Our second day on Bermuda was our only true “full day” so we planned the biggest trip of the three days for the afternoon. We were both burnt from the day before, which was not ideal for a beach day. After breakfast on the boat, we scoured the Dockyard for 45 SPF and a hat for Sharon. We could only find spray on sunscreen which proved to be less than an ideal choice. Then we boarded a bus for another epic ride to the south shore beaches.
We bypassed Horseshoe Bay and transferred onto another bus to get to Warwick Long Bay. The view from the road was impressive with a sweeping vista overlooking the long beach and ocean. Warwick Long Bay is only a mile and a half further than Horseshoe Bay but was virtually empty despite only slightly longer distance. Much as with skiing, going just a little bit further reduces crowds exponentially.
Our itinerary for the day was a two mile beach walk starting at Warwick Long Bay and ending back at Horseshoe Bay. The walk would afford many opportunities for swimming when we were moved to do so or not when we just wanted to soak in the sun and the views. We sprayed on our SPF 45 and exposed our burnt skin for a dip into Warwick Long Bay.
The sand drops off precipitously at Warwick Long Bay. Within four steps, we were almost over our heads (no exaggeration!). I let the crushing waves sweep me off my feet and I was thrown from my tip toes to crawling on my hands and knees on the edge of the water.
It was a fun wading into the powerful surf under giant rocks jutting out of the water nearby. Near the cliffs, a photographer led a pair of newlyweds too close to the surf which drenched the bride’s gown. A perfect photo opportunity ruined by that pesky nature thing.
Sharon had snorkeling on the brain, so we packed up our stuff and moved onto the next beach. After climbing the cliffs for a better view, we descended into Jobson Cove, a small swimming hole surrounded by rock walls. We were not expecting good fish viewing considering we were not alone in the cove. But we soon found some huge parrot fish. Numerous blue parrot fish were feeding on lichen stuck to the sandstone walls.
We were enjoying the blue parrot fish when along came a pair of green monsters about three feet long. These fish were large enough that I felt the need to give them some room. I tried to keep them in view with mixed results and occasionally resulting in laughter from Sharon. This was a marvelous cove for swimming and snorkeling and the fish were an amazing sight.
We eventually left the fish to their feast and began walking to Stonehole Bay. Sharon bundled up with a long sleeve shirt and a towel skirt to limit further burning. We continued to liberally apply our spray sunscreen. Perhaps too liberally as we were suddenly in possession of an empty can. Lotion allows for many more applications than spray.
Stonehole Bay includes a pair of beaches separated by a large sandstone wall. The first beach area is reached by entering a narrow opening between two sandstone rock protrusions. Swimming was not ideal due to sporadic rocks in the water along the beach and a potential dangerous rip tide.
On the other side of Stonehole Bay, we found another beach that would be treacherous for swimming but made for great wave viewing. A long wall of sandstone extended out a hundred feet into the water lining up some spectacular wave crashes and ricochets. We found a barely shaded seat and enjoyed watching nature do its thing.
The sun continued to creep into our shady alcove so we eventually decided to keep moving. Chaplin Bay was the next beach on our walk. We found a peaceful and secluded beach equidistant from Warwick Long Bay and Horseshoe Bay. Since we were out of sunscreen, we opted not to stop for additional swimming. Sharon’s fatigue due to being sick further precluded further swimming but we were more than happy to just walk along the ocean and enjoy the views.
We could see all the way to Horseshoe Bay from the highest cliffs of Chaplin Bay. We spied sizable crowds from the two cruise ships at Horseshoe Bay. Less than a mile away, we stood above a beach with only four people on it.
While lining up a shot of Sharon lining up a shot, I tried to switch my camera to aperture priority mode when I discovered an unpleasant surprise: it was already in aperture priority and had been all morning. Thus, most of the pictures (as seen above) from the morning lack clarity and detail compared to those in the afternoon (as seen below). Considering the excellent photography opportunities, I was disappointed that the pictures were not perfect but they still came out decent enough.
The walking path meandered away from the ocean through a lush greenscape. We occasionally popped out of the vegetation to find great views from the cliffs. Far too soon, we arrived at Horseshoe Bay and the end of our walk. We found a spot along the far end of the beach, far away from the crowds, and took a quick swim. I enjoyed some excellent body surfing while Sharon swam about.
Sharon’s reduced endurance finally reached its end and we were both concerned about lingering in the sun too long. So we called it an afternoon and headed back to the ship.
After diner, we played a round at what may be the world’s coolest mini-golf course. The course was just opened this year and the hole’s are designed as imitations of legendary holes from world famous golf courses. The course offers a decent amount of challenge and is mostly gimmick free. But the best part of the course is the view. The course was built right on the water’s edge. We made our way around the back nine at sunset and enjoyed a fantastic show of dark pinks, purples, reds, and oranges.
After mini-golf, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the ship. But before turning in for the night, we headed to the hot tub. Surprisingly, the forward hot tub was completely empty. So we enjoyed a quiet hot tub below a stary night high above the Dockyard on Deck 14. It was a fun and relaxing day hampered only by our sun exposure from the previous day and Sharon’s lingering fatigue.
