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Once you've passed Holetown there is little of particular interest
to hold you en route north to Speightstown. A series of exclusive
hotels and grand private houses, fenced in behind security gates, is
interspersed with small villages of shops, fishing shacks and
chattel houses, keeping a typically Bajan toehold on the
increasingly developed west coast.
Access to many of the small bays
along the coast is difficult, but Mullins Bay - a strip of
sugary sand with a lively beach bar - is a good place to stop for a
swim. Buses stop here and there's a car park across from the bay.
The Town
A
mark of Speightstown's former importance is that three major forts
were erected to protect it, with several additional gun emplacements
scattered along the coast to add to the barrage of any enemy ships
(though the only invasion was by the British in 1651). Little
remains of the military hardware, but some of the old iron cannons
from Fort Orange point out to sea from the Esplanade , to the
north of town.
Across from the Esplanade, St Peter's Parish Church , on
Church Street, was first built in the 1630s, making it one of the
oldest churches in Barbados. Destroyed by the 1831 hurricane, the
Georgian building was rebuilt in a graceful Greek Revival style -
though with the standard tower tacked on for good measure - and the
present incarnation is the result of superb restoration after the
place was gutted by fire in 1980.
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Back on the main road, head south across the bridge and past the
fish market, always humming with vendors in the early morning.
Queen Street is the main drag and has several grand old
buildings that have survived the town's decline. Opposite Mango's restaurant, Arlington, almost medieval in design, is a
classic example of the island's early townhouses - narrow, tall and
gabled, with a sharply sloping roof. While you're here, cross the
road and check out the art gallery of the self-styled Gang of
Four - of interest for the local paintings of Gordon Webster, Sarah
Venables and Azziza, and the sculpture of Ras Bongo Congo.
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Caribbean guide
Barbados Travel Guide
Eating and Drinking
Plenty of top-notch restaurants line the "platinum coast",
some as good as anything you'll find anywhere in the Caribbean,
though prices tend to be high. You'll have to look a bit harder to
find interesting low-priced options, but they do exist, and several
- including the Fisherman's Pub in Speightstown and the
Garden Bar at Angler Apartments - are worth checking out,
whatever your budget.
Barbados
Where to go
When to go
Getting there
Money and costs
Getting around
Food and drink
Phones, post
Brief history
Best of Barbados
Information, maps
Festivals, holidays
Sports, outdoor activities
Tours |
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Mullins Bay - a strip of
sugary sand with a lively beach bar - is a 