Walk, walk, walk...in Bermuda!!

[Danno]

To keep up my exercise and weight loss I have to walk HARD for 5-7 miles per day...walking the deck of the ship drives me insane!! Several questions...

 

a) Is it safe to strike out alone to walk in the early morning aound Bermuda?

b) How far is it from Hamilton to St.George?

c) Is the terrain flat or rolling?

d) Are the rural roads wide enough to walk safely if I venture into the countryside?

 

Less than 3 months...time to do the research!!

[Sekhmet]

Danno,

 

A bit of information. The terrain is flattish in the main, but what is worth trying out is where they have converted the old railway line trackbed into a pathway - it's a while since we were there, but this certainly ran from the far end of the island, i.e. the old naval dockyard end rather than the St George's end.

[smeyer418]

The whole island is 24 miles along so its about 10 miles to st george from Hamilton and about 14 to the Dockyard. Walking seemed safe(we took the bus) I think the biggest problem you will have is the moped/scooters. remember they drive on the left side of the road so if you are going to walk with or facing traffic you need to stay on the other side. It is moderately rolling hills(sort of like OK). The island is at wideest one or two miles! from both St George and the Doclyard there are interesting things within a couple of miles. I would love to walk the old r/r right of way. As to safety it is relatively safe(probably safer than any island anywhere except Japan), as in any place don't wear gold chains and leave most of your valuables on the ship

[Danno]

I can easily do 10 miles per day...I had considered getting a ride to St.George and walking back. I'm 6-1, 230lbs (was 320 soon to be 195 :D, hence the need to walk )...so not a "soft" target, and I am careful when I travel.

[luvtravelin]

We have been to Bermuda many times and it is very safe to walk there at any time of the day (or night). The biggest problem that we have heard of is people having their purses or valuables "snatched" from the back of their scooter baskets. It is a LONG way from Hamilton to St. George. The city of Hamilton is more or less in the middle of the island so you are going to be about 10 miles from the Dockyard (which is on one end of the island) and about the same distance from St. George which is at the other end of the island. The majority is flat but there are still plenty of hills. The scenery for walking will be more picturesque if your ship is docked in St. George or Hamilton. If you are docking in the Royal Navy Dockyards there will still be plenty of walking to do but not a whole lot to see close by outside of the Dockyards themselves. Most of the time there are side walks to walk on if you are on the main roads. Plenty of people walk in Bermuda (either to their destination(s) or to the bus stops) due to how expensive it is to own a car/scooter and also due to the restrictions of owning a car (one per family). On the side roads (which are the most "hilly") there are no side walks but there is little traffic on them so walking is fairly safe. Cross at the crosswalks in the main towns of St. George and especially Hamilton which is VERY busy. Bermuda is a beautiful place and the people are very friendly. It is customary to speak "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" and always before asking any questions such as "Good Morning. I am lost. Can you direct me back to my cruise ship?" We are heading there (by plane) next Friday for a week. Enjoy your cruise. No doubt you will find plenty of walking and beautiful scenery in Bermuda!

[luvtravelin]

Oh - forgot to mention the humidity in Bermuda. It is a killer if you are not used to it. about 75+% humidity in the summer. The temperature may only be 80-85 degrees but with the humidity and the sun - it is going to be VERY hot. I think that you are going in October though (?) which means you will need to worry more about if it will rain than the humidity level so take a rain poncho and hat when you walk. I admire a man who can walk from Hamilton to St. George! Enjoy!

[Danno]

I will consider that a challenge and start to plan the walk...I think we spend 3 days in Hamilton then move for 2 days in St.George. I'll take a cab or transit to St.George then walk back to Hamilton, 10 miles, 130-150 mins plus stops...3 hours. I'll be back in time for lunch!!

[Barb C]

Good Morning Danno,

I love to walk too. We walked all over in St. Georges. It's a beautiful walk from the ship to Fort St. Catherine. Up and down hills and past cottages, etc. I like St. Georges better than Hamilton for this reason!

 

We walked around Hamilton too. Just in the city though. I was hesitant to walk to any beach from the ship in Hamilton because DH has to watch getting overheated.

 

If you are looking for an excursion, try the Restless Native Catamaran . I just loved this excursion. We were there in late Sept. last year (in between Hurricane Fabian and Hurricane Isabel). We couldn't get into St. Georges because it was too rough so we stayed the entire time in Hamilton. The excursion started out right next to where we were docked. The people were so informed and loved their island. Unfortunately, they had to borrow a catamaran from a relative because the owner's had been lost to Fabian (along with the houseboat he lived in). It was wonderful to see the island from the water. They took us to a small lagoon to snorkel too. I'm not a snorkel fan but they had flotation devices (those noodle things) and I just swam around.

 

I'm so homesick for the Zenith and Bermuda!

[Danno]

I'll give Zenith a hug for you!! Why don't you join us Oct2/04!! I could use a walking buddy....:D

[Barb C]

Danno,

I'll sure let you know if we book. I'd love to walk back to Hamilton from St. Georges. DH would think I was crazy but he'd send a cab if we didn't make it back by lunch (I couldn't miss lunch). Send away for a map and you can see what's along the way.

 

Barb

[cruisinjudy]

i walked all over the St. George area by myself in the early morning hours, no problems. Many of the roads around the island are very narrow with no shoulder so you do have to be careful of the little traffic there is. I love Bermuda.

[debjac]

Danno,

 

I remember passing Bermuda College in Paget - maybe that would be a good walking area - plenty of greenery, architecture, etc. and I think it might be within your miles from Hamilton. Just a thought...