Some Like it Hot – For Those Who Do, This Antigua Hike is for You!
Antigua & Barbuda is a multi-island Caribbean nation east of St. Kitts & Nevis, just north of Guadeloupe. Known for it’s numerous soft white beaches, sailing and underwater life – The island also has a number of really nice hiking trails to explore. I heard about a so-called “easy” trail that crosses a low ridge on it’s way to an old fort and Nelson’s Dockyard, so I thought – Cool, sounds like a great Antigua hiking experience, let’s check it out.
We rented a car from our east coast resort and drove down to the south coast of Antigua, to the English Harbour area. It’s a nice scenic drive although a little confusing for first-timers to the island. Thankfully, Antiguans are very friendly and helped us to reach our destination. Twice I was headed in the wrong direction when locals pro-actively flagged us down to see if we knew where we were going. I’ve never experienced this before – Islanders recognizing that we were lost and volunteering to point us in the right direction! It’s always good to get off the resort and see what the island and it’s residents are all about – In Antigua, it’s ‘all good’!
Once we passed the Antigua Yacht Club on Falmouth Harbour, the roads got really narrow and winding, however it was only a couple of minutes from there to Pigeon Point Beach. After parking the car, we put on our hiking shoes and hats – We’re ready to go. Before we left the car, I took a look around – Tourists and locals alike, were just lazing around on the beach, enjoying the sun and gazing out over the glistening blue waters of the bay. With that laid back mind-set in place, we crossed the street and set off on our hike.
This Antigua hiking trail started in a nice wooded area with a short climb up a fairly steep, but small hill. Man-made steps quickly gave way to a natural dirt path. After a few minutes, we reached the top of the hill and started to appreciate the amazing sights that came into view. Looking back to the west from where we came, we had some eye-catching views of Falmouth Harbour, with it’s sailboats sitting atop gorgeous shades of turquoise.
It wasn’t long before we realized that we would be walked along a delightfully ‘wide-open’ path. As the topography of this little peninsula was not too tall and steep, the trail was much wider than other ridge trails we had hiked. But it was a ridge of sorts and true to form, was a constant roller-coaster of shallow ups and downs – We enjoyed this as you never know what’s just over the next hill, until you get there! The landscape was very dry and we felt that we were in a desert-like environment. Once again, this was very different than the lush rain-forest hikes that we’ve mostly experienced in the Caribbean.
The ground beneath our feet was a blend of dirt and small stones – A brown colour with a hint of red. The dirt seemed almost powdery in texture, making the dirt-rock mixture very comfortable to walk on. Off to the sides of the trail, outcrops of grey rock, of varying shapes and sizes, filled the landscape. There were clumps of small trees here and there, although the area was really dominated by low growing scrub brush and cactus plants. The landscape reminded us a little of areas we’ve encountered in the southwest USA.
Something became obvious as we trekked along the trail – Although we had not encountered any people on the trail to this point, we knew that we were not alone here… We had noticed uniformly shaped pellets littering the ground and soon we encountered the culprits – shy goats were wandering around all over the place. I suppose that’s why this Antigua hiking trail is also known as ‘the Goat Track’. Heck, I don’t mind sharing the trail with these tough little critters – We left them alone, so I hope they didn’t mind us being there.
According to the sign at the beginning of the hike, the trail is about a mile long, although I gotta tell ya, it seemed much longer than that. I suspect there was a couple of reasons for this… It’s partly because the majority of the hike was pretty much fully exposed to the sun. The other big reason was due to the fact that this was our 3rd hike in a little over 24 hours – We had hiked Mount Obama the day before, and earlier in the morning we had marched up Monk’s Hill up to Fort George. Our tired legs combined with the sapping heat from the midday sun, made us both feel like we didn’t have much energy. It’s too bad, because we were really enjoying hiking this trail – It was great to soak-up so much vitamin D, taking-in great views along the way.
Middle Ground Trail roughly follows the contour of the southern coastline, albeit fairly far inland as the terrain along the coast is fairly steep. Throughout the hike we constantly had dramatic views of the Caribbean Sea, along with the occasional sailboat – This is great Antigua hiking! At various ‘high ground’ locations on the trail, we encountered remains of stone structures that I assume were part of the original fortifications of the area. They provided great rest stops and photo opportunities.
Exposed ridge trails have their benefits. We appreciated the constant breeze coming off the ocean – It really helped cool things down a bit. With the exception of the goats and two other pairs hiking, including a couple of hot and sweaty guys ‘running’ the track, we had the trail all to ourselves. It was simply marvelous to be able to experience this hike, set in such a tranquil natural setting.
As the hike progressed, we neared the eastern end of the peninsula and started to get nice aerial views of Fort Berkeley below us, as well as Freeman’s Bay and Galleon Beach across the water. We could also faintly make out the more popular Shirley’s Heights area near the peak above the bay and beach. It’s worth noting that there are a number of Antigua hiking trails to Shirley’s Heights and that most of the iconic photos of English Harbour people see, are typically taken from there.
I had my eyes open for the famous Pillars of Hercules at the southern end of Freeman’s Bay. While I’m sure it’s much more impressive to see the coral and limestone rock formations towering above you from a boat sitting 50 feet away, it was also pretty cool to see it from across the water looking over/down on it. As we were nearing the end of our fabulous desert and sea-view hike, we came across observation points on the rocky cliff-side where we had clear views down into the fort – This was a great vantage point to study the small, long and skinny 18th century stone fortification that frames the natural point protecting the entrance to English Harbour.
Maybe I was too focused on the Pillars of Hercules and the fort, whatever it was, I sort of lost track of the trail at this point – It just sort of disappeared from view. I walked around the rocky peak looking for a way to get down to the low-lying fort, then I realized that this Antigua hiking journey was about to get a whole lot more interesting! In order to get off the ridge and reach lower ground, we had to descend a very steep, cliff-like section of the trail – Off we went! With the support of ropes, we slowly walked backwards down the cliff-side. We managed to keep from somersaulting down the hill, so it was all good – What a fun change of pace!
Well, after about an hour of Antigua hiking on this hot and arid trail, we were happy to reach the fort and it’s much needed shade. After a short rest in the shadow of an old tree, I was prodded to move onward… We ventured along a stone wall that welcomed us into the old fortification. We rested and had a snack in the shade of the former guardhouse. Rejuvenated a bit, we explored the perimeter of the small fort and were drawn immediately to a couple of cannons in place along the wall. It was also fascinating to go into the old powder magazine and examine how it was constructed. Both buildings had really thick walls which helped them survive the ravages of time (and Caribbean weather/storms).
After spending some time exploring the fort, we followed a short gravel road that hugs the English Harbour coastline before reaching the island’s famous Nelson’s Dockyard. Our first stop was at the general store to replenish our water supplies. We walked around a bit, but mostly sat comfortably in the shade of one of the stores and drank our water – It seemed so-so cold and refreshing!
Well, at this point it got a little embarrassing… This was a first for us – We both agreed that we would rather take a taxi back to our car, than reverse course and re-hike the trail – We were just too hot and tired! I had noticed a water taxi when we had entered the area and thought that it would be a fun experience to return to the other side of the peninsula by boat. However, in typical Caribbean fashion, the only boat operator had decided to go home early for the day. So, we begrudgingly took a road taxi the short drive back to Pigeon Point Beach. Although we didn’t have the strength for the return journey and I wouldn’t call this trail ‘easy’, we really did enjoy this hike and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sun-filled desert-like hike with amazing Caribbean Sea views – Just make sure to bring lots of water 😉
ACT Staff
For a more ‘technical’ Trail Report as well as much more information on Antigua hiking, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):
- Antigua Hiking – Middle Ground Trail
- Antigua & Barbuda Hiking Trails – Trail Reviews and Hiking Guides
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
