Discover the hidden trails and coastal beauty of St. David’s with two rewarding hikes that blend nature, history, and sweeping ocean views. Whether you’re wandering through restored reserves and old naval grounds or climbing to cliff-top forts and lighthouses, these walks offer a unique glimpse into the island’s past and present.
See a map key at the bottom of the page.
Carter House to Coopers Island
Overview:
This hike takes you to Carter House, a historic cottage now a fishing and whaling museum, and through the old U.S. Naval Air Base. The Short Circuit begins at Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve. The trail loops around the Castle Harbour coastline, a saltmarsh, and Clearwater Beach. This hike may be extended as the reserve is restored into the largest environmental education park on the island.
On the Trail
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Begin the hike on Lower Gates Road and turn right on Southside Road along the airfield. You may want hats and water on this shadeless stretch of road. You are inside the old U.S. Naval Air Base, which operated from 1941 through 1995 to protect the air and sea approaches to the eastern United States. Part of the Destroyers-for-Bases agreement signed between the U.K. and the U.S. during World War II, the Base contributed to the Allied Forces’ success in the battle of the Atlantic. Walk up for 0.4 mile to the Carter House, one of the oldest cottages left in Bermuda, dating from the 1640s.
Mile 0.4, Kilometre 0.6
Carter House, originally a fisherman’s dwelling, now harbours a small museum rich in artefacts and antiques – including rare examples of palmetto weaving craft and displays portraying St. David’s fishing and whaling past. The descendants of one of the two Sea Venture sailors who stayed behind in Bermuda built this cottage – See Hike 19. Retrace your steps down Southside Road passing the intersection with Lower Gates Road, and continue until the end of the runway where you veer right. The end of the airfield is a favourite place to watch planes take off and land. Head toward the crescent-shaped beach where the Cooper’s Island trailhead is located.
Mile 2.0, Kilometre 3.2
The Short Circuit begins at the saltwater marsh in Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve. This reserve is to become the largest environmental education park on the island. Unique sanctuaries, including endemic and native woodlands, a fern sanctuary and peat basin, a butterfly sanctuary, and protected coastland provide habitats for some of the rarest plant and animal life in Bermuda.
Note that as restoration is ongoing and fragile habitats are reestablished, paths are often relocated and facilities extended. At the entrance to the saltmarsh reserve, follow the outer trail along the coastline, which offers good views on Nonsuch Island, a sanctuary where the endangered Bermuda petrel (or cahow) can be found. Behind it is Castle Island, where you can see the profile of King’s Castle nestled in the hill saddle. The Castle is the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon stone fort in the western Atlantic, dating back to the 1620s. The first settlers built a cedar gun emplacement here in 1612, and used it for the only two hostile shots ever fired from Bermuda’s shores – against Spanish ships in 1614! As you face Nonsuch Island, turn around and retrace your steps to the saltwater marsh entrance.
Mile 2.3, Kilometre 3.7
Inside the saltmarsh reserve, follow the woodland sign and walk up and down the grassy path, then veer left. Follow the boardwalk on your left to walk across the marsh and loop back to its entrance. Note that next to the saltmarsh, both butterfly and fern sanctuaries may be open to the public.
Mile 2.5, Kilometre 4.0
Walk across the road to the beach recreational area. Clearwater Beach is a long and shallow bay that makes a great spot for a swim. Facilities include a roller skating rink, a beach volleyball court, and a play-ground. Further along the coastline is Turtle Bay, a small cove facing the Glazbury’s and Long Rock islets. Our trail stops at the gate of the park headland. This peninsula offers a unique setting with back-to-back beaches, as well as a planned observation tower and rope bridge, which may add approximately 1.5 miles to your chosen circuit.
Walk back to Clearwater Beach.
Mile 3.0, Kilometre 4.8
he Short Circuit ends at Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve. To complete the Long Circuit, retrace your steps to Lower Gates Road.
Mile 4.2, Kilometre 6.7
Arrive back at Lower Gates Road.
St. David’s Point
Overview:
This hike takes you through the secluded bays and coastal hills of Little Head Park, overlooking some of Bermuda’s oldest forts. The trail runs up Great Head Park to a cliff top dominated by St. David’s Battery. The Long Circuit continues up to St. David’s lighthouse.
On the Trail
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Begin the hike at the base of Great Head Park, contouring the bay to Cashew City Road up to the hilltop. To your right stands the old Pilot Station, from where ship pilots looked out for incoming vessels. Further right is one of the last St. David’s wooden cottages.
The road ends at Vaughan’s Bay, where Bermuda’s first permanent settlers and Governor landed in 1612. The bay is linked at low tide to Bremen Island, the little crag just offshore. Walk to the right around the point of land that faces Governor’s and Paget Islands. These two isles encircle the old entrance channel to St. George Harbour. As early as 1613, the settlers built forts on each of these islands to create a crossfire over the channel.
Mile, 0.4, Kilometre 0.6
Follow the trail through the trees and walk along the coastline – a windswept, isolated hillside where you may spot white egrets. About 0.4 mile ahead, the trail splits inland. Stay on the shore trail and double back for a long-range view of Fort St. Catherine.
Mile 0.9, Kilometre 1.4
The trail enters Fort Popple, which is carved directly into the cliff side. This fort dates back to the 1730s, and was retrofitted in the early 1900s with a searchlight on its top. Walk carefully on the cliff side – beware the poison ivy – and around Red Hole, a deep inlet rich in red algae and hemmed in between Little Head and Great Head Parks. Walk around the inlet on the edge of the cricket pitch and veer left in front of a row of houses.
If you find the path brittle and overgrown, use the road behind the houses up to St. David’s Battery. At the opposite end of Red Hole the trail ascends steeply up to Great Head Park.
Mile 1.3, Kilometre 2.0
Midway up the hillside, the small structure on the cliffside is the northern searchlight, part of the battery facilities. Fifty yards up, you reach the hilltop where the battery stands, as well as a memorial to those lost at sea. Walk around the cliff edge to size up the vertical drop and deep cavern. Stay behind the railing at all times. This battery was built in the 1890s and used through World War II. Some stairs climb down the cliff face. You may walk down the 120 steps to access the southern searchlight and enjoy the view of the shoal line.
Mile 1.8, Kilometre 2.9
Back on the hilltop walk left to the opposite end of the park. A few yards before the gate, veer left into the shaded path. The path slopes down the hill and splits away from the coastline about 100 yards ahead. You may bear right uphill for a shortcut, or keep left along the shoreline – this stretch may be overgrown, and beware the poison ivy. The coast trail leads to a small valley, where you walk back uphill, under an archway of trees that ends in a field of palmettos and cedars where you rejoin the shortcut trail. Walk across the field and follow the dirt road on the right. A few yards ahead, follow the narrow path on your left under the trees until you reach the staircase down to Great Head Park parking lot.
Mile 2.4, Kilometre 3.8
The Short Circuit ends at Great Head Park parking lot.
To complete the Long Circuit, go left on Great Bay Road. About 300 yards further, make a left on Lighthouse Hill. Be careful at blind corners on the road. Walk up the hill by St. Luke’s Church and an old wooden cottage called Hureka House, through the roundabout and up to the lighthouse. St. David’s Lighthouse is a sturdy 55-foot high, red and white limestone landmark dating from 1879. You may walk up its tower in summertime. On the oceanfront, notice the former U.S. military observation tower, now used to watch the finishing line of ocean sailing races.
Mile 3.0, Kilometre 4.8
From the lighthouse walk back down the road safely, turn left down Mount Road at the round-about, and left on St. Luke’s Lane 100 yards down. Make a right on Texas Road 50 yards further and walk back down to Great Bay Road. Turn right and retrace your steps to the parking lot.
Mile 3.7, Kilometre 5.9
Arrive back at Great Head Park parking lot.
Hiking Bermuda: 20 Nature Walks and Day Hikes (revised edition) by Cecile Davidson published in Bermuda in 2010 available in bookstores island wide.
