Georgetown

Georgetown is Ascension's main settlement, a small grid of buildings on black lava beside the sea, with St Mary's church, the former Exiles Club, built as a Royal Marines barracks while Napoleon was held on St Helena, the stores of the naval period, a pierhead where landings were made by jumping onto the steps between swells, and Fort Hayes of about 1860, which until recently held the Heritage Society museum. The town is named after George III, in whose reign the island was garrisoned in 1815. Nobody has right of abode on Ascension: everyone there works for one of the organisations that operate on the island.

What you'll find

• St Mary's church - the Anglican church at the centre of the settlement.
• The naval buildings - the barracks and stores from the garrison period.
• The pierhead - the landing where arrivals jumped ashore between swells.
• The forts - Fort Hayes of about 1860 and Fort Bedford of 1903 on Cross Hill.

When to go

Year round; Ascension is hot and dry at sea level in all seasons. Turtles come ashore between December and May. Flights are limited and irregular.

Good to know

Reaching Ascension is genuinely difficult, with limited flights and permits required. There is no right of abode and visits must be sponsored or arranged. Facilities are those of a working base, not a resort.

Nearby

Long Beach is beside it, and Green Mountain is east.

Key facts