From
Mandeville there is a choice of routes to
the beaches of the south coast:
ROUTE
A
- VIA NEWPORT TO ALLIGATOR POND
Take the road past the West Indies Training
College and through the village of KNOCKPATRICK.
You will drive beneath Alpart's cable belt
conveyor connecting the bauxite mines of
the Manchester plateau to the lowland plant
at Nain. Newport is a cool rural village.
Between ROSEHALL
and REST
STORE
you get the first glimpse of the sea and
Alpart's pier at PORT
KAISER.
If the day is clear you can observe offshore
and to the south east a coral atoll in the
making on Alligator Reef. PLOWDEN
with its Moravian church, school, and bauxite-pink
landscape is typical of the area. Descending
towards Rowes Corner via many hairpin curves,
the landscape has a surreal quality with
monstrous towers and outcrops of rock dwarfing
cottages and cultivations.
Alligator
Pond has a large fishing beach, well equipped
with modern fibreglass boats plus high powered
outboard engines. A good place to sample
fried fish straight from the ocean or purchase
fresh fish and lobster. Some boats are available
for hire, price negotiable. Interesting
Detour: Turn left at the Alligator Pond
crossroads passing several holiday cottages
and landmarks with evocative names like
CUCKOLD POINT, OLD
WOMAN'S POINT, GUT RIVER, CANOE VALLEY,
ALLIGATOR HOLE RIVER and GOD'S
WELL (see Tour
7).
These
coastal waters are the preferred habitat
of manatees (local name: sea cows) which
come to drink the fresh water bubbling into
the sea from underground springs. In Arawak
times there were large manatee herds but
the current islandwide population is estimated
as less than 100. They are protected under
the Wild Life Protection Act, but that does
not stop some fishermen from killing those
snared in their nets. Four manatees, rescued
from fishermen are kept in captivity in
the Alligator Hole river. Unfortunately,
because they are all female there is no
hope of a captive breeding program. Mournful-looking
sea mammals, manatees may have given rise
to legends about mermaids. They are extremely
gentle and shy, feed on sea grasses and
can grow to be 13 foot in length and 3,300
lbs in weight.
West
of Alligator Pond crossing, a clear cold
river enters the sea near the site of an
old fort. At its mouth, Sea River resort,
a 12 room hotel, belongs to the local member
of parliament Derek Rochester. Further west
is Alpart's Port Kaiser. Alumina, transported
by private railroad from the Alpart refinery,
is shipped from here.
Despite
the scanty rainfall, south St. Elizabeth
supplies most of the vegetables (carrots,
tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, escallion,
thyme, onions) sold throughout the island.
The traditional thrift, industry and ingenuity
of the farmers here are reflected in the
small, sturdy houses dotting the hills,
and the patchwork of fields neatly mulched
with guinea grass - a local technique known
as "dry farming". Many of the
people hereabouts are light-skinned, some
with blue or green eyes and are known locally
as "St. Elizabeth Red Man". Theories
about their origin differ. One is that their
male ancestors were the crew of a Dutch
ship wrecked off the coast long ago. Another
that the local white planters were exceptionally
libidinous and prolific.
It
is farming country all the way through
BULL SAVANNAH, JUNCTION,
and TOP HILL
where there is a monument to two
children shot in a 1970s political campaign.
Erected by the JLP, it is a grisly reminder
of things better left unsaid in a tour book.
SOUTHFIELD,
where both routes converge, is a large and
prosperous village.
ROUTE
B -
VIA SANTA CRUZ TO MALVERN
Leaving Mandeville for SPUR
TREE you pass R a residential
subdivision at Hatfield boasting some elaborate
residences like Rolling Hills a hilltop
mansion belonging to the Hammond family,
Jamaicans who made a bakery fortune in New
York. This is one of Countrystyle's Bed
and Breakfast listings.
At
the Spur Tree cross roads there is a gas
station and the small Bus Stop cafe. From
the brow of the mountain, while viewing
the St. Elizabeth plain for the first time,
try to remember that the belching smokestacks
of Alpart are vital to the island's economy.
L of the main road and overlooking the lowland
plant are Alpart's corporate headquarters.
The Spur Tree switchback descends to a large
mined-out bauxite pit that used to be the
village of GUTTERS.
At the T-junction near the bottom of the
hill you can turn L to TREASURE
BEACH via LITITZ.
Almost immediately you come to the relocated
Gutters, with a gas station, a few shops
and JIM'S HQ,
with a restaurant and a disco reputed to
be the most popular in the island.
Or
you can continue straight on to MALVERN
via Santa Cruz. You drive through
pasture and farmland infrequently punctuated
by landmarks like St. Andrew's Church at
GILNOCK
or Mr. Brown's Bar half a mile further on.
The prosperity of Santa Cruz is expressed
in bulky new houses encased in fantastic
burglar bar designs.
St.
Elizabeth has always been famous for horse
breeding and Santa Cruz grew up around a
livestock market. Now it is the most vibrant
town in the parish, a dormitory town for
Alpart, and a centre for farmers with a
typical Jamaican market overflowing into
the surrounding streets. In the centre of
town turn L for Malvern, along the road
where the livestock market is still held
every Saturday. Past an entity called Chariots
Entertainment Centre (Bar open around the
Back) you start the climb into the Santa
Cruz Mountains, reputed to have the healthiest
climate in the world. There are groves of
Pimento (allspice) and bracken (a temperate
climate bush) either side of the winding
road. You will also notice Logwood trees
(fortunes were once made by selling the
logs for dye, nowadays the fragrant blossoms
produce the best honey) and the indispensable
guinea grass. You are in the centre of MALVERN
when you reach a T-junction, facing a line
of small shops with L the Police Station
and El Paraguas Tavern.
Malvern
is an educational oasis. The
BETHLEHEM Moravian teacher's
college, founded in 1861 at Bethabra in
Manchester soon moved to Malvern where there
had been a Moravian community since 1823.
(Every Sunday, the newly converted slaves
walked 20 miles to church at Fairfield near
Spur Tree.) Moravian missionaries were brought
to the island by the owners of Elim estate
in 1754 to preach Christianity to their
slaves. In the hot, mosquito-ridden lowlands
they were plagued by fevers and many died.
The survivors relocated in the mountains.
Practical Christians, the Moravians concentrated
on education ("Mihi cura futuri"
is Bethlehem's motto) and imparted among
other things the useful skill of building
cut stone water tanks and catchments. Today,
the Bethlehem educational complex, partially
funded by government, comprises the college,
primary and all-age schools. Rev Justin
Peart, Minister of the Church is an affable
gentleman with the ability to deliver an
enthralling history of the Moravian church
and its mission in Jamaica in about fifteen
minutes. Its founder, a scholar named John
Hus, was burnt at the stake for heresy in
1415. He "proclaimed the priesthood
of all believers" - a credo shared
by genuine Rastafarians.
THE
MALVERN SCIENCE CENTRE
in an old estate house opposite Hampton
Girls School was established by the Masthead
Foundation with some support from local
donors like Alcan. Its mission - to provide
an information centre for science teachers,
students and aspiring environmentalists
- is energetically supervised by Mrs. Heidi
Reidel. Exhibits in the Sun, Sea and Sand
rooms cleverly relate the world of science
to the physical resources and economy of
the island. A small Hall of Fame includes
local celebrities like Dr. Thomas Lecky,
who against official disapproval pursued
cross-breeding experiments to produce the
Jamaica Hope, an acclimatized dairy cow;
and Mrs. Beth Jacobs, a family planning
pioneer. MSRC
also distributes How-to literature and advice
on environment friendly options like Solar
Ovens and Banana Circles. Heidi, an adopted
Jamaican, is also a fund of information
on St. Elizabeth. HAMPTON
HIGH SCHOOL
and MUNRO
COLLEGE were established in the
late nineteenth century by a trust left
by two philanthropic merchants named Munro
and Dickenson. Both schools have excellent
academic records. Because of location they
were originally elite boarding schools,
today they are government aided and cater
also to day-scholars.
Visitor
accommodation is nil except for a cottage
at Windy Manor (turn L off the Malvern to
Mountainside road). Owners Winsome and Roy
Manning (an aquaculturist) are also planning
cabins and campsites on their 17 acre coffee
and pimento farm.
Near
Munro there are two routes down the hill.
The first (turn R before the College) drops
almost vertically offering spectacular views.
Windswept Munro looms L above the road,
living proof of an old school cheer which
claims that "Munro Boys eat rice and
peas, Munro boys feel mountain breeze, it
makes them cold but it makes them bold".
At the first crossroads the
JAH BHQ bar and restaurant
boasts 24 hour service - "if necessary".
Turn R for Southfield, then R again at the
next junction opposite the South St Elizabeth
Holistic Medical Complex and you are in
SOUTHFIELD, a prosperous mini-town.
Past a church, turn L to LOVERS
LEAP approximately 1 mile east.
En route, the unpretentious Lovers Leap
Guest House, Drive-In and Lounge is operated
by Ms Yvonne Burton. Opposite Lovers Leap,
there is a populous goat pen. From this
cliff, legend says, two young slaves leapt
to their death rather than be parted. The
reality is a near vertical escarpment plunging
thousands of feet to the sea and the view
is spectacular.
So
much so, that neither the adjacent army
camp and radar facility nor an unfinished
concrete structure littered with goat droppings
can break the spell. In fact the view is
enhanced by climbing to the unrailed balcony.
It is possible to look down on small aircraft
flying below you along the coast. A detachment
of US military help to man the radar station
- their mission is unspecified but locals
believe that their main function is to monitor
drug flights and shipments between the island
and South America.
Returning
to Southfield, turn L past a supermarket,
bakery and ice-cream parlour heading south
through "dry farming" country
for Pedro Cross, where the Police Station
overlooks the coast and the two Pedro salt
ponds. The climate here is semi-desert,
but the land blooms miraculously with the
slightest rainfall. Bear left for Treasure
Beach. Before you get there, turn L towards
GREAT BAY.
On either side, the smooth brown pastures,
neatly fenced with gnarled timber and barbwire
are sparsely filled with goats and sheep.
There is a sprinkling of farmers homes and
a line of cottages for rent around the bay.
Three afternoons per week the beach is the
scene of much activity when the fishing
boats return from the
PEDRO CAYS. The rest of the
time it is almost deserted except for men
playing dominoes under the thatch at Spanner
Elliot's Water Hole. Fishing trips can be
arranged. Price negotiable. Unofficial mayor
of Great Bay is Desmond Henry, a former
Director of Tourism and now eco-tourism
consultant and practitioner.
TREASURE
BEACH
is less a village than a series of bays
and coves, edged with cottages for rent.
The locals, independent small farmers and
fisherfolk have awakened belatedly to the
economic potential of tourism as the area
becomes increasingly popular. The inevitable
side-effects of tourism, high prices, harassment
and even crime are not unknown but still
vestigial and the culprits are usually from
other areas.
Places
to stay: Numerous cottages and villas from
basic to luxurious can be rented through
Countrystyle or JAVA/Vacation Network.
TREASURE BEACH HOTEL on a
hilltop overlooking Frenchman's Bay (good
bathing but watch the surf and the currents)
has a beachside swimming pool and colourful
garden shaded by Lignum Vitae and Palms.
Cheerful decor, courteous service and reasonable
rates.
THE
OLDE WHARFE RESORT
is unique among seafront hotels for its
unimpeded 360 degree view including the
Great Salt Pond, the plains, the mountains,
Pedro Bluff, Great Bay, and Calabash Bay.
If you are lucky you may even see manatees
close to the rocky shore. The owner, Mrs.
Sharon James Rose, says that she "hates
to use the word eco-tourism" but offers
something very similar. Olde Wharfe has
a family oriented Jamaican atmosphere with
swimming pool, sheltered beach, ironshore
grotto, bird sanctuary and an old white
mare called Snowflake grazing nearby.
Vegetable
fields and smooth pastures line the road
through NEWELL
and WATCHWELL
to the edge of the Black River Morass. A
short detour R to MOUNTAINSIDE
takes you to MISS LURíS one of the
best restaurants in the south - if you like
roast pork. The owner, Lurline Patrick is
the retired Postmistress.
At
Salt Spring, the left fork takes you to
PAROTEE BEACH
and the sea; take the R fork to BLACK
RIVER capital of St Elizabeth.
The town, with a deep water harbour but
no pier is still a fairly active port. Ships
are loaded by large open boats called lighters.
The Black River, dark as molasses, is the
largest in the island and drains an extensive
wetland soon to be declared a national park.
Its clear water reflects the colour of the
peat lining banks and riverbed. The river's
main source rises as Hector's River near
Troy in the Cockpit Country and goes underground
twice before resurfacing near Balaclava.
Long ago Black River was an important waterway
navigable for almost 25 miles upstream.
Today it is used primarily for shrimping,
and tourism. The uncontrolled increase in
pleasure traffic is threatening the habitat
of crocodiles and other species. Trips start
from the bridge. On the east bank, SOUTHCOAST
SAFARIS
is operated by crocodile buff Charles
Swaby who pioneered trips up the river through
Man-grove Avenue - a fine spot to swim.
On the west bank Dr. Dan Bennett's St. Elizabeth
Safari offers more of less the same itinerary
in pontoon craft.
The
town's somnolent charm is enhanced by old
buildings and a historic Anglican parish
church of rosy brick. A neglected mineral
spa to the west of town, once a favourite
place for King Leopold of the Belgians,
continues to await rescue.
Places
to stay: Cottages along Crane Road and Parottee
beach are available for rent through Countrystyle,
or JAVA/Vacation Network. Hotels and guests
houses include: PORT
OF CALL and BRIDGE
HOUSE along the coast road east
of town are both noted for good food. WATERLOO
GUEST HOUSE on the coast-road
west of town has a comfortable new wing.
This old Victorian mansion was the first
house in Jamaica to get electricity when
the original owner, a Mr. Leyden, installed
a lighting plant so that he could air condition
the stables of his racehorses. INVERCAULD
HOUSE, a restored Victorian mansion
plus its modern mirror image, replicated
in concrete is clean and comfortable. HOTEL
PONTIO overlooks the sea on the
western edge of town.
The
Black River and its many tributaries meandering
across the plains of St. Elizabeth have
contributed to the formation of
THE GREAT MORASS - a
huge area of freshwater swamp dotted with
islands and covered
with lush wetland vegetation including stands
of majestic palms. The road north to MIDDLE
QUARTERS skirts south west of
the morass. Unsuccessful attempts to develop
this area date back to 1783 when the British
government decided to settle some loyalist
American refugees here. Local opponents
to the scheme gleefully reported that even
a settler whose name was Frogge found the
area too damp, so the scheme was abandoned.
More recently there have been unsuccessful
attempts to extend rice production and a
successful project to introduce fish farming.
Jamculture has a large fish and shrimp farm
at Barton Isles. To date, however, the most
lucrative crop is illegal - marijuana (ganja);
hence the sporadic activity on several unofficial
airstrips constructed in the morass during
the 1970s.
At
Middle Quarters, vendors squat on the roadside
with baskets and plastic pails of hot peppered
shrimp. Some of the shrimps come from the
adjacent wetland streams but most of them
are imported from Big Bridge in Westmoreland.
The design of the bamboo crayfish pots is
of African origin and centuries old. One
mile from Middle Quarters a road leads L
to the beautiful YS Falls.
Back
on the main highway you travel to LACOVIA
through photogenic BAMBOO
AVENUE, a cool green tunnel three
miles long formed by bamboos arching from
both sides of the road. Midway there is
a JTB reststop with washrooms and snacks.
The farmland either side is leased to Appleton
estate and grows cane and mangoes.
LACOVIA,
the longest village in the island, sprawls
on both sides of a bridge over the Black
River and was the site of a battle between
the Spanish and British in 1655. Lacovia's
famous tombstone beside the gas station
marks the site of two ancient tombs now
covered by the road. One legend says that
the tombs are those of a British and a Spanish
soldier who were chosen by their respective
armies to do battle in single combat but
another legend claims that the duel was
over a lady. Both duelists died and one
of the seconds got the girl. The remaining
tombstone, relocated by the roadside, commemorates
one Thomas Jordan Spencer aged 15 and the
engraved Coat of Arms on it connects the
lad with the family of Winston Churchill
and Princess Di.
An
interesting crop in these parts is the Cashew.
The slow growing trees produce gourmet nuts
encased in a hard shell at the tip of the
fruit that make a delectable preserve and
heady liqueur.
Possible
detour: Turn L at the gas station for MAGGOTTY,
APPLE VALLEY PARK and APPLETON
ESTATE. Or continue north through
SANTA CRUZ,
then GUTTERS where
you start the climb up Spur Tree Hill and
back to Mandeville.
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