Barbados Island Tour

Barbados isn’t all about the beaches, as travel writer, Catherine Roberts, found out when she jumped on an island tour. Here’s what she discovered…
 

1. Sugar cane fields

And plenty of them. No surprise, really – it is, after all, used in the production of Bajan rum.

2. Gun Hill Signal Station, St George

The biggest signal station in Barbados. To put that lion in perspective, each of its legs is person-sized.

3. Pretty houses and gardens

If you think the houses in Barbados are pretty, wait ‘til you see their gardens. Some of them would give contestants at the Chelsea Flower Show a run for their money.

4. Flowers – everywhere!

The flowers in Barbados are something else, blooming just about everywhere. And all those lovely colours reel in hordes of hummingbirds.

5. Roadside fruit trees

You’ll soon get used to seeing mango, banana and coconut trees hanging out along the road. Keep an eye out for monkeys – they love the fruit just as much as we do.

6. Bird’s-eye views

The hilly interior is pretty much tourist-free – which means you get these views all to yourself.

7. Peaceful roads

Forget the mayhem that’s Bridgetown at rush hour. You’ll barely see a soul on the country roads in the east.

8. Beautiful Bathsheba

Bathsheba is a fishing village, but it’s the beach that the people really come for. And when I say people, I mean surfers – just look at those waves.

9. Weird rock formations

The rugged coastline around Bathsheba is a geography geek’s dream. (I admit it – that includes me.) You’ll see half-broken arches, tumble-down stacks and weird suspended rock formations like this.

10. Off-road trails

Barbados is pretty small, so there aren’t many off-road trails. But the ones that exist are good ‘uns – just hold on to your hat.

11. Sleeping giants

It’s sort of like a magic eye picture – once you see his nose, the rest falls into place.

12. Historic churches

Barbados has no shortage of pretty churches. The most interesting ones tend to be the parish churches – there’s 11 of them in total.

13. The oldest windmill in Barbados

Otherwise known as ‘Morgan Lewis Mill’, the only fully-working sugar mill in Barbados.

14. Little Bay, St Lucy

This area is famous for its blow holes, caves and natural pools. It’s pretty windy up on this northerly coast, so expect to get wet.

15. Fossils

Barbados is an island made from coral pushed up from the seabed, so you’ll see fossils casually scattered around everywhere. My not-so-inner geography geek went into overdrive.

If you’re visiting Barbados on a Thomson Cruise, you can book an excursion like this one here.