Bermuda Off The Beaten Path

Lighthouse shining it

by grandmaR

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Lighthouse shining it
by grandmaR
Another view of the lily pond
by grandmaR
Same 2011
by grandmaR
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse
by grandmaR
Pride across the sound
by grandmaR

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

If your beaten path leaves you beaten up...

by 850prc

If you have need for medical services in Bermuda, the main general hospital is the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital over in Paget Parish. (7 Point Finger Road, just south of Berry Hill Road) If you're bunged up in a cycle accident, this is where the ambulance will dispatch you.The hospital has a standard emergency room and trauma center, and can provide almost any level of emergency first-aid the traveller might require. As you know, health care costs are always an issue when you travel, and it's always a good idea to carry traveller's health insurance...or you should at least insure that your home health care coverage would apply in a pinch.Here's hoping you only see the King Edward hospital on your way to the botanical gardens. :)

Rum lovers? I bet you didn't know that...

by 850prc

The official rum of Bermuda is widely considered to be Gosling's Black Seal. However, if you wanted to list the world's best-known rums, Bacardi would probably top the list. Originally hailing from the island of Cuba, the Bacardi rum product is a favorite of rum lovers everywhere.You might find it interesting to know that Bacardi Rum company is headquartered in Bermuda, right on Pitts Bay Road at the edge of Hamilton. I don't think they have any free samples, and as for tours... it's just a corporate office. But, they have a very nice lawn, a great place for photos.

Friends to the Confederacy

by 850prc

A lot of people don't realize that Bermuda played a fairly significant role in the American Civil War. During the war, Great Britain (and their Bermuda colony) sided with the American South, aka the Confederate States of America. This may come as a surprise, considering that so many people believe that the sole purpose of the American Civil War was the issue of slavery. You see, at the time of the war, slavery had been outlawed in Bermuda and Great Britain for over thirty years.No, Bermuda's siding with the CSA was all about economics. Great Britain was the world's leading industrial power, and the CSA represented a treasure trove of natural and agricultural resources. The cloth mills of London and Manchester needed southern cotton. Plus, the Brits were still a little bit piqued about being given the old boot some "four score and seven years" earlier.Besides being a shipping transit...

The Bermuda Regiment

by dlandt

Bermuda maintains a small defense force. I doubt it forms a full regiment, more liek a battalion or a few comapanies. Nevertheless, you will periodically see them about the island. There is one base along South Road where they were seen marching on the parade ground and generally going about the business of any military anywhere. They also have what looks to be a youth corps that marched past us on our way to the beach, shown here.

Rent Bikes and Ride the old Train Trail

by peterd1331

You can rent bikes for a relitively low fee at a variety of bike rental places and ride them on the old Rail Trail which runs almost the whole lenth of the island. There are some places where it is paved. Believe it or not, you may see a car on some parts because for some peole, driving on a short stretch of this trail is the only way to get to their houses! It's relitively flat and fun for the entire family. However, some sections are more senic, so ask a concierge or somone willing to help to find the best place to ride.Of course, you can bike on the roads too, but be aware of which side to ride on. Also, the roads can be narrow and windey. There are also ferries to/from various places on the island, and I believe you can put your bike on the busses (they have bike carriers)Enjoy!

Somerset Bridge in Sandy's Parish

by grandmaR

in 1963, we got off the bus here to see this bridge. Bus routes # 7 and # 8 and the ferry stop here. In 1995, we just looked over at the bridge from the ferry on the way back from the Dockyard. But in 2004, we went to see this little bridge again. We came in by ferry and left by bus this time. I would really like to see the bridge in operation, but when we went in 2004, it was chained and padlocked shut, and the channel looked completely impassible by anything larger than a rowboat. In the picture taken from the ferry if you look, you can see the red traffic light indicating that the bridge is closed.From the website on Sandys Parish:"The world's smallest drawbridge connects Somerset Island to the westernmost part of main island. It is where Somerset Road begins. This is an example of the simplest form of drawbridge, in which a timber panel is removed from the center of the bridge to...

Off the Beaten trail literally -- Bermuda Railway

by Ekahau

The Bermudians love this part of their history and many talk about the Old Rattle and Shake but the Bermuda Railway only lasted 17 short years from 1931 until 1948. What records it set as the slowest and most expensive railway ever built but in some way the Bermudians are even proud of that and they should be. In 1984 the Railway Trail was named a National Park and it is a wonderful walking and horse riding path that streches 21 miles between Sandys Parish east to St. George's Parish. Before you go stop and pick up a guide at any tourist center or as I did at my hotel. The Railway Trail is a a great way to see Bermuda's very beautiful and varied scenery.

Astwood Cove Warwick

by Ekahau

I did not stay here but visited the cove and a friends advice was it was a good area to stay. Astwood Cove apartments is report as a very reasonably priced. It looked and the has most secluded beach. Astwood Cove apartments is report ed as a very reasonably priced $155. It has most secluded beach because the beach is a little hard to get down to. You have to climb down some steep steps to get there from the park. I would highly recommend this beach for people who want to be secluded and have a beautiful “private beach” in Bermuda!

Bermuda Railway Trail

by grandmaR

Bermuda had no motorized transport before 1931, when the most costly railway per mile anywhere was built. Until 1946 it was the only form of public motorized transport in Bermuda. Otherwise it was by horse and carriage or boat. Cars were not allowed until 1939 for the American and British military and 1948 for local residents. When the national bus system was introduced in 1946, the Bermuda Railway became too impractical and expensive (corrosion of the rails was a big problem) as a railroad. The assets were sold at bankruptcy prices by the Bermuda Government and shipped to Guyana where I think the railroad still exists. In the 1980s (i.e. after my 1963 visit), the Bermuda Government converted the abandoned tracks into a walking and biking trail running almost the entire length of Bermuda. It originally ran from Sandys Parish in the west to St. George's Parish in the east, via the City of...

Par-la-Ville Park

by grandmaR

Behind the post office on Queen Street in downtown Hamilton, Par-la-Ville Park was once the private garden of the island's first postmaster (1819). Mr. Perot enjoyed finding exotic plants from throughout the world and placing them in Par-la-Ville. In 1847, in planted an Indian rubber tree seed that has grown to a huge size. Mark Twain once said that he was disappointed that the tree didn't bear a crop of hot water bottles and rubber overshoes.