Bermuda Railway Trail

Bermuda's railway ran only from 1931 to 1948 - locals called it the Rattle and Shake - before cars arrived and the rolling stock was sold abroad. The islanders kept the best part: the right-of-way, which now threads the island end to end as a walking and cycling trail of roughly eighteen miles in linked sections. It is Bermuda with the traffic removed - turquoise coves below the embankments, oleander and allspice tunnels, old limestone cuttings, and footbridges over inlets where the swimming stops suggest themselves. Sections range from pushchair-flat strolls to longer shore-hugging stretches, each with road access at both ends.

What you actually see

• The coastal sections - the West End stretches above the turquoise shallows.
• The garden tunnels - oleander, fiddlewood and allspice arching the path.
• The restored footbridges - the spans reconnecting the trail across inlets.
• Swimming detours - coves off the embankment reached in minutes.

When to go

April to October gives swimming weather at the detours; winter walking is mild and quiet. Mornings beat both heat and the scooter hum of parallel roads. The trail is unlit - daylight only.

Honest expectations

The trail is interrupted - road sections link some segments, and wayfinding at the joins takes attention. Surfaces vary from smooth to rutted coral dust; trainers suffice but wheels want the groomed stretches. There are no facilities on the trail itself - carry water and plan around the parishes' shops.

Nearby

The Royal Naval Dockyard anchors the western trailhead; St George's the eastern end.