Bucco & King Peters Beaches

[Martin S]

Last year I noticed Sheppy had a note on his office wall advising tourists not to go to Bucco or King Peters beaches anybody know what the problem is at these beaches?

[David Watkins]

Martin,I have no idea.Buccoo is a popular village renowned for Sunday School and goat racing.
King Peter's bay is near Runnemede and I have not heard of any problems there.
David

[Ronald]

Bucco Beach seems nice when looking at the beach from the Beach Bar nearby the pir, but..
Some years ago, maybe 1-2 year, visitors were robbed by guys hiding in the bush behind the beach, maybe that´s why the note is on the wall?

There´s a lifeguard in Bucco, but not on or nearby the beach! He´s sitting on a chair under a tree some 50m further on from the pir. I really don´t understand why they have a ligeguard there, he can do nothing to help peoples on the beach.
IF he would see something, it would take him maybe 10 minutes to run across, more if they take the swim higher up on the beach.
The only ones he can help are the guys who are sitting on the wall nearby the pir, if they smoke too much ganja they might fall into the water!
Ronald

[Jill M]

Martin,

I think it was King Peter's Bay that we drove down to and it was a nightmare - it was a narrow steep dirt track road with NO turning points - once started there is no turning back. When I say narrow - you could just fit the car down, with a steep drop on one side. Maybe he is thinking of the damage to his cars

We drove down, my husband touched the Machineal (sp?) tree not knowing what it was - there were no signs, and then rubbed his snorkling mask - his eyes really puffed up and were stinging. We now know that he should have gone to hospital, but being a man he wouldn't even see a doctor!!!! Luckily, we had other drivers in the car.

Don't know what the problem with Bucco would be, but I would definately not recommend taking a car down to King Peters Bay !!

Jill

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Guys

Ronald and Jill are both correct.

Buccoo beach is backed by scrubland and mangrove. Ideal 'hiding' territory. A few years back, there were a number of incidents of tourists being robbed. Local lads used to hide in the bush and then make a quick escape with bags and things whilst the visitors were in the water. It was easy for the lads to hide and then make their way back into the village. That progressed to at least one robbery with menace and as a result, Buccoo beach - lovely as it is - established a bit of a bad reputation. As Ronald says, there is technically a lifeguard on duty, but he doesn't cover the only areas that people would want to swim in, so its a waste of time.

King Peter's Bay is a nightmare. As Jill says - and as I warn in our Beaches section - the drive down their is not something that should be attempted. It is a single track road with deep drops to the side(s). There are NO passing points for a couple of miles. If you meet another vehicle, one of you is going to have to reverse, and possibly a very considerable distance. I am a highly trained and experienced advanced driver but would NOT willingly reverse that trail. Apart from that, there have allegedly been several nasty robberies down there.

[Dr Stefan Rustscheff]

Hello everyone, I would just like to add that King Peter´s beach often is hideously strewn with refuse. There are a couple of ablution blocks in disrepair as well. That, along with the forsaken position at the end of a rather bad road, the robberies and, the fact that the beach itself is singularly unattractive with lots of gravel and stones, shallow water, lots of seaweed, and, rather a disagreeable smell keeps at least me away from it. Fun to have driven down to once every holiday but not more. The road down connects with the mot-mot trail if I remember correctly but even a 4wd there is not recommended.

[Steve Wooler]

Quite right, Stefan.

I believe the 'ablution' blocks were actually store rooms for fishermen's tackle, etc. Of course they've been derelict for many years and look (and smell) just like old toilet blocks. I've certainly never been tempted to climb up and look inside them.

I don't mean to correct you, Stefan, but i thought that the Mot Mot Trail ended at Culloden. My large-scale map of Tobago confirms this and doesn't show any trails in the King Peter's Bay area. However, I do recall that three-quarters of the way down there is a trail that forks off to the right. I've never been tempted to try it. It doesn't show on the maps. Has anybody any idea where it goes? I suspect probably just a short distance to a local house.

[Steve Pitts]

I can speak from experience on both counts -

The track down to King Peters bay is challenging for an fully prepared off-road vehicle and experienced driver and the beach itself is a tip. When we did the trip, the small stream is clogged with rubbish and the water putrid. Don't go there!

Buccoo beach is prone to petty thefts as previously mentioned.
I had a rucksac dragged into to the bushes whilst I was fishing not 5 metres away (is nothing sacred?) and the contents were strewn around in the bushes. A video camera, stills camera and assorted fishing tackle were left laying around and nothing was stolen. I guess the 'perps' were only after money.
They certainly picked the wrong victim there

Buccoo is a picturesque beach, but be warned that it is very isolated the further along you go and at high spring tides the sea comes right up to the bushes and the beach is all but covered. There is often lots of broken glass and fish heads etc. by the pier by the fishing co-op, which is not to everyones liking.

Cheers
Steve

[Tony G]

Well, I have to say that earlier this year we drove down the track to King Peter's Bay just because we'd never been there before. We didn't have a 4x4 or anything, just a normal saloon car, and although the drive was a bit hairy we took it slowly and didn't have any problems. The drive down was the most exciting part as the bay itself is nothing to write home about.

Tony

[Brian Taylor]

don't let your rental agent read that... there are certain drives they don't want yiou to take, especially if you have a normal saloon car...

steph