Commodore
September 6, 2021

A good hike up and over to the other side of the island

It was the usual slow start to Sunday morning while we got our fill of the Sunday papers. After breakfast we headed to land for a walk around the island. We went to our little restaurant to tie up to one of their ropes, what an effort getting our heavy engine above the water line! We took the track up behind the restaurant straight up the hill, of course we are now in the midday sun and it’s boiling hot out of the sea breeze. At the top is a concrete road, it appears the locals who work at the restaurant walk up and down this steep long path. There is a 4×4 road but that lands up at the dwellings further down the beach. I guess most stuff comes by boat. We were rewarded by great views from the top, we decided to follow a track out to the headland and we were amazed to land up at an old canon, still on its original stone platform. Quite incredible.

The path leading up the very dry side of the island

Remnants of the sugar plantation industry

Most probably cleared sugar cane growing area

The Forest Reserve

Looking down on PolePole

Local fishing boats and our restaurant we ate at last night

We stumbled across this old canon, too heavy for anyone to move after all these years

One of the houses off the concrete road, it must have stunning views both ways.

We returned to the concrete road which does a circuit to the village of Ashton. Very encouraging to see a sign saying that a lot of Chatham bay is now protected as a Forest Reserve. Fingers crossed that means no ghastly developments as the bay is wonderfully unspoilt. We did the circuit on a very good concrete road which seems to serve a few big houses and that is about it. Typically the road has not been maintained much and all the huge metal drainage covers have corroded, broken or disappeared leaving enormous pits for the unsuspecting! Magnificent views over the other bays on Union Island. A real roller coaster walk up and over the hill, but good exercise that we desperately need. Completing our circuit on the concrete road, we walked back down the 4×4 track, I’m not sure it is used much especially as it ends in a bog where there are very deep tyre tracks! Certainly we spotted no vehicles. Long may it last. A quick beer to pay for our rope tie up and then back to PolePole for a swim.

The concrete road

The bay on the other side

The other local restaurant, which we will have to try next visit

Jeldi Jeldi provided much needed shade for someone!

Late afternoon we went to an area of the bay we had spotted from on top, where we thought it might be good snorkelling, it looked like an old crater that had broken through. I let Rowan go in as it looked a bit hairy for me. It turned out to be good coral but not great visibility as the waves roll in.

The rim of a crater we think

We decided to go to the hotel dock for a walk along the beach. Quite a hairy pontoon to tie on to, with some locals who had clearly had a jolly afternoon. A very engaging, very chubby girl told us she had drunk too much, she was very happy dispensing her local knowledge. We had a walk along the beach and then went into the hotel to have a snoop, it looked completely empty. Suddenly Antonio appeared from nowhere and told us their last guests left a few days ago so they’re having a break and doing maintenance. He is obviously starved of company as he invited us to join him for a beer and talked non stop. He built this place, Tenuta, which only has 4 cottages, the land around it is now a Forest Reserve so he says it should keep its charm. Amazingly he works for the Italian owners who own this chain of exclusive off the beaten track hotels as a hobby. Their main business is exporting Italian wine and making tinned tuna, sounded typically Sicilian and a bit dodgy. But their hotels sound amazing, one in Madagascar and one somewhere remote in N Scotland which is Antonio’s main base. It is very nicely done all open sided, wood and palm leaf pinched roofs, so it blends into the forest and cliffs behind it very well. Also very understated, no over the top luxury which most of the boutique hotels seem to do. Maybe it’s a very nice way for them to launder their money!