Today we took full advantage of our rental car as we crisscrossed from one end of the island to the other. Along the way we explored a shipwreck, minimally disturbed beaches and the island’s original courthouse. Before setting out on our drive we stopped by a nearby café for coffee, orange juice and breakfast (for Jay).

The first stops on our trip around Anguilla were “The Arch” and “The Blowhole” both of which were within 10 minutes of our condo (although nothing is very far on the island). After navigating a number of unmarked dirt roads we found ourselves looking at The Arch which as the name implies is a naturally occurring opening over the ocean below. The site is also home to a popup bar but unfortunately it was not open when we were there at 9:30 a.m. Further on down the maze of dirt roads we found the trail to The Blowhole (check out the video in our gallery). During both stops we were the only people around which really highlights the lack of crowds on the island as these are considered two of the can’t miss stops on The Rock (the local nickname of the island of Anguilla).

We then spent the next couple of hours making our way North and East to the other end of the island. On the way we walked along Maundays Bay, Captains Bay and Shoal Bay. Captains Bay is the most remote beach on the island and from our drive there it was apparent why as the way is unmarked and the roads are filled with giant potholes. It was a fun challenge getting to the beach in our little Nissan March! While there we saw faint footprints from previous visitors (both human and dog) but there wasn’t a soul in sight which made for a peaceful beach walk.

At Shoal Beach we stopped for lunch at Gwen’s Reggae Bar and ate delicious barbecue chicken and short ribs, which we washed down with her famous rum punch. Gwen’s epitomized the laidback vibes you would expect from a Caribbean beachside restaurant. As the locals would say, we were ‘liming’. True to character with the remoteness of The Rock none of the locals at Gwen’s knew about Washington State (oh you mean D.C.!). Not even our normal response of “it is North of California” provided enough context (it seems the West Coast is a mystery to them not unlike how Anguilla is a mystery to nearly everyone we talked to back home).

On our return trip we toured the exterior of the original courthouse which was first constructed in 1750 and then rebuilt in 1955 (following Hurricane Alice). From there we stopped at a local gift stop where we found a Christmas ornament and shot glass to commemorate our trip. We also enjoyed talking to Pamela, the owner, who told us about her experience of moving from Wisconsin to Anguilla over 30 years ago and her work at the local animal rescue. After wrapping up our shopping we explored a nearby shipwreck before returning home for rum punch and a homemade dinner.

Tomorrow will be another day of relaxing on the beach as we need to rest after a busy day. 🙂