located along the south coast of Antigua.
As there aren’t any trail signs on the local roads, or on the trail itself for that matter, so it’s not easy to find. Luckily for us, someone provided basic directions, so that I could find the trail-head. Sure enough, after stopping for confirmation from another local, we found the trail not far behind Cobbs Cross Primary School.
We followed the road until it gradually degraded into a stone covered dirt road. The road has some seriously large ruts it in, making it near impossible to drive up it very far. After my car scraped bottom a couple of times I pulled over and parked to the side of the road, kind of sticking it in a bush to allow others to go by. There are a few houses further up the road, so I’m sure that a Rover or Jeep would be able to climb further than our car, however it’s really not worth the aggravation, just to shave a couple of minutes off an enjoyable hike.
OK, our Antigua hiking jaunt was on… We walked leisurely up the narrow track hoping that it was the actual trail – it turned out it was. We took our time, stopping every few hundred feet or so to take-in some nice views of the ocean and south coast that we could see over the rooftops of a few houses perched on the side of the hill. Wow – they must have great views from their backyards!
We were walking steadily uphill, but it was a fairly gentle incline, making this a very pleasant stroll. Oh ya, it’s also nice when you’re enjoying beautiful warm Caribbean weather like we were. We had only walked about 10 minutes or so when we came across a split in the road. We decided to stay left, assuming that Monk’s Hill was the hilltop we could see to our left. We found out later that going the other way would have taken us to another hilltop, slightly lower than Monk’s Hill. I understand that trail continues down the other side of the hill, to a different road further east of Cobbs Cross School – I suppose this could provide an alternative, longer route to Fort George if someone is looking for a longer Antigua hiking experience.
On the sides of the road we noticed that the area’s flora is an interesting combination of tropical forest and dry scrub desert. There’s a lot of lush greenery, although there’s plenty of large and small varieties of cacti dotting the landscape as well.
As we neared the top of the mountain the road took a hairpin turn and ran parallel to a stone wall. This is actually the outer wall of the old fortification, which runs further to the east, providing a defensive perimeter for the north side of Fort George. This is a pretty long wall, so this must have been a formidable fortress in it’s day. The road takes another turn here, this time to the right leading us under and through a stone archway in the wall – This must be the entrance to the fort. From this vantage point, standing just inside the fort, we could actually see all the way to the north-east coast and Atlantic Ocean way off in the distance.
There was still a little more walking to do before reaching the hilltop. Eventually, we passed the remains of what appears to have been a stone gatehouse or something. Once we passed that, the peak sort of opens up to flatter surfaces. We could feel the wind getting stronger here so we knew we were at or near the peak. Our day of Antigua hiking was about to get exhilarating…
We then stumbled across the remains of a stone building, although we didn’t pay much attention to it as we were immediately drawn to the south, with glimpses of the Caribbean Sea. The wind was really picking up here and it was at this moment that I realized that we were on the edge of an escarpment. As we walked closer to the precipice, the southern Antigua shoreline opened up in front of us revealing the amazing bays and natural harbours below. I sat down on the edge of the cliff and savoured the stunning views – The scene of Falmouth Harbour was wonderful, as were the green rolling hills off to the right.
There was no-one else here, so we had the place to ourselves – I could have just sat there all day and soaked it in! This was one of those places where you just want to hang-out, relax and lose yourself in the moment. After a while, I started to think about the hike up here… I could imagine what it must have been like here a few hundred years ago – English soldiers transporting weapons and goods from ships in the harbour up to the fort. I don’t envy them. Dressed in their heavy cotton uniforms, they must have been itchy and uncomfortably hot under the midday sun – Not pleasant at all. Meanwhile, here we were today, just kicking-back in our lightweight and breathable shorts and Ts, without a care in the world, watching a regatta unfold below us. It was fun watching several small sailboats racing back and forth across the large bay.
Eventually, we decided to get up and look around some more. A short walk to the other side of the mountain top provided us with spectacular views to the north-east. The sights included the stone remains of an old mill, as well as a fairly large solar farm off in the distance. Once we had exhausted the views, we took some final pictures before journeying back down to the car. We encountered one other small group on our way down, so apparently this place hasn’t been entirely forgotten.
I can’t imagine a better way to spend a morning! This was a very pleasant, moderately steep and relatively short hike that culminates with the remains of a 17th-century fortification with stunning views of Antigua’s southern coastline. If you plan to do this hike, remember to bring water and wear a hat – It’s pretty much full exposure to the sun up on the peak.
ACT Staff
For a more ‘technical’ Trail Report as well as much more information on Antigua & Barbuda Hiking, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):
- Antigua Hiking – Monk’s Hill (Fort George) Trail
- Antigua & Barbuda Hiking – Trail Reviews and Hiking Guides
To Hike Antigua’s Monk’s Hill (Fort George), these local Tour Operators will take good care of you:
- Trek Tours
- More coming soon
For an overview of the “land of sun and sea”, take a look at our Antigua & Barbuda Vacations page
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Antigua Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Antigua and Barbuda blog
