An Outcrop of Land, a Lot to Explore!

Fort Granby is one of those well known tourist attractions in the little Caribbean island of Tobago that is just a 30 minute drive from the the western part of the island where tourists are near to the airport. It is also around 10 minutes from the seaport where the Trinidadians and other Tourists who go to Trinidad first come from as well. It is located in the southern coastline of the island and basically was built upon the a small peninsula or outcrop of of land that is quite interesting. Most of the little peninsula is covered by a thick shady canopy that is an absolute pleasure to walk under. It also boasts of magnificent views and is situated next to a beach!

After the 30 minute drive from where we were staying in a hotel on the western side of the island, we arrived at the Fort Granby Carpark that was right on the beach itself as you can see in the photo above (the fort/peninsula being on the left). There seemed to be no one there at the moment as we were there very early on the morning. Most people like to sleep in on vacation, not us!

This is what it looked like on the ground level facing the beachfront side. Usually this carpark is filled to capacity but it was just as empty. Most people were on the beach already and not on the fort as they would have seen it millions of times being locals and all.

This is the other side view of the carpark that shows even more how empty it was! You can see to the other side where there is a bay that is separated from this beach by the peninsula. The entrance to the fort is where you see that white fencing!

As I mentioned earlier, there were people on the beach, already enjoying all that it had to offer. Some sat under these large trees that provided shade with their canopies that grew on alarmingly orange branches and trunks! I was quite enamored with this natural phenomenon, that looked like someone passed by and coated the tree bark with that powdered cheese you get in Mac N Cheese boxes!

We asked some of the locals if that was natural or if it was some sort of plant disease and they informed us that it was indeed a normal thing and that those types of trees typically look like that!

I had never seen this type of tree before, not in Tobago itself and neither anywhere in Trinidad and I have been around A LOT! Who knew we would find this unique and awesome tree right here next to a fort.

Exploring the Rocks

Before we got to the fort we decided to check out the rocky area on the beach to see what we could discover. Also I was quite persuaded by the fact that I could get a great shot of the beach from the rocks side as it was just a bit off from the shoreline providing a great angle to view the beach's whole coastline!

It was quite difficult as expected but a whole lot of fun. I had to be extra careful with my camera as any slip or fall could damage extremely expensive gear, not to mention I had a drone in the backpack to be weary of as well.

When I got to a place I was quite satisfied with, I took the above shot of the beach and its beautiful coastline as well as the lush green hills at the back and the coconut trees! The waves were not that rough and the photo was quite to my liking.

Just before heading back to the carpark, I saw a little island out in the distance that was quite cool. I wondered what may be upon it! I meant to fly the drone there when I sent it up but I forgot! I apologize for this but I will definitely get it on the next trip!

Exploring the Fort

We headed back to the carpark and to the entrance of the fort. It was where I had stated where the white fence was. The fence lined a stairway that lead up the hill to the mini peninsula and the thick canopy of trees that provide so much shade that you forget that the sun is out and scorching!

Here is an aerial view of the of the thick canopy covered peninsula that gives you an great idea of how the outcrop is shaped as well. It is quite satisfyingly round. You can see the white fencing on the left to give you a better context of direction and position.

Just after the stairway and white fencing, there is a concrete block pathway that took us further up to the higher bits of the peninsula through the heavily shaded areas to the gazebo. Already, there was a sense of magic and wonder!

It seemed that the further we walked, the darker it got! There were little but magical patches of light that filtered in from the canopy above and there were also places with large holes as well that were quite bright and reminded us that it was indeed very bright and scorching hot outside.

We could walk around and explore all day, it felt cosy and protected in a way. There were so many different trees and species of flora each with their own little plaque that stated their scientific name. I did not quite expect this for a fort and I imagined that it would be a field day for a botanist!

There were also these park benches around the fort that would have been perfect for picnicking and enjoying a wholesome meal in wonderful nature and natural shade. One would expect there to be birds and so on that would pose as threats to the picnic but there were none at all! We vowed to have a picnic on our next visit just for the experience!

I was quite falling in love with the shade when we found a opening in the overhead shade that provided an exclusive and unadulterated view of the ocean. This meant that we would have to leave the wonderful shade and head back to the scorching sun!

There was another white fencing that prevented careless people from fall off the cliff's edge of the peninsula that seemed to make the whole view even more beautiful. It was like something out of a painting with the way to also curved to match the undulation of the hill.

Here are aerial views of the opening we walked into and the white fence as well as the steep and rocky cliff! You can also see the amazing views all around of the ocean as well as the rest of the island.

A close up view of the opening shows well manicured grass and contrasting yet complementing tree canopies. It was so awesome to be there and take in every breath of detail!

Here is a ground level view of what it was like to look over the fence. There seemed to be some orange looking algae on the rocks that gave it such a unique look that complemented the blue hues of the waters!

Looking back from the fence, we could see the gazebo and so you can get a great idea that this was the other side of the hill we had climbed when entering the compound of the fort. You can also see the well manicured grass so as to give you a great context of location from the aerial shots.

More Aerial Views

Here is a view of the tip of the peninsula that shows sign of a lot of weathering and land slips that it had succumbed to quite recently. There is a pathway to get to the edge there and sea the ocean but it was sealed off for safety reasons since then.

Here is a view of the western side of the peninsula that is most covered by the canopies. As you can see, there is a bay or beach on the other side as well but it is less frequented by tourists and used more by fisher folk to park their boats and ply their trade.

The name of the beach adjacent to the fort is called Pinfold Bay as we later on learned. The waters looked so much more beautifully blue in the aerial shots as really clear and clean as one could see through the surface of the water to the seabed. This was not apparent at ground level!

All in all, exploring all that Fort Granby had to offer was so much fun! I really loved those shady canopies, the sprawling views and beautiful white fences. We definitely need to come back someday and have a picnic for the fun of it! Thanks so much for coming along, cheers!