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Speightstown, in the parish of St Peter, is the second largest town on the island, the major shopping destination and has the bus terminus for the north. In reality however, it’s barely more than a village. It is a lively place during opening hours, but dead as a doornail the rest of the time. Pronounced Spikestown – or Spikestong in broad dialect – it is named after erstwhile owner William Speight, a merchant and member of the Governor Hawley’s first House of Assembly. An important port in the early days, when it was known as Little Bristol, because of its trade with Bristol, England, it also traded heavily with Bridgetown, 1½-hours sailing time to the south, and used to have four jetties. It also once had three forts, which are no longer in evidence, while outside town were Dover Fort and Heywoods Battery. They didn’t see a lot of action but the town was once invaded by Oliver Cromwell’s forces when Barbados remained loyal to King Charles I. Colonel Alleyne led the Roundheads ashore in December 1651 only to be shot dead by Royalists. His forces captured the town, their only victory, and a peace treaty was later signed at Oistins.
Sights
Town centre
Speightstown has several interesting old buildings and many two-storey shops with Georgian balconies and overhanging galleries. Sadly, many have been knocked down by passing lorries and a fire in 1941 destroyed almost everything near the bridge on the main road, Queen Street. On Queen Street is Arlington, a 17th-century single house (a single room wide). It tapers towards the back and the ground floor room was once believed to have been a chandlers, as the original owners, the Skinners, owned one of the jetties. There is a separate entrance to the first floor room and above that there is an attic with gabled windows. It is currently being renovated and will be a state-of-the-art interactive museum. St Peter’s Parish Church was first built of timber in 1629, but it was rebuilt in 1665 and then again in 1837 in early Georgian style. However, a fire in 1980 damaged the original east window, pulpit and font. It was restored in 1983 using the original walls. On the other side of the road beside the sea is a newly-painted blue and white stage with wooden bench seating for outdoor events. The jetty was built in 1998 and if you walk to the end you get a tremendous view along the coast from the Arawak cement plant in the north, Port St Charles marina, the town and beaches to the south, with lovely changing colours of turquoise, dark aquamarine and purple (depending on the lenses in your sunglasses). The Fisherman’s Pub, alongside the jetty, also has a great view of the sea and is a useful watering hole during a tour of the island, and there are diverse eating places, ranging from a vegetarian takeaway lunchtime restaurant to the rather special Mango’s, for which you need a reservation.
Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail
Reservations, T 4262421. Walks Wed, Thu and Sat 0900-1430. US$7.50.
The National Trust runs these walks – of 5½ km or 7½ km – which start from St Peter’s church in Speightstown. The Arbib Trail won the annual Caribbean Ecotourism award in 1999 (sponsored by the Caribbean Tourism Organization and American Airlines and presented by Islands magazine), for the way in which it links the natural world with cultural history, and it is well worth doing. Young, local guides take small groups of hikers, exploring side streets, cricket pitches, sugar plantations, forests and beaches. Older residents of the area have provided background information, with tales of the town’s history, to spice up the guides’ patter.
North of Speightstown
North of Speightstown the coast is quieter and less developed, with fishing villages rather than holiday resorts. The road north passes through the fishing villages of Six Men’s Bay, Little Good Harbour and Half Moon Fort, where boat building is still done on the seashore. Fishing has always been an important activity in this area and Speightstown was even a whaling station until 1903. Just north of Speightstown, at Heywoods Beach, is a new US$60-million glitzy marina called Port St Charles. It is a huge and impenetrable development with a massive wall around the outside to deter casual visitors, but is now an official port of entry into Barbados with coastguard, police and immigration on site for entry by yacht or helicopter. It is also the terminus for the Transatlantic Rowing Race (http://www.oceanrowing.com). There are 145 residential units, a restaurant, a yacht club, a heliport and watersports as well as capacity for nine mega-yachts and 140 yachts. Water taxis scoot around the lagoon taking residents to the various facilities on site or on shopping trips further afield in Speightstown. Most of the apartments and villas have already been sold, with prices ranging from US$0.6 million to US$3 million; some are available for short term holiday rental. Public access to the beach is between the marina and the Almond Beach Village, with a small road and parking.
The North
The north of the island in the parish of St Lucy is mercifully free of buildings and unspoilt (apart from Arawak Cement Plant). It is at first green and lush around Stroud Point but becomes more desolate as you approach North Point. The northwest coast, being slightly sheltered from the Atlantic swells, has many sandy coves such as Archers Bay. The cliffs are quiet and easy to walk and you may spot turtles swimming in the sea. North Point, however, is a different story. Huge waves crash into eight miles of cliffs, creating tunnels, caves, platforms and enormous jacuzzis.
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