This February, We Gatherin’ in St. Peter

St. Peter, in Barbados, is home to the island’s National Park. Farley Hill National Park surrounds a ruin of a Georgian mansion which was built by Sir Graham Briggs but was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1965. The property was subsequently purchased by the Barbados Government and turned into our National Park in 1966, when it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on February 15thof that year. Its acres of mahogany forest provide a tranquility and cover perfect for a picnic, and its views of the north eastern coast of the island are spectacular. You’ll want to get there by rental car, as its location is considered remote by Bajan standards. The park also plays host to many major musical events, including: The Barbados Jazz Festival, Gospelfest, Reggae on the Hill and Soca on de Hill. For these events the forest is magically transformed into a wonderful theatre not to be replicated anywhere in the world!

While in the vicinity you can point your hired car across the street to The Barbados Wildlife Reserve and the Grenade Hall Signal Station, both of which are part of a combination tour not to be missed. Your day can then be rounded off with a short drive to the St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway for a steam train ride with a tropical twist, and a tour of the Abbey, which is one of just three Jacobean style mansions remaining in the Western Hemisphere. But more about that in a later post. Sufficed to say, it’s not to be missed.

So, whether We Gatherin’ or you’re just enjoying your tropical escape from winter in Barbados, we suggest you rent a hired car and point it toward the north and enjoy the natural and quiet beauty that our island has to offer.