ENGLISH HARBOUR AND SHIRLEY HEIGHTS By the eighteenth century Antigua had established itself as a strategic port and became known as the gateway to the Caribbean. Developed as a base for the British Navy in the days of sail, English Harbour is one of the islands most beautiful and popular tourist destinations. Horatio Nelson followed the trade winds to Antigua with a mission to expand the naval facilities and build what is known today as Nelson’s Dockyard. Ironically Nelson, who apparently was savaged by mosquitos while in dock, spent most of his three year stay in the cramped quarters of his ship announcing his total dislike to the island. Today the best place for an amazing view of the harbour where poor old Nelsen was stuck with all those barrels of rum back in the day is Shirley Heights. On Sunday Shirley Heights is the place to be according to the locals. That is if you fancy a giant barbeque party accompanied by steel drum music followed by a lively reggae band along with a thousand or so other tourists. The whole party is a pure tourist trap; the taxi will cost you around $20 a head plus an $8 entrance fee although the view is truly awesome and a fantastic place to watch the sun go down. We left shortly after sunset just as the rum punches were starting to kick in and the reggae band were turning up the noise. To be fair the atmosphere was pretty fun but it was not the place to take three whining children who were all hungry and thirsty, especially when the queue for the barbecue was about half a mile long. There is an arduous but scenic trek up to Shirley Heights from the beach below which will save you the eight bucks entry fee and provides some stunning views along the way.
