Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda

Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay is a gentle bay with a well-known beach and tourist spot on the southern shore of the main island of Bermuda.

The beach is washed by the Atlantic Ocean) coast, in Southampton Parish. There is another beach of the same name in Bermuda, the other located on the shore of Tucker's Island: since the 1940s part of a peninsula that housed the former US Naval Operating Base, and now called 'Morgan's Point'.

Horseshoe Bay on a map of Warwick Camp, 1900

The sand of Horseshoe Bay's beach is very fine and displays a white colour. The beach is equipped with one lifeguard station and has a café open during the summer months. A shuttle bus is available to take beach-goers to and from the nearest bus stop, up the hill.

Events

A beach volleyball competition takes place once a week in the summer months, and is a regular activity for both tourists and locals alike. Horseshoe Bay is also the usual location for a New Year's party organised by those members of the significant expat population who have opted not to go overseas for the season.

The Bermuda Good Friday KiteFest is a great family event that takes place annually on Good Friday at Horseshoe Bay.

The largest annual event in Bermuda also takes place at Horseshoe Bay on Emancipation Day (usually the last Wednesday night and Thursday in July or the first Wednesday night and Thursday in August) called The Bermuda Beachfest Emancipation Celebration (or just 'Beachfest') – an action-packed two-day event full of live entertainment, beach sports, cultural traditions, activities and more, and attracts the largest cross-section of locals and visitors on the island.

Warwick Camp

Part of an army base, Warwick Camp, the area is still used for training by the Bermuda Regiment, especially in the winter months.

The headland separating the western end from East Whale Bay holds the remains of fortifications that housed a coastal artillery battery, with another on the high ground behind. Horseshoe Bay itself lies in the danger area behind the butts of the rifle range of 800 yards, and the western end of the beach is littered with bullets fired from Enfield, Snider–Enfield, Martini–Henry, Lee–Metford, and Lee–Enfield rifles and other weapons of similar calibres. However, this range is no longer used due to the limited range of the 5.56mm NATO rifle cartridge, which has been used for the last three decades.

Location

• Location map: 32°15’8"N, 64°49’18"W

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Horseshoe Bay Beach)

• TripAdvisor