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Ecotourism in Montserrat
Weather is unpredictable in this transition period between the warm dry winter and the start of the hurricane season, but I arrived on a hot, sunny, humid day. After settling in to my guest house on the west coast I was itching to reacquaint myself with Montserrat after 16 years, so I started walking. Past the governor's new residence (the volcano had forced even him to have to relocate) and onto the main road and south toward Salem.
After a while, walking along a road while sweating profusely lost its appeal and I chose a random turnoff away from the coast. I soon passed a water tower and happened upon something I'd never seen before when I'd extensively surveyed the island on my last visit: a footpath sign.
Montserrat is promoting ecotourism and geotourism. The Soufriere Hills Volcano, of course, is the star attraction there. To help support eco or nature tourism, the Montserrat government has set up nine trails in the Centre Hills area. Steve Holliday's book details them all, as well as illustrating many of the fascinating species you may see; several endemic to Montserrat.
This was an unexpected treat. I'd spent two months pushing, fighting and cursing through Montserrat's pathless wilderness, and here was an opportunity to experience the delight of being in the tropical forest with little hardship.
The Duberry-Cassava trail was just half a mile, taking me on a gentle path past a ruined sugar mill that was returning to the forest. It deposited me at the start of another trail, the Oriole Walkway. Bonus! So I set off blithely, not knowing or caring how long the trail was or where it would bring me out. It crossed ghauts (dry stream beds), zig zagged through young trees, and occasionally deposited me in front of soaring, hugely buttressed trees that made me stop and stare.
Suddenly I was out of the forest and onto a clear viewpoint on a ridge, with extensive views to north and south. I had my 'overview' of the island. Time to retrace my footsteps.
Or was it? Another sign appeared pointing to the Forgathy Trail, and heading north. OK, sign me up for that. I once again followed the red and white striped tape wrapped occasionally around saplings and height was lost quickly from my high point of around 1,000 feet on Lawyer's Mountain. Eventually I hit a steep road and followed it down where I was disgorged at St Peter's. I'd taken no drink with me and I was very hot and thirsty. At King's mini-market I pounced on a bottle of Ting, caribbean grapefruit juice. Bliss, but not enough, so that was followed by a can of coke. I discovered that still wasn't enough to slake my thirst, but then I was saved by the Montserrat police force...
This is just one of the stories that inform my talk Montserrat - reclaiming paradise
