Drake's Seat

Skyline Drive runs along the spine of St Thomas and Drake's Seat is the best of the pull-offs on it: a stone bench on the north side of the ridge looking straight down into Magens Bay, with Mahogany Run and the north shore below and, across the water, Tortola, Jost Van Dyke and a scatter of smaller British Virgin Islands. The name attaches it to Sir Francis Drake, supposedly watching for Spanish shipping through the passage that also carries his name, which is a story rather than a documented fact. It is a five-minute stop and it is the single best view on the island.

The landscape

• Magens Bay from above - the whole horseshoe bay directly below.
• The British Virgin Islands - Tortola and Jost Van Dyke across the passage.
• Sir Francis Drake Channel - the passage between the island groups.
• Skyline Drive - the ridge road with further pull-offs along it.

When to go

December to April is clearest. Mornings have the best light on the bay and the fewest people; taxi vans from the cruise port arrive through the middle of the day. Haze builds in the afternoon.

Practical notes

It is a roadside stop of ten minutes, and it is worked hard by vendors and by drivers offering photographs, particularly on cruise days. Parking is a narrow pull-off on a busy road. Nearby Mountain Top offers a similar view with a shopping complex attached, which some prefer and others avoid.

Nearby

Magens Bay is below; Mountain Top is further along the ridge.