At the FAIRY
HILL crossroads
you turn R for Nonsuch Caves and Athenry Gardens.
Left of the main a road leads down to WINNIFRED
BEACH and further
on another leads to the WINNIFRED
REST HOUSE. An almost
illegible sign tells you that Winnifred House
was donated by the late F.B. Brown as a Rest
Home for Missionaries, Teachers, and the Respectable
Poor. F.B. Brown was a Quaker Minister and
his daughter, who died in childhood was named
Winnifred. Brown left a property of several
hundred acres including the beach, which was
to be administered by a Trust. The trust is
now almost defunct and the property - what
is left of it is administered by the Administrator
General. The rest of the land was sold to
the Ministry of Agriculture which leased it,
long term, to small farmers and then later
transferred ownership to the Urban Development
Corporation. Currently, an interesting situation
exists in which the UDC is trying to relocate
the farmers, and tourism developers have their
eyes on the lovely beach. So far, the farmers
are refusing to budge. They are encouraged
by persons who feel that Winnifred Beach should
be preserved for the nation rather than sold
to private developers. The Winnifred House
on a hill away from the beach has five bedrooms
and is rather shabby and spartan. It can still
be rented by Missionaries, Teachers and the
Respectable Poor.
WINNIFRED
BEACH, like many
in Portland, has streams running into the
sea and good swimming. A mile beyond here,
smoke rising from a cluster of jerk huts
heralds BOSTON BAY a
beautiful beach
donated to the government during the 1950s
by Robin Moore (author of The Green Berets,
The Happy Hooker, etc.). As we went to press,
the beach has unkempt showers, changing
rooms and a snack bar but no lifeguards
as the Parish Council is hoping to lease
it to private operators. An exceptionally
scenic bay with good surf may tempt you
to swim at your own risk.
Boston
is the home of jerked pork, a spicy snack
which originated with the Maroons who hunted
wild boar in the Portland mountains and
smoked it over open fires. You will see
and smell it being smoked over pimento wood
in the jerk stalls. There are still wild
boar in the hills of Portland and they are
hunted around Durham.
Errol
Flynn's Estates start at Boston and include
3,000 acres of coconuts and cattle pasture
with a large herd of Jamaica Reds. The properties
are managed by his widow Patrice Wymore
Flynn one-time winner of the title Champion
Farmer of Jamaica. Mrs Flynn, who also runs
a boutique at the Jamaica Palace hotel,
enjoys a warm rapport with the local people.
Turn
L after Castle Mountain Police Station on
to the old road for the scenic bay where
PRIESTMAN'S
RIVER enters the
sea, a picture taking stop and delightful
for a swim or picnic.
The
FAIR PROSPECT Secondary
School, a short distance R of the main road
is built on the site of an old sugar works
and an old windmill survives in the grounds.
The main crop around here is coconuts.
Along
the coast LONG
BAY provides a
spectacular view, especially with a norther
blowing. The beach is beautiful but dangerous
for swimming because of an unpredictable
undertow. More and more of the seascape
is being hidden as cottages are built along
the beach. Some of these can be rented.
Midway along the beach, painted in Rasta
colours and built of bamboo is the Long
Bay Beach and Fisherman's Park, with a sign
warning "Children at Play, drive carefully."
Drinks for the thirsty and hammocks for
the weary available here.
Past
the Long Bay Service Station turn along
a rough road to view the lifework of one
of Jamaica's grand eccentrics: KEN
ABENDANA SPENCER'S CASTLE. Ken
paints to support his building habit. For
years he has been constructing a cross between
a fortress and a multi-storied Grecian temple.
He is up to six stories now and still planning
a penthouse and elevated tennis court. Ken
is certain that one day his 'architectural
sculpture' will actually be completed and
serve as a cultural centre or luxury hotel.
Till then, he is thankful to be able to
provide steady work for some local masons
and youths. A fascinating host, he welcomes
visitors who are interested in Jamaica,
building, art, and prepared to spend money
on pictures.
Just
beyond Long Bay you can detour R up steep
RURAL HILL to
St. Mary's, a quaint old Anglican church
with a superb view of the coast. Further
on, the seacoast here has some dramatic
rock formations, and there is a lonely stretch
of road bordered with thick rain forest
where a deep hairpin bend is known as DEVILS
ELBOW or See-me-no-more.
A local legend tells of a horse and buggy
Baptist Minister who miraculously escaped
from a cutthroat here.
At
KENSINGTON,
once a Methodist enclave, a stream enters
the sea by a lovely beach. The locals call
it Christmas River Beach and it is a favourite
place for doing the washing or taking a
bath.
The
DARLINGFORD
ESTATE took its
name from the original owner, the Duke of
Darlingford. Now it is owned by a prominent
Portland family which produced a former
JLP Minister of Works, Ken Jones, and his
brother, author Evan Jones whose poem "Banana
Man" captures the essence of the Portland
small farmer. ("Thank God and this
strong right hand, I will live and die a
Banana Man"). Evans Jones' novel Stonehaven
is a thinly disguised portrait of his colourful
family, and of Jamaican life and politics;
it includes a fictional account of his brother
Ken's supposedly accidental death at a political
retreat. Their mother, a Quaker missionary
came to Portland from America, defying race
and religious prejudice she married Fred
M. Jones a hardworking farmer who later
became the richest man in the parish.
MANCHIONEAL
took the name of a
poisonous seaside plant which presumably
used to grow here. It is a large fishing
village, formerly one of the first ports
to ship bananas. The road skirts a long
beach. Just beyond the Police Station and
a tiny cut stone Anglican church turn R
through Muirton property to REACH
FALLS on the DRIVERS RIVER -
a leading candidate for the title "Most
Beautiful Place in Jamaica." Travel
2.5 miles along a narrow road bordered by
coconut and bananas with distant vistas
of the Blue Mountains. REACH, secluded and
undeveloped and long may it remain so -
has for the past 20 years been unofficially
managed by Frank Clarke who farms the land
beside the river. He built the unobtrusive
steps that lead down to the river, employs
local boys as guides and lifeguards. and
recently put in changing rooms a short distance
away. His helpmeet Angie has a small shop
by the car park and Rastafarian Renford
Kenton sells some craft. Apart from this,
Reach is almost untouched. The main falls
cascade into a pool deep enough for diving,
there are "pools upon pools" for
half a mile above them and the "Mandingo
Cave" which is reported to be a quarter
of a mile long with a whirlpool in the middle.
If you are especially energetic you can
even follow the river all the way down to
the sea.
Afterwards,
it is worth proceeding into St. Thomas.
At GRANGE
HILL a short road
leads down to the beach at INNIS
BAY - very neglected
and rather grubby like all public beaches
in Jamaica but quite scenic nevertheless.
Just beyond the beach road Lee's small wooden
cross roads shop is a minibus stop and meeting
place for he district. It has cold drinks
(and hard liquor) and is always open. Just
knock if the door is closed.
The
school at
HAPPY GROVE was
founded in 1889 by Quaker missionaries for
the children of plantation workers. It is
now run by the government.
HECTORS
RIVER marks the
boundary of Portland. From QUAW
HILL there is
a magnificent view over the St. Thomas plains
and sugar cane fields to MORANT
POINT lighthouse
and the easternmost tip of the island.
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