This is the Best Way to See All of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory
It would be very easy to write something here about the island of Anguilla not necessarily being anyone’s first choice when it comes to planning a Caribbean vacation. It would be even easier to say that you might instead consider destinations such as the Bahamas, St. Thomas, or the Dominican. And it would be tempting to remark that you could hardly be blamed for choosing one of those other destinations. So let’s not do any of that.
Instead, let’s just give you a little idea of what you’re getting into if you do ever happen to step foot on Anguilla, a British overseas territory that is small enough to be fully explored in a single day. I hate to use the term underdeveloped, due to the negative connotations it conjures up, but it is a fitting word to describe the island, some parts of which are still dealing with the damage wrought by hurricanes that have rolled through in the last few years.
When we came over from Sint Maarten, where we’d stayed the previous two nights and would return the next day after a single night on Anguilla, it was clear we had stepped into a whole different world. Blowing Point Ferry Terminal, the port where the fine folks of Calypso Charters dropped us off, provided the first impression of the island, and, as the photo below will show, it was undergoing some heavy repairs/renovations.
From there, we set off on foot up the road leading north, passing various small structures in various states of disrepair, including what appeared to have once been a little shopping center that had been overrun by wild goats. Eventually, we came to D&D Rentals, a car rental business that is so unassuming, you could easily mistake it for a scrap yard. There, after being summoned from another part of the island with help from some of the locals, the owner loaned us a pair of scooters ($45/each for the day).
For the next 24 hours, we would zig and zag our way all across Anguilla, from Island Harbour in the northeast, where our Airbnb was located, all the way down to West End Bay on the southwestern tip, where the Anguilla Arch can be found. Having not planned a single thing for the Anguilla portion of our trip to the Caribbean, exploring the island via moped was easily the most spontaneous thing we did, and may well have been the most memorable experience of our entire trip.
Scroll on to (vicariously) experience Anguilla the best way possible: from the seat of a bright yellow moped.
-LTH