Hiking the former railway on the East Coast of Barbados
On Sundays, we hike! A small group of us woke at the crack of dawn for a hike along a 10k segment of the Barbados railway track from Bath beach to Soup Bowl. While I'm not much of a morning person, the beautiful views were well worth the painful wake up time.
I have heard stories about the former railway in Barbados, but I had never seen any evidence of it; so I was super excited to catch a glimpse. We started at Bath beach and ended up at Soup Bowl, which wasn't really part of the plan, as usually this hike ends at Martin's Bay. Needless to say, I'm happy we decided to do this as a group (And a dog) It was an easy hike thanks to the trail and relatively flat terrain.
The Barbados Railway
The train ran from 1881-1937; from the East coast of the island into Bridgetown. The railway is a fascinating chapter in Barbados’ history that many are unaware of. I can only imagine how beautiful the views were from the train as it chugged along the Atlantic coast line. Barbados Pocket Guide shares further details in this outline of the history of the Barbados Railway.
In these photos you can see the vestiges of the track and one of the 98 bridges.
Though the coastal remnants of this train track are symbolic of a bygone era, there is new life being breathed into the lands of the former railway thanks to the Barbados Trailway Project.
Barbados Trailway Project
Developed by The Future Centre Trust, the Barbados Trailway Project is converting the old Barbados railway reserve into 17km of accessible, paved pathway for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.
The trail will run through the centre of the island; there will be fruit trees along the trail to provide shade, as well as solar power and recycling facilities. There is so much happening here! Check them out and follow along for updates.
This is the future of community development, Barbados: sustainable, accessible, green and developed by Bajans for Bajans.
I will certainly be adding this hike to my list of fun activities in Barbados that don’t involve the sun, sea or sand.
