Southampton Parish Bermuda
Southampton is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda located at the lower western end and forms a narrow stretch of land between Sandys and Warwick parishes. Visit
Parish Map and see the relative position of Southampton parish with respect to all the other parishes.
Southampton was named after Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of the parish who made significant investment to colonize Bermuda in the early 1600s.
Southampton parish circles around a small water area which is known as the
Little Sound. Above that is a larger water area opening out to the Atlantic ocean towards the northern side and is known as the
Great Sound. The Great Sound is separated from the Little Sound by the two peninsulas jutting out from two sides, one from Sandys parish and the other from Warwick. Within Little Sound and Great Sound, there are a number of tiny islets, some of which are also part of Southampton parish.
Southampton Hotels
Southampton is a great place to stay during a vacation in Bermuda. The parish has several great hotels and guesthouses with magnificent view of the water, access to south shore beaches, and in close proximity to several nice restaurants. Check out
Southampton Hotels to find out all our favorite hotels in Southampton.
Development of Caroline Bay - an ultra-luxury waterfront destination and community is underway in the peninsula jutting into the Little Sound and it is part of Southampton. The scope of the resort complex includes luxury branded Ritz-Carlton Reserve Residences, a Reserve Hotel, a marina of its own (known as Caroline Bay Marina), high end retail, kids club, conference center, and more. Go through
Caroline Bay for details.
Restaurants in Southampton
When it comes to dining options, Southampton parish in my opinion is the next best to Hamilton city. Here are our favorite
Restaurants in Southampton.
Southampton Beaches
Some of Bermuda's most wonderful beaches, and that too the pink sandy ones are here in Southampton parish.
This is the most popular beach with tourists and arguable the best one in the island. It has been listed as part of world's best beaches by several travel magazines. The picturesque beach has a curvature that looks like a horse shoe and hence the name. It is a beach on the south shore with pink sand.
It’s a little cove formed by coral cliffs and located at the western end of the south-shore beaches. Church bay is well known for snorkeling and offers excellent views of corals and marine life.
This is a small wonderful and secluded beach surrounded by steep cliffs. Jobson's cove is located at Warwick parish but very close to the Southampton border.
Quiet and ideal for relaxing, this beach stretches across the boundary between Warwick and Southampton parishes.
This beach is located at the western end of Southampton. During season (March - April), from here you can see schools of humpback whales migrate through the blue waters off the South Shore.
Southampton Attractions
This is the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world and located at Southampton Parish.
St. Anne's Church is a beautiful picture perfect church located on Church road in Southampton parish. The original Chapel and Nave were built in 1717. The tower was added in 1905. A Sunday service is held. The church also has a its own graveyard. The nearby Church Bay gets its name from this church. The south shore view from here is marvelous.
It's located at the Whale Bay Park and offers a sweeping view of the ocean.
It's a 2.5 acres nature reserve and a haven for birds. You will also see old cedars and pepper trees.
This is a large water area having an opening towards its north-east connecting to the Atlantic ocean. It is surrounded by many parishes including Southampton. One of the best places to view this entire water area with many sailing boats on masts is a place called Queen's View located quite close to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Queen's View is so named because Queen Elizabeth II once took a view of the water area from here on November 24, 1953.
A wonderful 8-acre nature reserve featuring endemic plantations, woodland valley, a ridge line which extends from the western end of Evans Pond with surrounding mangroves to rocky coastline of Little Sound, limestone quarries, natural sink hole etc.
Boat Bay
This is a natural bay on south shore on bus route #7. It was once owned by the Hunt's family and was called the Hunt's bay. There are two other bays next to it, the Sinky bay and the Cross bay. This is where Bermuda's popular Sonesta Beach Resort was once located which later became Wyndham Resorts & Spa, and finally was demolished. Boat Bay has many stories associated with it. In 1661, the ship Virginia Merchant was wrecked near Boat Bay and many lives were lost. In 1741, a Spanish privateer ship came and seized many private fishing boats from the bay and toed them off.
Update June 2015: The Hotel Hamilton Princess has opened its private Beach Club at Sinky Bay. The guests are transported from Hamilton to this south shore beach by shuttle ferry.
Evans Bay Pond
It's a nice nature reserve covering an area of 7.5 acres and located at the Scroggins Hill. While the access is from Evan's bay road (off Middle road) and is not easy, there are lot of endemic plants and wildlife that can be seen here including birds. The salt water pond is surrounded by mangroves and woodland area. You can see Bermuda cedars, giant toads, herons, lizards, sponges etc in the reserve. It's open during the day time and admission is free.
Jews Bay
It's located off Middle road at the end of a lane by the same name. There is no direct bus service to this place. Reaching by a scooter is most convenient. You get an excellent view of Great Sound water area from here.
Sea Venture Watersports operates its Jet Skis from Waterlot Inn dock on this bay.
This is one of the two peninsulas jutting into the Great Sound. During the World War-II, this used to be a sprawling US naval base operating over 250 acres of land. Since the U.S Navy left the island, this remains as the largest unutilized land in the island. It may be used for building a luxury resort in near future.
Sharon Wilson is a well known artist in Bermuda specializing in pastel painting. Her art gallery is located in Southampton parish close to Horseshoe Bay Beach.
Tour of Southampton
Take a tour to see the major attractions of Southampton parish. Best if you can rent a scooter or walk. Otherwise use public transports whever possible (bus or taxi). Here is a
Self Guided tour of Southampton.
Activities in Southampton
Some of the finest golf courses, diving centers and boating tour operators are located in Southampton parish. Check out
Southampton Activities to know all about the sports and recreational activities in Southampton Parish Bermuda.
Shopping in Southampton
Lighthouse Gift Shop is located below the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. It sells many small items and souvenirs like postcards, key chains, disposable cameras, clay make ferries, baseball caps and so on. It's open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. 68 St. Anne’s Road, Southampton.
Heron Bay MarketPlace is a full service grocery store on Middle Road and on bus route #8.
227 Middle Road. Hours: Monday to Saturday: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Phone: 441-238-1993
This 30 acres farm is owned by Tom Wadson who has been farming in Bermuda since 1976. There is an on-site shop called the Wadson's Home Farm Market, which sells fresh vegetables, meet, poultry items, plants etc. The shop is open from Tuesday through Friday between 10am - 6pm and on Saturday from 9am - 1pm. They also operate a roadside stand at Whale Bay in Southampton 3 days a week. Wadson's Farm is located at 10 Luke's Pond Road, Southampton, Bermuda. Phone: 441/238-1862.
Rising Sun is a Country Shop run by Anne Powell and located 3/4 mile west of Waterlot Inn Restaurant and off the Middle Road. The store sells many small and specialty items that you won't find anywhere else. Although a little isolated, it's definitely worth a visit. There is a moped and car park across the street. Phone: 441/238-2154 X Closed
Buses and Ferries in Southampton
There are regular bus services in Southampton (routes #7 and #8) that operate between Hamilton City and Royal Naval Dockyard. Some buses terminate at Barnes Corner instead of going all the way to dockyard. The routes cover many of the attractions I mentioned above. Route #7 takes the picturesque South Road passing by most of the beautiful south shore beaches. Route #8 mostly takes the Middle Road offering views of the parishes and island landscapes.
There is also a daily public ferry service (Monday to Friday, the Green ferry route) that connects Southampton with Hamilton City. The Rockway Ferry Stop is at George's Bay Road, Southampton, Bermuda.
Southampton Map
Check out
Map of Southampton to see location of all the attractions and important places within the parish. This is an expandable map and you can zoom in to see great level of details in the parish.
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 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
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