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Excerpted from St. John Off The Beaten
Track ©
2006 Gerald Singer
Brown Bay Beach on St. John’s undeveloped northeastern
shore, normally accessed by the Brown Bay Trail, can also be
reached by following the St. John shoreline between Waterlemon
Beach and Brown Bay.
This is an absolutely delightful shoreline hike offering spectacular
views, refreshing tropical breezes and fascinating beachcombing.
This hike is definitely “off the beaten track,” and
demands athletic ability and knowledge of rock scrambling.
Don't attempt this (or any) hike alone and be careful!
Begin
by taking the three-quarter mile Leinster
Bay Trail from the
Annaberg Sugar Mill parking lot to the beach at Waterlemon
Bay. The shoreline walk between Waterlemon Bay and Brown Bay
Beach is about a mile and a half long. Allow at least four
hours for a leisurely and careful round trip journey from Annaberg
to Brown Bay and back.
Once you arrive at the beach at Waterlemon Bay, follow the
shoreline north. There is a rudimentary trail that will take
you a short distance along the coast, but when that ends you
will be on your own. At the saddle between the hills, just
before you get to the tip of the headland called Leinster Point,
you may find a donkey trail that will lead you across the peninsula,
or you may just find it easier to walk and scramble around
the point.
Leinster Point
On the eastern side of Leinster Point, you will come
to a coral and cobblestone beach fringed by beach maho trees.
The ground cover is the salty, but edible, sea purslane. A
shallow fringing reef lies just off the beach.
Scramble over the black rocks at the end of the beach or take
a donkey trail through the bush and go around them. On the
other side of the rocks is a coral rubble beach. There is no
reef on the western corner of the beach and you can get into
the water and take a cooling swim if you so desire. At the
center of the beach are several water mampoo, or loblolly trees
that can provide a welcome shady area where you can rest and
enjoy your surroundings.
The view from this beach is impressive. To the west, you can
see the top of Mary Point and the headland called Leinster
Point that you just crossed. These two headlands define the
well-protected Leinster Bay. Looking more to the north you
will see the British islands, Great Thatch and Little Thatch.
Between them, further to the north, is Jost Van Dyke. Tortola
is the large island just to the east of Great and Little Thatch.
The tall mountain that you see on Tortola is called Sage Mountain,
which at 1,740 feet, is the highest point in the Virgin Islands.
This secluded northeastern coast of St. John has become a
favorite entry point for illegal immigrants. It is common to
find the discarded clothing left by these people, who apparently
change into their saved dry clothing at this stage of their
journey.
At the end of this beach you will come to some high
rocks. The scramble over these rocks is facilitated by the
presence of conveniently located hand and foot holds. On the
other side of these rocks, is a coral rubble beach behind which
is a steep bluff about 40 feet high.
Proceeding beyond this beach, a short scramble leads to another
stretch of coral rubble beach bordered by a high steep hillside
and fringed by century plants and sea grape trees.
After this beach, is a stretch of rocky shoreline which leads
around Threadneedle Point. This rocky outcropping provides
impressive easterly views of the British Virgin Islands that
border the beautiful Sir Francis Drake Channel all the way
to the Baths at Virgin Gorda. Looking toward the west, you
can see as far as St. Thomas and Hans Lollik.
After rounding
Threadneedle Point, there will be one more long stretch of
coral rubble beach. From there to the beach at Brown
Bay is
a section of rocky coast, which goes past the Brown Bay Plantation
Ruins. You can return to civilization the way you came or via
the Brown Bay Trail.
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