That Hike Was a Real Cliff-Hanger!

Anguilla National Trust (ART) is sponsoring a hiking tour around the coast of Anguilla. Each month, a new stretch of the coast is hiked by a group of eager explorers. Recently, ART and the hikers explored the coast between Limestone Bay and Blackgarden Bay. On a map, this appears to be a very small piece of the coast. But the hike required scrambling up and down cliffs at three points. Definitely not for the faint-hearted!

The hike began with a short walk along the road to the coast where we edged along a narrow path, using a fence as a support. We ended up on the rocks above Blackgarden Bay and its blow hole.

View from top of cliff down into Blackgarden Bay. The coast is black rock.

The shore of Blackgarden Bay is rugged black rock. It is possible to walk all the way to the blow hole, but I decided to just view it from a distance.

Then we began the first of the real cliff-hanger hikes.

View looking west aross Blackgarden Bay at beginning of cliff hike.

There were gorgeous views, but my focus was on maintaining my footing and balance as I scrambled up the cliff wall. I did manage to get a photo from the top of the cliff.

View of the Atlantic Ocean over the trees at the top of a scary cliff climb.

Such a peaceful view of the Atlantic Ocean on a perfect day for a hike, after a scary cliff climb.

We walked back from the cliff’s edge past the Villa Reve Noir.

Sign of the Reve Noir Villa which is above Blackgarden Bay

After a short walk through brush, we arrived at a secluded beach where sea turtles lay their eggs. There was no sign of turtles, but we walked carefully around the edge of the beach.

View from beach to the ocean waves breaking on the shore

At the far edge of the beach, we began our second cliff climb.

This cliff climb had some tricky places so the group went slowly enough that I was able to take a few photos during the climb.

View of sea and cove from partway up the cliff

View down to the sea from the top of the cliff

We finally reached the top of the cliff and walked along it to the Sand Castle Villa.

Group of hikers walking along the top of a cliff

Entry to Sand Castle Villa at Limestone Bay

From the villa, we went down to another sea turtle beach at Limestone Bay. This one actually had signs of a sea turtle possibly laying eggs in a nest. ART will keep an eye on the beach.