The Queen's Bath

On the Atlantic side of Eleuthera near the Glass Window Bridge, the sea has cut a shelf of dark ironshore into a series of pools of different depths, and when the swell comes over the ledge they refill with fresh seawater that then sits in the sun and warms. The result is a run of natural bathing pools, some knee-deep and some over your head, right on the edge of open ocean. The rock is sharp and black, the contrast with the pale blue water in the pools is startling, and on a calm day it is one of the best places on the island to sit for an hour.

What you actually see

• The pools - a series of natural rock baths on the shelf.
• The warm water - refilled by swell and heated in the sun.
• The ironshore - sharp black rock along the Atlantic edge.
• The Glass Window Bridge - a few minutes north along the road.

When to go

December to May is drier, though this is also when Atlantic swell is largest and the pools most dangerous. Go on a calm day only, and check the sea before climbing down. Mid-tide is generally best. Mornings are quiet.

Honest expectations

This is a genuinely dangerous spot when any swell is running: waves sweep the shelf without warning and people have been washed off and killed here. If the sea is up, do not go down. The rock is razor-sharp ironshore that cuts badly, so water shoes are essential. The path down from the road is unmarked and steep, and there is no supervision of any kind.

Nearby

The Glass Window Bridge is five minutes north; Gregory Town is fifteen minutes south.