Self guided tour of Warwick parish
Warwick is a parish adjacent to and east of Southampton parish. We will start this tour from the gate of
Warwick Camp on South Road and move towards east. Although there is no boundary as such, this is from where Warwick parish starts. Warwick Camp is the base of Bermuda Regiment which is the only defense unit of the island.
Ideal would be to
rent a scooter or a
mini electric car. However you can also avail a bus. The bus #7 operating between Hamilton and dockyard goes along South road passing by the lovely south shore beaches.
If you have a
transport pass, you can hop on and hop off the public buses any number of times and also ride public ferries as long as the pass is valid. In Bermuda, taxis can be hired by the hour (but minimum 4 hours of taxi booking is required).
A short video on Warwick parish
Refer to the map below and zoom the bordered section on Warwick parish so that you understand the routes described in the following section.
Road Map
The Tour
Start from Warwick Camp on South Road. Right opposite to Warwick Camp's gate, a narrow road goes down towards
Chaplin Bay Beach. If you walk, it'll take 6-7 minutes to come to a car park and then a sandy trail through bushes takes you to the lovely south shore beach.
Chaplin Bay is part of
South Shore Park. The park starts from Horseshoe Bay Beach in Southampton parish, stretches towards east and ends at Warwick Long Bay Beach in Warwick parish. The entire park is connected by a sandy trail which runs parallel to the coast. You can also walk along the beaches for the entire length of the park.
So take the trail after visiting Chaplin bay beach and walk eastward (i.e. left as you face the water). You will find several lovely beaches and coves such as
Stonehole Bay, then
Jobson's cove and then the long sandy
Warwick Long Bay Beach. From Chaplin bay up to the eastern end of Warwick long bay is about 0.6 mile.
If you have a scooter, you need to walk back to the car park at Chaplin, so decide if you want to walk all the way. Otherwise at the end of Warwick long bay beach, a sandy trail goes up to a car park and then a short paved road leads to South Road where you can catch a bus.
So back on South Road, we are heading east and looking for one more beach before we start exploring other attractions in the parish. About 0.5 mile from the eastern entrance of Warwick Long Bay Beach, you will see a narrow road on your right. That leads to a wonderful park and a secluded romantic beach below the park -
Astwood Cove, about 250 yards away.
Back on South Road, about 0.6mile towards east you will find the red building of
Swizzle Inn South Shore on your right, this is a branch of the famous Swizzle Inn Pub of Bermuda. The original one is located at Hamilton Parish in Bailey's Bay. Sip a rum swizzle if you want (but not if you are driving a scooter though).
We will leave South Road here and take a left turn (opposite to Swizzle Inn) into Cobbs Hill Road which actually forms the eastern boundary of Warwick parish. If you took a bus, get off at Swizzle Inn and walk. Go for about 0.4mile and you will see a narrow lane on left known as Moonlight Lane. At the end of the lane is
Cobbs Hill Methodist Church which was built in 1827 by the blacks during their free time under moonlight, and hence such name of the road.
Get back to Cobbs Hill Road. Yards ahead you will see Four Square Restaurant on the left serving Pizzas, Subs, Indian dishes and Grills. In about 130 yards you will come to the crossing with Middle Road which is another arterial road of Warwick parish like South Road. We will turn left (i.e. go west) on Middle Road. Bus #8 operates on this road.
Go for about 200 yards and on your right will be
Warwick Academy - one of the oldest schools in the western world which was established in 17th century. This is one of the best schools in the island. Soon ahead on left is Lindo's - a large grocery store with car park in front. Another 350 yards ahead on your right will be the entrance to
Belmont Hills Golf Club and the famous restaurant
Blu Bar & Grill that's well known for its Asian fusion cuisine.
About 175 yards ahead on your left is the beautiful
Christ Church of Scotland which was built in 1719 and is one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in western hemisphere. Original walls still exist although the church had gone through couple of constructions and modifications.
Soon (about 500 yards ahead) and after Tribe Road No. 3 on your left will be
Warwick Pond Nature Reserve. Drive past the nature reserve, you will soon pass by Warwick Post Office on your left. In another 200 yards you will see the pink building of
Warwick Lanes - a bowling club on the right. And right opposite to that is Esso Gas Station which has a small convenience store in its premises (Tiger Market) which sells beer, wine and spirits apart from regular items.
Soon after that you will pass by
Spicelands Riding Center on the left - a well known horse riding center in the island with its own ranch (
Update: The riding center closed down in December 2017). Shortly after the erstwhile riding center, Warwick Parish ends and you will enter Southampton parish.
But if you have a scooter, then little ahead of Spicelands (about 230 yards), take a right into Burnt House Hill Road and go all the way to Harbor Road which passes by the northern coast line of Warwick and offers wonderful view of the north shore.
While on Harbor road, look at the fabulous homes built in traditional design on the edge of the coastline and also look back up to see the luxurious homes overlooking the harbor some with lovely gardens. A thought will surely pass through your mind that how privileged some people on this earth are.
You will pass by Belmont ferry dock and Darrell's Wharf ferry dock along the way, and also several private car parks on the edges of the road. These are excellent vantage points to get wonderful views of the water and also to see the Hamilton City line at a distance across the water.
Drive along Harbor road for about 1.5miles and take a right into Cobbs Hill Road (few yards ahead of Darrell's Wharf Ferry dock). In about 500 yards you will be back to the same crossing where you entered Middle road on bus route #8.
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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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