This Right of Way is shown on survey maps as early as 1763 (“London printed for
Rob Sayers. Map&Printseller, No 53, in Fleet Street, as the Act directs…”) and as
recent as the geographical map reprint of 1998 (Director General, Ordinance Survey Romsey Road, Southhampton, England) published by the Govt.of the UK for the Govt.of SVG, 1983.

For centuries people have been using this path. Older Lower Bay folks recall having
walked this road to school in Port Elizabeth. More recent, weekenders from the mainland,
Bequians from the entire island and visiting tourists enjoyed the convenience to get from
the harbor in relatively short time to the two most frequented beaches on Bequia, “Princess Margaret” and Lower Bay. In doing so one is avoiding the much longer and often hot and high traffic main road and at the same time is enjoying one of the most scenic
hikes on Bequia.

Unfortunately, over the past months a new landowner has engaged in gradually closing off
the path while smartly applying some sort of “salami tactics”: First, making the path difficult with all sorts of construction debris, than build a small wall then a house on top of the path while still allowing a certain detour leading around a construction site. The final straw: huge signs saying “further access denied” and to crown the malicious act, the erection of a 10 ft wall across the Right of Way barbed with glass splinters.

Interestingly, over the years, the various owners of the nearby PLantation House Hotel, formerly the “Sunny Caribbee”, the oldest and largest hotel on Bequia, habe never blocked this Right of Way which leads along the hotels vast grounds although they might have claimed reason to protect their guests. On the contrary, they build steps and a planked walkway in order to accommodate the General Public.

Who ever put up signs and walls is demonstrating contempt of the people of SVG and as far as I know, is in contempt of the existing law. We need to uphold this people’s Right of Way so our children and our children’s children may continue to walk to their favorite beaches along this ancient path where their ancestors had walked before.

Come and see some of the most beautiful costumes ever designed. Windsurfing, sailing, kayaking – Admiralty Bay is ideal for an abundance of water sport activites. Snorkelling/Scuba – Bequia diving ranks with the best in the Caribbean. There are some 35 excellent dive sites around Bequia and the nearby islands. Full certified dive operations are available. Sport Fishing – Spanish Mackerel, Barracuda, Marlin, Tuna, Bonito and Kingfish are just some of the fish in our local seas.

It’s no problem to arrange a fishing boat for a day out fishing. Yacht Charters – Please visit our stay and sail page for more information. Arts and Crafts – Visitors will find a variety of local arts and crafts in the boutiques of Port Elizabeth and at artists’ studios around the island. Model boats, scrimshaw, woodcarving, stained glass, ceramics, and crochet are among the artworks Bequians and foreign expats do here. Spring Plantation – is a romantic 200 year old working plantation overlooking Spring Bay. It used to be a 19th century sugar factory. The ruins are now the location for The Spring Pottery where you can see pottery being made and an exhibition of works for sale. Moon Hole – It’s facinating unique architectural style is based on the concept of living in harmony with nature and taking full advantage of the Caribbean environment, as interpreted by Tom Johnston, the designer.

To achieve these goals, these Flintstones houses have been designed on sites overlooking the sea, maximising both views and breezes. Tours can be arranged. Mustique – Just an hours sail from Bequia will take you to the home of celebrities such as Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Princess Margaret and the like. This island can be ideal for a days visit by sail or power boat. Tobago Keys – are a famous small collection of coral islands with some of the most spectacular waters in the world. With clear and turquoise blue waters, the area is quite simply breathtaking.

Day trips can be arranged. St. Vincent is just 9 miles north of Bequia. With regular ferries throughout the day, it is one of the most naturally spectacular and undeveloped of the large Caribbean islands. Below are full and half day trips that can be made to some of the natural wonders of this island: Our Volcano – St. Vincent’s La Sofriere rises majestically to over 4000 ft. It last erupted in April 1979. A tour of La Soufriere volcano takes you along the picturesque windward coast of St. Vincent, through banana and coconut plantations to where the foot trail begins. Mesopotamia Valley – a richly fertile valley thickly planted with local crops.

A sight to behold. Vermont Nature Trails – leads one through tropical rain forest where vistors have a chance to see the rare and unique St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona Guildingii) and Whistling Warber. Good for bird watching the habitat around the trails houses several unusual species of birds. The Botanical Gardens – were first established in 1765 making them the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

The gardens feature a descendent of the original breadfruit tree brought to the island by Captain Bligh in 1793 and has many ancient and impressive specimens of flowering plants, palms, cycads, and tropical trees. Falls of Baleine – The spectacular waterfalls are situated in the lush tropical rainforest at the northern tip of St. Vincent. Cool waters come cascading from the mountaintops to reside in a pool at the base. These falls can be easily reached by boat… and much much more…

THE BIG LITTLE ISLAND

The tiny island of Bequia has a unique, magical charm which is hard to find anywhere else in the Caribbean. With fewer than six thousand inhabitants, it feels like home from the moment you arrive; friendliness is the watchword, and the pace is relaxed and easy-going. Don’t be surprised if you are greeted with a warm hello as you walk along the street – a centuries-old dependence on inter-island shipping and trading has meant that Bequians have been eagerly welcoming visitors to their shores for generations. The island’s enduring seafaring heritage is one of its most striking features. Virtually every Bequia family has some connection to the sea either past or present, and today’s fishermen, sailors and boat-builders are quietly proud to share their marine traditions with newcomers to the island.

Bequia fulfils many dreams of the perfect small Caribbean island: beautiful sandy beaches where more than ten people may constitute a crowd, lush green hillsides, attractive little villages, intimate, well run hotels and guest houses, hardly any traffic, places to get together and places in which to find that perfect solitude. Variety and choice on so small an island may come as a surprise – but there are both wherever you look.

Choose a holiday of total beach relaxation or exhilarating sailing and diving in some of the most beautiful waters in the world. Get to know the island on foot, or hire a car and discover so much more than just the golden beaches; take day or overnight trips to neighbouring isles or simply fill up another perfect day doing what is increasingly necessary to unwind – nothing!

Your choice of holiday home could be a luxury hilltop villa, air-conditioned self-catering apartment or first class small hotel, a friendly beachfront guesthouse or a privately chartered yacht swaying quietly at anchor off a deserted beach.

A choice of nightlife too awaits you – gourmet international cuisine, or delicious local cooking; elegant cocktails or sundowners in a local bar; a lively jump up to steel band music or a wonderfully romantic candlelit dinner far away from it all.

And then of course there are the warm tropical nights, with an orchestra of singing cicadas and gently murmuring surf, and the brilliance of the star-studded sky which tells you, if you didn’t already know, that this is where you have always wanted to be.