Warwick and Southampton Parishes

Bermuda’s most panoramically scenic parishes, with cliff-top views of surf-tossed coastlines on one side and the Great Sound’s archipelago on the other, Warwick and Southampton project the quintessential Bermuda experience. The most recognizable images, those that sell the island in magazine layouts, TV ads, and postcards are often captured here. Full-blast Waikiki-esque fun in the sun? Check. Secluded azure grottoes? Check. Kitesurfing, golf, tennis, scuba, spas? Ditto. Beaches, water sports, and big-resort indulgences are the key draws for these parishes, whether you’re stopping off for a swim while driving west, or choosing them as home base for a Bermuda stay. While shopping is limited to convenience stores, groceries, and retail outlets within hotels, and entertainment is almost exclusively of the outdoor variety, both parishes offer food, sports, and accommodations galore.

Sprawling westward between Paget and Sandys, Warwick and Southampton encompass undulating terrain scattered with residential neighborhoods, farmland, nature reserves, hotels, guesthouses, and national parks, to which the miles of south-facing beaches and coastal dunes belong. The two parishes are dotted with historic properties (Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones spend time at their 2.5-acre, Georgian hilltop estate in Warwick), as well as modest cottages tucked down meandering tributaries bearing soporific names like Sleepy Hollow Lane, Rose Glen, and Tamarind Vale.

When Bermudians talk about going “up de country,” they mean heading west to Somerset through these parishes. There is a choice of routes to do this. Warwick’s main arteries include Harbour Road on its northern boundary, a wall-hugging route reminiscent of narrow, sidewalk-free lanes in British seaside towns, which snakes quaintly from the end of Hamilton Harbour around part of the Great Sound’s southern rim. The serpentine journey poses a dilemma for scooter drivers: Sure, the scenery is alluring, but take your eyes off the road for a second, and you might miss the next hairpin turn—a not-infrequent occurrence, based on the number of patched holes in the road’s low wraparound wall. Harbour Road represents one of the island’s most sought-after addresses; hemmed by centuries-old mansions, the drive offers coveted water views and spectacular sunsets.

Near the Southampton border, Harbour Road connects via Burnt House Hill to Middle Road, which, as its name suggests, runs through the belly of the parish. The busy, low-lying route offers few pretty vistas but lots of local interest as traffic whisks Bermudians to and from sports clubs, grocery stores, schools, and residential neighborhoods. South Shore Road, with its wide curves and convenient hilltop lay-bys for pulling over, is the most dramatic vantage point from which to admire both parishes’ tumbling dunes, sweeping beach views, and reef-dotted ocean expanses that reveal an intoxicating palette of blues, from swimming-pool turquoise to midnight navy. Migrating humpback whales—or at least their blowholes—are sometimes visible on the horizon beyond the inshore reefs during the spring.

South Shore Road continues west through half of Southampton before cutting north across the parish to Barnes Corner, where it ends at the harbor. From here, Middle Road becomes the only route west, running to Somerset Bridge in Sandys. Dissecting both parishes north-south are historic tribe roads, skinny, dead-straight, mostly pedestrian-only right-of-ways running shore to shore—necessary for parish access before larger thoroughfares and motorized vehicles. Indeed, early law dictated tribes measure the width of a barrel, to allow transport of commodities like rum, foodstuffs, and gunpowder. Parallel to the main east-west roads runs the scenic old Railway Trail, accessible via the tribe roads and sign-posted points off Middle Road.

Warwick Pond: Newly added signage and cleared trails make this nature reserve, containing the second-largest freshwater pond in Bermuda, an attraction for anyone interested in eco-walks or island birdlife. (read more)

Warwick Long Bay: As its name suggests, this is officially Bermuda’s longest beach, its soft pink stretches typically less crowded than that of nearby Horseshoe Bay, which is connected by trails through the dunes. (read more)

Jobson’s Cove: Romantics — and families with small children — will appreciate this postcard-pretty retreat from the hubbub of neighboring Horseshoe Bay. It’s also a haven from the occasional force of breakers and riptides. (read more)

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse: Even the Queen deigned to stop here (in 1953), and that was before scones and Earl Grey were served. Today, the quaint tearoom, perched on the steep hilltop alongside the historic lighthouse, offers bird’s-eye views with a creative all-day menu.
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Horseshoe Bay: Bermuda’s answer to Bondi, this tamer version of surf and sand attracts crowds through the summer. Cruise ship passengers flock here during the week, but its beauty and access to miles of other beaches and coves make it worth a visit. (read more)