The back story
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The back story
Speightstown and the north: the back story
The old port of the north-west coast, and the wild, quiet parishes of St. Peter and St. Lucy beyond.
Area guide · St. Peter and St. Lucy
Speightstown & the North: Our Favourites
The north in one page: Speightstown’s old streets, Cobblers Cove and Port St Charles, St Nicholas Abbey and Cherry Tree Hill, the Wildlife Reserve, Mount Gay’s distillery and the Animal Flower Cave.
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What to see and do
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Where the island meets the Atlantic
Animal Flower Cave
A sea cave at North Point that opens straight onto the Atlantic, with rock pools to swim in when the sea allows, and a lunchtime restaurant above.
North Point, St. Lucy, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Green monkeys among the mahogany
Barbados Wildlife Reserve
A mahogany woodland opposite Farley Hill where you walk among free-roaming green monkeys, tortoises, agouti, deer and peacocks.
Farley Hill, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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The ruined mansion with the view
Farley Hill National Park
A national park around the ruins of the Farley Hill mansion, with lawns and views over the Scotland District to the Atlantic.
Farley Hill, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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The east coast at your feet
Cherry Tree Hill
A ridge-top road through mahogany trees near St Nicholas Abbey, opening onto one of the island’s widest views of the east coast.
Cherry Tree Hill, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Where the rum began, in 1703
Mount Gay Distillery
Mount Gay’s working distillery in St. Lucy, on the estate where the rum has been made since 1703, with distillery tours and dinners.
Mount Gay, St. Lucy, BarbadosExplore View on map
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A 1658 great house and its rum
St Nicholas Abbey
A Jacobean great house of 1658, one of only three in the Western Hemisphere, with its own single-cask rum distillery, gardens and heritage railway.
Cherry Tree Hill, St. Peter, Barbados BB26007Explore View on map
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Speightstown’s story in three floors
Arlington House Museum
An interactive three-storey museum in a restored 18th-century building in Speightstown.
Queen Street, Speightstown, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Art from across the Caribbean
Gallery of Caribbean Art
A gallery in Speightstown dedicated to art from across the Caribbean, from Haiti and Cuba to Guyana.
Northern Business Centre, Queen Street, Speightstown, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Turquoise water and palms
Mullins Beach
A sweeping white-sand beach framed by coconut palms on the west coast at Mullins, between Holetown and Speightstown.
Mullins, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Beside Port St Charles
Heywoods Beach
A beach on the north-west coast at Heywoods, by Port St Charles and just north of Speightstown.
Heywoods, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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A cliff-backed cove in the north
Archer’s Bay
A modest beach in St. Lucy with a grassy clifftop above it and a sensational view of the Atlantic.
St. Lucy, BarbadosExplore View on map
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A wild cove on the north coast
Little Bay
A rugged cove on the north coast of St. Lucy, with crashing waves and natural rock pools.
St. Lucy, BarbadosExplore View on map
Where to eat
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Lunch in a converted fort
The Fish Pot
The restaurant at Little Good Harbour, in a converted fort right on the water at Shermans, in the far north of the west coast.
Little Good Harbour, Shermans, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Dinner by the yachts
Pier One at Port St Charles
The restaurant of the Port St Charles marina community, beside the lagoon and its yachts near Speightstown.
Port St Charles, Heywoods, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Lunch on the island’s northern tip
The Restaurant at the Animal Flower Cave
A lunchtime restaurant above the Animal Flower Cave at North Point, with views of the sea and Caribbean food made with local produce.
North Point, St. Lucy, BarbadosExplore View on map
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A sea-view café in Speightstown
The Orange Street Grocer
A café and grocer in Speightstown, with tables outside looking at the sea.
Speightstown, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Lunch at a Jacobean great house
Terrace Café at St Nicholas Abbey
The terrace café at St Nicholas Abbey, the 1658 Jacobean plantation house and rum distillery on Cherry Tree Hill.
Cherry Tree Hill, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
Where to stay
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Forty suites on a calm west-coast cove
Cobblers Cove
A charming, intimate family-owned hotel of 40 suites with verandas over the ocean and gardens, near Speightstown.
Road View, Speightstown, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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A hideaway in the far north
Little Good Harbour
A small hotel and spa on a secluded stretch of the north-west coast at Shermans, home of The Fish Pot restaurant.
Shermans, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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Your own berth below the terrace
Port St Charles
A beachfront marina resort and community near Speightstown, with lagoon-front and beach-front apartments and villas to rent or buy.
Heywoods, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
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The new Pendry on the Platinum Coast
Port Ferdinand & Pendry Barbados
The former Port Ferdinand marina in St. Peter, being reborn as Pendry Barbados, with 80 beachfront rooms, a private marina and Pendry Residences.
Six Men’s, St. Peter, BarbadosExplore View on map
Getting there
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How to get there
Getting to Speightstown and the north
Up the west coast to Speightstown, then inland or north by car.
Questions and answers
Why is Speightstown called Little Bristol?
In its early days it was a busy port trading with Bristol in England, according to Visit Barbados.
When is the best time to see the green monkeys?
At the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, the monkeys are most plentiful at the afternoon feeding; Visit Barbados advises arriving by 2pm.
Share your Speightstown & the north tips
Been there? Share your experience and tips with other visitors.
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