Cindy-Lou Dale

Some 2,200 miles south-south-east of England, in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, lies the most remote spot in the world, St Helena Island, a 47m ancient volcanic isle steeped in some 500-years of history.

 

St Helena landscapes consists of a series of cones of lava which have, over the centuries, amalgamated via a succession of lush ridges and wooded valley’s – landscapes that compete with one another, each trying to be more beautiful than the next.

 

The island’s capital, Jamestown, consists of little more than a mile long main street and is cradled at the base of an extraordinary deep crevice. There is a relaxed mood in the town, best described as being typical of Britain in the 1950s - complete with quaint stores. The architecture along Main Street is pure Georgian. The town must have the best-preserved collection of Georgian frontages remaining anywhere in the former British Empire - colorful buildings which beg to be photographed.

 

As most of the island’s 68-miles of tarred roads are only about ten feet wide and mostly cling onto the side of a cliff face, it is unlikely you’ll find anyone exceeding the 30 mile per hour speed limit.

 

Turn a corner and you will be confronted by a tropical forest cascading down a mountain slope, another corner you’ll be gazing upon a landscape patchwork in shades of willow green, lime and sage; punctuated with snowy white sheep on the hillsides, which appear and disappear through swirling mist.

 

St Helena’s very isolation has been described as the pinpoint of inaccessibility, which may go some way to explaining why the British chose it to exile Napoleon Bonaparte there in 1815, following his defeat at Waterloo.

Yet St Helena’s history goes back centuries still further. Possibly much of the island’s allure lies in its past, as it was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502 and subsequently colonized by the Dutch and more recently, the British, all having left their mark.

The island’s past has been extraordinary and includes, amongst others, author Charles Darwin and the astronomer, Edmund Halley, who worked on the island in 1676 and observed the transit of Mercury and Venus, and produced a catalogue of the stars of the Southern hemisphere. South African Zulu Chief Dinizulu was exiled to St Helena in 1890 and remained there for several years, and more than 6,000 soldiers, from the Anglo-Boer war, were imprisoned on the island.

 

A night-time stroll through the low lit Main Street may be an unsettling experience for some. Shrouded in mystery and threaded in a salty mist, 17^th- and 18^th-century buildings always seem to take on a different persona at night. You may even feel that you are being watched from beyond the dark recesses and huddled doorways; but it’s the sudden pockets of quiet which may cause you to hasten your step just a little. Once you’ve past through the 18^th century Town Gates listen carefully - the creaking sound of the ghost-like galleons, Captained by the likes of James Cook and William Dampier, is barely audible.

 

This is the place where the environment is the catwalk for nature; where each rock and crevice, beach and cliff top reveals nature’s most beautiful specimens, dressed in their finest plumage. This is an environment of colour and contrast, in shades of yellow and gold, azure and blue, emerald and jade which is every a photographer’s paradise – with all its creatures ready to strike a pose and every view demanding to be made exclusive.

 

St Helena's hiking trails range from gentle strolls through soft pastures to exhilarating hikes over wind-eroded whaleback hills. Other than the hike to Lot’s Wife’s Pond, all hikes start high on a ridge and descend into valleys. Even though the trails are clearly marked, they are not for the fainthearted as most have exposed sections, with a thousand feet high cliffs which plunge onto the onyx-colored rocks below.

 

In 1901, in a setting of incomparable splendor, St Helena Golf Club opened its clubhouse doors at New Ground, the most remote golf course on the planet. Golf has proven to be a very competitive sport on the island where weekly golfing competitions are held. Membership includes those from the expat community and home-grown locals, such as St Helena’s present Governor, Michael Clancy. The route of the 18-hole course is adjacent to Napoleon's House, Longwood, with dramatic long views across sharply defined valleys and spectacular landscapes of timeless beauty, rooted to an ancient seafaring past.

 

Although the coastline is liberally sprinkled with small coves and hidden beaches, access to the sea is only found in a few places, with only some considered safe for swimming.

 

The azure colored ocean surrounding St Helena offers much in the way of recreation. Sports’ fishing is hugely popular with tuna and barracuda a certainty, and marlin a possibility. Scuba dive sites are close to the shore, offering outstanding underwater visibility throughout the year, often at depths at less than twenty metres and although lacking in reefs there are several great wreck dives. Tropical fish (ten species of which are endemic to St Helena) and dolphin pods, of up to 200 in number, are ever present. A charter to see the dolphins could also take in a sight seeing trip to the vast colonies of sea birds that inhabit the cliffs skirting the isle.

 

Spicy fish cakes, pumpkin fritters, pilau, black pudding, and coconut fingers form part of St Helena’s exquisite cuisine. Ann’s Place, ideal for dinner, needs orders placed by lunch time and Anne's Cafe is a good bet for lunch; both offer great value. If you get the opportunity, do enjoy some St Helena coffee, but savour it slowly as it's one of the most exclusive and expensive Arabica’s in the world.

 

The Islanders, known as Saints, are a warm, welcoming and tenacious people, good humoured and armed with ready smiles, which mask the underlying poverty many endure. Meeting a Saint is a truly unforgettable experience. You will make at least one new friend a day on your visit, and they will all bid you a tearful farewell as they are an emotional tribe, with reunions and parting requiring a particular type of demonstrative affections.

 

St Helena is one of the last remaining untouched wonders of the world. This is where the horizon and the sky come together in a seamless merging. Where, in the daytime, shimmering sequence reflects off the ocean, whilst its mauve and crimson sunsets become laced with shades of lavender and lilac. It must be the most unusual and romantic holiday destination of all time.

 

 

Word Count: 1,469

© Cindy-Lou Dale 2006