Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Craggy coastlines, beaches, nature reserves, fishermen's coves, old fortifications,
winding lanes, and sleepy villages characterize this area. All of Sandys' major attrac-
tions lie along the main road from Somerset Bridge to the Royal Naval Dockyard,
which is at the end of Ireland Island.
Although we describe this as a walking tour, you may want to rent a bicycle or
moped to help you cover the longer stretches.
To begin the tour, take the ferry from the City of Hamilton to:
1 Somerset Bridge
This bridge links Somerset Island with the rest of Bermuda. It was among the
first three bridges constructed on Bermuda in the 1600s, and it's said to be the
smallest drawbridge in the world; its opening is just wide enough to accommo-
date a sailboat mast. Near the bridge you can see the old Somerset Post Office
and an 18th-century cottage known as Crossways.
3
Next, walk up Somerset Road about 70m (230 ft.) to the entrance to the:
2 Railway Trail
Open only to pedestrians and bikers, the trail follows the path of old “Rattle and
Shake,” the Bermuda Railway line that once ran the length of the island. This
section of the trail—between Somerset Bridge and Sound View Road—is one of
the most attractive segments (good to know if you don't want to walk the whole
trail—although some hearty visitors do just that). Parts of the trail open onto the
coast, affording panoramic vistas of the Great Sound. See “Rattle & Shake: The
Bermuda Railway Trail,” above, for more information.
3 Take a Break
The trail goes across the parkland of Fort Scaur (see below), with its large moat. If you're
here around noontime, you might want to consider this as a picnic spot (get your picnic
fixings in the City of Hamilton). If you can spend all day in Somerset (which we highly
recommend), you might also want to take time out for a swim before returning to your
walking or cycling.
Follow the signposts to:
4 Fort Scaur
In the 1870s, the British feared an attack from the United States, so they built
this fort on the highest hill in Somerset to protect Her Majesty's Royal Naval
Dockyard. It sits on 9 hectares (22 acres) of land and opens onto Somerset
Road; the huge dry moat cuts right across Somerset Island. You can wander
around this fort, which proved to be unnecessary because the American invasion
never materialized. If you stand on the ramparts, you'll be rewarded with a mar-
velous view of Great Sound. Through a telescope, you can see such distant
sights as St. David's Lighthouse and Fort St. Catherine in the East End of Ber-
muda. If you follow the eastern moat all the way down to the Great Sound shore,
you'll find ideal places for swimming and fishing.
After exploring the surrounding Scaur Hill Fort Park, resume your walk along the rail-
way track and continue north for more than 1.5km (1 mile), then turn right onto:
5 Sound View Road
Take a stroll along this sleepy residential street, which has some of the finest
cottages in Bermuda.
 
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