Chalky Mount
We then passed through Chalky Mount on our way down to the Atlantic. This part of the island is very prone to subsidence after rain as everywhere is on clay. The roads are propped up by caissons full of coral to stop them from sliding down the hills. The Government spends millions of dollars every year making sure the roads don’t shift.
Ronnie showed us some of B&W images as we slowly descended down to the Ermy Bourne Highway. His mother has joined the number of centenarians on the island. He showed us pictures of her as she received her letter from the Queen form the island’s Governor and frankly she did not look 100. Ronnie says she attributes this to using Ponds Cream every night. He suggested living in St James and having the benefits of all the fresh air and exercise also helped.
Barclays Park
Once we were back on the highway we turned right and headed back South with the Atlantic on our left. We paused to look at the rock formations to see how rocks had been moved almost vertical by the shifting tectonic plates as Barbados was pushed up off the sea bed.
Our next stop was at Barclays Park. This had been a favourite spot for us in the past. This is where the Jeep Safari tours would always stop on their way through and where we drove to for lunch some days. The public restrooms are still there and around the back of them I walked before I went down to the beach.
We stayed her for a while to give everyone the opportunity to go onto the beach and to have a wander around.
The beach is as covered with sea weed as I remembered.
The little beach restaurant is long gone and is replaced by Chill ‘n Breeze.
Cattlewash
Further down the highway we passed the marker stones commemorating the Queen opening this highway in the year of Barbados’ independence. We then were passing the beach called Cattlewash. Cattlewash is the beach where historically farmers would bring their cattle to be washed. The cattle would be put on the train to be sent down to Bridgetown to market.
The beach was covered in sea weed thrown up be Atlantic storms.
Ronnie ran a competition on the coach for any of us to say the recipe for punch after he read it had quickly read it from a leaflet. The prize was a copy of the leaflet.
Chattel House in Bathsheba
After turning off the highway we came to the National Trust Chattel House on our way down to the beach. We visited this chattel house on our private taxi tour a few years earlier.
We all took pictures through the coach windows.