Bermuda Railway Trail

Ann Sterling

In 1985 Bermuda celebrated its 350th anniversary and inaugurated one of the world's finest "linear parks," the 17-mile Bermuda Railway Trail. Once the roadbed of a narrow-gauge railway, the Bermuda Railway trail consolidated 21 miles of scenic right-of-way spanning the islands east to west. Because today's island visitors are more likely to enjoy walking than reclining in luxury, the Railway trail now offers an ideal combination of invigorating exercise with glorious coastal scenery.

While not every visitor to Bermuda has time to hike extensively, choosing a section of the trail to hike (there are Seven Sections in all) and combining it with a beach day gives an in depth look at island life with time still available for shopping and swimming. More athletic visitors can rent a mountain bike and get radical on the South Shore's hilly terrain, or less ambitious folk can rent a moped and bump along the flatter coastal sections. Before setting off to explore the trail, obtain a Railway Trail map at any visitors center, along with bus and ferry schedules.

Bermuda's wonderful Pink Buses run on convenient schedules throughout the islands and can easily be combined with ferry service for a creative way to see it all. Bus and ferry fares are both $3—accepted in coin only. Wear sensible walking shoes, a wide brimmed hat, plenty of sun block and tote along plenty of water. Limit extended walking to the cooler morning and evening hours or you may discover why "only mad dogs and Englishmen" go out in the noonday sun.

Section 1 of the Railway Trail is 1-3/4 miles long and is suitable for walking, push bikes (as bicycles are called here) and mopeds. Beginning at the end of the island near Dockyards, locate the trail at the Somerset bus terminal. Begin by passing by or ascending Fort Scoar, maintained as a National Park with picnicking and overlooks spots.

Further along, deep passages cut into living limestone give a welcome chill to the air as the trail passes the Lanatana Colony Club. Charming wooden footbridges span overhead before the trail reaches Somerset Bridge, the world's smallest drawbridge. Be careful not to step over the 18-inch drawbridge unawares and miss a wonderful photograph of Ely's Harbour.

Section 2 is 2-1/4 miles in length and is also suitable for push bikes and mopeds. Here you can cycle along a grassy sward while the wind sighs overhead in the pine boughs. Thoughtfully placed park benches allow idlers time to watch the ocean breeze chase oleander blossoms down the path while Bermudan neighbors mind their gardens.

Old Bermuda hands come here to relax amid the farm fields and remember when island living was timed to agrarian cycles rather than cruise ship schedules. Pressing on, the trail enters exclusive enclaves whose residents would rather keep their property private. Here the trail splits onto a paved section guaranteeing hikers access along busy Middle Road to ocean views at Frank's Bay.

At Frank's Bay, the trail dips down to an abandoned stone cottage which dramatically frames the turquoise sea beyond and provides a natural rest stop under the spreading sea grape trees. Notice here the lonely concrete supports marching in silent formation across the bay. These are remnants of the 33 railway bridges which once criss-crossed the Bermuda Islands and created the exorbitant construction costs which doomed the Bermuda Railway. The Railway lasted only fourteen years before the corrosion of salt air and the coming of automobiles to the island forced a closure and sale of the track with its rolling stock to British Guayana.

Looking uphill is the busy junction of Middle Road and South Road and a limestone cliff with a peculiar swath cut straight through it. You are looking at a limestone "cut"—deep tunnels blasted into living limestone in the early 1900's to accommodate the tracks of the Bermuda Railway. If the Railway tracks weren't strung out on trestles over the ocean, they were blasted straight through limestone ridges, giving the Bermuda Railway the dubious honor of the being both the most expensive and slowest railway ever constructed.

Section 3 is 3-3/4 miles long, suitable for pedestrians and bicycles only. Taking the "low road" along Middle Road, you pass the Southampton post office on your right with the entrance to Section 3 directly across Church Road. This is easily the most gratifying section of the trail and should not be missed. Climbing over the steep backside of a Bermuda dune, once again relish the cool insides of a limestone cut.

Veering sharply uphill to the right is Tribe Road #2 and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, one of the oldest cast-iron lighthouses in the world. You have now found Bermuda's favorite backyard paradise, Tribe Road #7. "Tribe Roads" are not actually roads at all, but well-maintained footpaths that Bermudans use to jog and walk away from the traffic on narrow coastal roads.

Here, far from the madding crowds, are marvelous examples of Bermuda's old-time "manor house" architecture. These million-dollar homes are unobtrusively nestled in brilliant gardens behind gleaming cedar and brass gates—a delight to be discovered by visitors clever enough to have gotten off the beaten path. Look carefully at those gates as many Bermuda homes come complete with house names and fairy-sized replicas of themselves as mailboxes.

Dominating the hilltop to the south is the great bulk of the Southampton Princess resort; to the north, open vistas sweep across Great Sound to the capital city of Hamilton and beyond to the vast Atlantic. Park benches allow a place to contemplate the rooftops of Hamilton and the enormous cruise ships which dwarf the city by comparison. Passing in the lee of the Southampton Princess, you many decide to end your walk here by taking the water shuttle back to Hamilton or the courtesy bus to the pink-sand glory of Horseshoe Bay Beach. Taxi hire back to any part of the island starts at $4 and is always accompanied by relaxed courtesy and a quick smile.

Section 4 is 2-1/4 miles in length and runs straight downhill from the cryptically named Khyber Pass into the city limits. Walking downhill from the great quarry at Khyber Pass, the trail winds through a working class neighborhood before passing by Warwick Pond bird sanctuary and Spicelands riding stables. Spicelands was named for the aromatic allspice forest which scents the breeze along the trail; smaller trails break away to the beaches at Astwood Park and Warwick Long Bay.

Paget Marsh comes alongside before the trail disappears into a 450-foot tunnel, which ends at the outskirts of Hamilton. Caution should be observed when walking alone anywhere on isolated urban stretches. Walking up hill with the harbor to the left, note the controversial future site of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Walking briskly now, you will soon be traversing Front Street's picturesque shops and arcades, but you can reunite with Section 5 of the trail only by bus or taxi hire.

Section 5 may be rejoined at Barker's Hill by taking Flatts Village bus #8 from Hamilton to North Shore Road, getting off at Palmetto Bay Rotary (you can reunite with Section 5 of the trail only by bus or taxi hire).

Up above is the Oceanview Golf Course. A short climb to the fairways rewards with a sweeping view from Dockyards in the east to Shelley Bay to the west. The wind rustles lush Palmetto trees like ladies' satin dresses while golden kiskadee birds flash by in the breeze. Palmetto House is visible from the trail to the left, but unfortunately has no access to the trail.

Expensive, gated homes dot the rural hillside before giving way to a more cheerful neighborhood of small, well-kept homes along Store Hill. Here, the Railway Trail is more of a neighborhood front porch than a thoroughfare.

Section 6 is 3-1/2 miles and begins at Flatt's Village. Notable for its sleepy, backwater charm, Flatt's Village dozes on quays above the hissing tides of Harrington Sound. Flatts has several nice lunch restaurants as well as worthwhile stops at the Aquarium or farther along at the Curiosity Shop, home of the Bermuda Railway Museum and Rosa Hollis. Books, photos and an overview of the railway are available here in a converted railway halt, or station; admission is by donation.

Leaving Rosa's yard, continue west, carefully minding your step along the limestone cliffs above the breakers. A welcome sight after those jagged stones is tranquil Penhurst Park at Shelley Bay beach.At Penhurst Park nannies swing their charges in the breezy sunshine, while older children and tourists snorkel in thewaters of Shelley Bay. Refreshments, picnic tables and restrooms make this a lovely spot for a quiet picnic in the shade, or, if lulled by the creak of swingsets, a catnap.

Pressing on, the trail skirts a cricket pitch onto Coney Island Road. If you wish to forego the rather isolated coastline here, you can hop a Pink Bus directly to the Swizzle Inn for Bermuda fish chowder and a rum swizzle. It should be illegal to leave the island without first tasting the miraculous combination of Bermuda's fiery fish chowder with an iced rum thirst quencher.

Section 6 ends too abruptly at Ferry Reach, which was once connected by bridge to St. George's Island. Hikers must retreat back to the Bermuda Perfume Factory to catch the Pink Bus, before crossing the causeway over Castle Harbour to St. George's Island. Section 7 means backtracking a bit at Ferry Point Park and hiking along the wild, sea-sprayed cliffs that are pounded by surf on the unprotected backside of the island. Section 7 passes by the remnants of Bermuda's once pervasive cedar forest, Lover's Lake and the abandoned Astor's Hall. Leading inland from Astor's Halt are the rusted remnants of a private spur line that lead into once glamorous Astor Hall: a gleaming white landmark instantly recognizable to anyone who has arrived in Bermuda by air.

Arriving safely at Tiger Bay Gardens in St. George's, you can browse the fine art galleries and shops or venture into the cathedral of Bermuda's first colonial capital.

Come explore the Trail.

Freelancer Anne Sterling was an international tour escort for twenty years. This is her first article for the ASU Travel Guide.