Bathsheba and the Soup Bowl

Barbados has two coasts and they could belong to different islands: the west is calm turquoise and resorts, while the east is Atlantic swell, empty sand and wind. Bathsheba is the east coast's centre, a fishing village where enormous mushroom-shaped boulders stand in the surf, eroded at the base by centuries of waves. Just offshore, the Soup Bowl is one of the Caribbean's best right-hand reef breaks, working through the northern winter and drawing professional surfers who rate it among their favourite waves anywhere. Between the rocks, natural tidal pools give rare safe swimming on a coast where the sea is mostly dangerous.

What you actually see

• The mushroom rocks - the eroded boulders standing in the surf.
• The Soup Bowl - the reef break, best watched from shore.
• Tidal rock pools - the safe bathing spots at low tide.
• The Scotland District - the hilly green interior behind the coast.

When to go

Surf season runs roughly November to March when Atlantic swells arrive; the annual surf competition falls in that window. The coast is scenic year round. Mornings are calmest for photography before the wind builds.

Honest expectations

Swimming outside the marked rock pools is genuinely dangerous here - strong currents and shore break have caused drownings, and there are no lifeguards. The rock pools are safe at low tide only. Facilities are limited to a few small restaurants. The coast is windy, which is pleasant in heat but makes for a different beach day than the west.

Nearby

Andromeda Botanic Gardens, Hunte's Gardens and the Scotland District hills.