We used the bus while in Antigua on Dec 11 to go to Nelson's Dockyard and it worked great. The Dockyard is the last stop on the route so you don't have to worry about missing it along the way, so just sit back and enjoy the ride to the end. The ticket taker at Nelson's seemed very impressed that we were adventurous enough to use the bus service.
When we were finished at the Dockyard, we walked about 1/2 mile to Pigeon Bay Beach (15-20 minute walk for us, although the locals might tell you 10 minutes). It wasn't a flat walk, but we didn't find the incline to be too bad for a couple in their late 30s/early 40s who are moderately in shape. However, as we were walking it felt like we were going away from the water and headed in the wrong direction, but the beach is in a bay so we did find it. The beach wasn't crowded, had tables w/benches under thatched huts and even had clean outhouses (well at least as clean as you would expect them to be) -- but be sure to take your own paper! There is a roped off swimming area, or you can adventure beyond it and swim to the reef -- we have our own snorkel gear, so we did. The reef is in the middle of the bay (marked with a red buoy) and is an easy swim to get there, but remember that you have to swim back. I did get tired on the way in to shore. Because it is a quiet beach that tours don't come to, and because the reef is farther out than most people prefer, we were able to see a lot of starfish, conchs and other shells at the bottom of the bay that usually disappear in more crowded areas -- this was the first time my husband had seen them in their natural setting and it was his third cruise.
We left our bags unattended on the beach, and were fortunate enough that no one messed with our stuff while were out snorkeling. While I don't normally recommend this, we usually travel on our own and don't have anyone to help keep an eye on things. When we finished at the beach we walked back to the Dockyard and waited for the bus to take us back to port. The buses worked great, and I highly recommend using them if you aren't trying to pack a lot in at one stop. We used the buses on three island, Antigua, Barbados and St. Kitts and had no problem anywhere.
Public Bus to Nelson's Dockyard?
in Antigua
Posted
We used the bus while in Antigua on Dec 11 to go to Nelson's Dockyard and it worked great. The Dockyard is the last stop on the route so you don't have to worry about missing it along the way, so just sit back and enjoy the ride to the end. The ticket taker at Nelson's seemed very impressed that we were adventurous enough to use the bus service.
When we were finished at the Dockyard, we walked about 1/2 mile to Pigeon Bay Beach (15-20 minute walk for us, although the locals might tell you 10 minutes). It wasn't a flat walk, but we didn't find the incline to be too bad for a couple in their late 30s/early 40s who are moderately in shape. However, as we were walking it felt like we were going away from the water and headed in the wrong direction, but the beach is in a bay so we did find it. The beach wasn't crowded, had tables w/benches under thatched huts and even had clean outhouses (well at least as clean as you would expect them to be) -- but be sure to take your own paper! There is a roped off swimming area, or you can adventure beyond it and swim to the reef -- we have our own snorkel gear, so we did. The reef is in the middle of the bay (marked with a red buoy) and is an easy swim to get there, but remember that you have to swim back. I did get tired on the way in to shore. Because it is a quiet beach that tours don't come to, and because the reef is farther out than most people prefer, we were able to see a lot of starfish, conchs and other shells at the bottom of the bay that usually disappear in more crowded areas -- this was the first time my husband had seen them in their natural setting and it was his third cruise.
We left our bags unattended on the beach, and were fortunate enough that no one messed with our stuff while were out snorkeling. While I don't normally recommend this, we usually travel on our own and don't have anyone to help keep an eye on things. When we finished at the beach we walked back to the Dockyard and waited for the bus to take us back to port. The buses worked great, and I highly recommend using them if you aren't trying to pack a lot in at one stop. We used the buses on three island, Antigua, Barbados and St. Kitts and had no problem anywhere.