I’m a big fan of budget travel and budget friendly activities that are fulfilling and relaxing at the same time. I recently took a bus ride to a northern town in St. Peter, Barbados called Speightstown. I’d made up in my mind that I wanted to spend this particular Saturday living my ideal life, doing something that I really loved.
I have always been in love with Speightstown. It’s far away in the north of the island (I live in the south); it’s very quiet, with not much happening; it has amazing old buildings that no one has dared to touch; most of the shops have closed down; and there is not the hustle and bustle that’s characteristic of other towns and town areas in Barbados. It’s absolutely perfect.
Start to the Day
I started the day by going to the beach. It’s one of my favourite budget friendly activities that allows me to engage in some much needed exercise. Miami Beach was the beach of choice, because I decided that it was time that I got familiar with the beaches along the south coast of Barbados. Miami Beach sits right next to Oistins and is one of those beaches that is very popular with locals and visitors. There are no private beaches in Barbados, so I will make it a point to visit as many beaches on the island as I possibly can.
My early morning visit to the beach started just after 7 am. I had already checked the tides, so I knew that it would be low tide when I visited. The water was beautiful and well shaded thanks to the tall, towering mile trees, which blocked out the early morning sun. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse. I was grateful to be shaded from the sun, but the water was a bit dark and visibility was not at its best. However, as I swam a bit further out of the shaded water, I could see many small fish being chased by larger trumpet fish and long trails of sargussum seaweed.
The Drive to Speightstown
When I got back home it was after ten and I had decided that I was going to take the scenic route to Speightstown. I was going to take the bus! The plan was to catch the bus leaving Oistins at 12:00PM that was going to travel along Highway 7 and then on to Highway 1. However, I never made it to Oistins until 12:45! Then, there was no 1:00PM bus, so I waited for the next bus that left Oistins at 2:00PM.
Why I Took the Bus
Another reason that I decided to take the bus for my trip to Speightstown was because I wanted to relax and take in the sights and sounds that I would normally miss when driving. As the bus trundled along, I took note of the various chattel houses in Barbados and how Caribbean architecture has changed over the last few years. I observed people hustling to and fro and cars zipping quickly along the roads. There were black belly sheep grazing anywhere and everywhere there was a blade of grass. And everywhere you looked, large broods of free range chickens were scratching and pecking away at the earth for any bit of food they could find.
However, my main focus on the drive was to look at the homes and plants that line the west coast of Barbados. Unfortunately, there aren’t many windows to the sea because homes and privacy bushes have obscured most of the ocean views. Nonetheless, it was an exciting experience. I saw many homes that embraced new Caribbean architecture, but still held on the fantastic design styles of the past. Fretwork, jalousie windows and jalousie doors and cute porches added new dimensions of character to otherwise simple designs. I was also impressed by the use of Caribbean plants to enhance the properties, which succeeded softening some of the harsh lines of concrete and cement facades.
Booking.comA Walk Through Speightstown
Speightstown is small, when compared to the capital city Bridgetown. But yet, it’s bigger than the popular west coast town, Holetown. I disembarked the bus at the last bus stop just outside the terminal and made my way on to Church Street. I passed a somewhat busy area where vendors plied their trade, public transportation vehicles engaged customers and guys limed with beers, laughter and loud music.
Church Street and Queen Street
There were a few shops on Church Street, but none of them really caught my eye. Vendors were selling a variety of goods including fragrant oils, random house ware items and fruit and vegetables. Although I’ve lived in Barbados all of my life, I was taking in every inch of this street, which still had many older buildings. The activity on this street died down as I made my way further along and closer to the main street, Queen Street.
When I got onto Queen Street, I remembered it like I had walked through the street yesterday. There were many familiar buildings, vendors selling a variety of items, shop owners standing outside looking for a sale and a few cars passing up and down. Nothing much had changed since the last time I had visited. This made this trip even more nostalgic, and I was happy to see that the quaintness of the town had been preserved.
Shops
Although there were many shops, there was only one shop that caught my eye. Archer’s Hall is one of my favourite shops in Barbados. It’s an interior design company that’s housed in a glorious old warehouse. The exterior of the building is old and rustic and reveals bits and pieces of soft stone block work, which tell of the age of the building. Inside of the shop, it was very quiet with only a few customers. But the décor was perfect and the items were beautiful and enticing. Other stores that caught my eye were Dollar Wise, Jordan’s Supermarket and Eddies Supermarket. There was a small ice cream parlour, where I purchased a healthy and very tasty fruit smoothie that kept me company for the remainder of the trip.
Restaurants
There are several restaurants that I passed through and noticed on my way through the main street in Speightstown. There is a local KFC franchise; the ever popular and well known Fisherman’s Pub; Jumas, a restaurant that specialises in classic, French and Thai cuisine; Stanley’s Sports Bar, a Caribbean sports bar; 111 Beach Club, a beach bar with amazing views of the ocean; and the Lobster Pot, a restaurant that offers freshly caught lobster. Research has revealed that there are other places to find something to eat, namely The Beach Shack and Little Bristol Beach Bar.
Historic Buildings
The buildings in Speightstown are beautiful and old. I did not walk through all of the streets in the town, but I did notice that many of structures had retained their initial architectural details. The esplanade, a recently refurbished highlight in the town, is the perfect spot to enjoy the ocean and a beautiful Caribbean sunset. In close proximity to the esplanade is St. Peter’s Parish Church. This building was rebuilt in 1837 after it was destroyed by hurricane and then later restored after a fire partially destroyed the church in 1980.
Leaving Speightstown
For my trip home, I decided to take a different bus route that would put me back to my original starting point, Oistins. As I walked along the street that would take me to the bus terminal, I passed an abandoned school and a police station that I had never noticed before. It was eerily quiet and not many cars passed me as I walked to the bus terminal. Inside the bus terminal was just as quiet. It was about 3:45 PM when I made it inside. There were about fifteen people inside the terminal. A few were sitting around a table outside of terminal shop with beers and other alcoholic drinks.
I made my way to the area where my bus would depart from and admired the views on the outside. There was an excellent view of the bus stop where I had initially disembarked. It was strangely satisfying to see vans and buses come and go, and loads of people hopping on and off. I also admired the pigeons who waddled around the terminal looking for food. They were extremely large and they looked almost as big as the free range chickens that were also inside the terminal looking for food.
Goodbye for Now
My bus finally came at 4:25 PM and that signalled the end of my trip to Speightstown. As the bus trundled along, I enjoyed different sights of Barbados on this new route. Some of the notable places of interest that we passed were Royal Westmoreland; Portvale Sugar Factory; St. Thomas’ Parish Church and the Sandy Lane Golf Course. We also passed through the very busy town areas of Welches and Warrens; and developing estates in Lancaster and Haggatt Hall.
It was a fabulous day and I will strive to visit this beautiful town again very soon. Next up on my travels are the other towns in Barbados. I want to visit the historic sites in Bridgetown, Holetown and Oistins. Travelling is always fun, and this excursion proved that one does not have to go far to experience new things. A step into one’s backyard is all that is required.