myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi all-

What's the skinny on cycling on Tobago? I know there are rental shops in the Crown Point area- but I don't have any information on the roads/trails available for cycling. Are there any particularly scenic routes appropriate for cycling? How is the traffic on local roads? How do drivers respond to cyclists on the roads? Do bicycle rental outfits also provide helmets?

Thanks for any advice!

Karin

Hi Karin,

first I had a bike for two days, rented from Sam in Crown Point (the shop next to the junction to Pigeon Point). It was possible to explore the triangle between Crown Point, Scarborough and Plymouth. I had no helmet and I do not know, if he offers helmets. The only part I did not feel safe was the road out of town from Crown Point. I know much more dangerous situations from bicycling in Vienna.

The scenic routes require that you leave the coast, but it will be hard to climb up the hills.

Later I had a bike from

"Tobago Slow Leak Mountainbike Tours"

in Grafton. Here is my description to find them:

http://www.alewand.de/fotos/tobago/mountainbike.htm

(Their web address does not seem to work in the moment). They have better bikes and also offer guided tours.

I rode from Grafton to Castara, passing the Waterwheel Restaurant, Les Coteaux and Moriah. If you have managed to get up to the View Point at Mount Dillon, you have a fantastic view over the coast. By the way, I wonder why there is no sign.

From Castara I used the bike to get to the beaches in the north, but it is much longer and harder than you might expect after looking at the map.

I tried to explore the area around Moriah, but when I had succesfully managed to reach Runnemede from Castara, I was too exhausted to continue.

The sun will be your hardest enemy. And it is not the heat coming from above, it is the heat stored in the asphalt. Here is an example what you might expect:

http://www.alewand.de/fotos/tobago/fo12.htm

I had two punctures during 6 days, so do not forget the fixing kit.

But even if you stay only in Crown Point center, a bike is very useful to have a quick look at the sunset or to have a drink at Hotel Conrado.

Greetings,

Achim

http://www.alewand.de/fotos/tobago/index.html

Hi Achim.
I admire your fitness levels. Cycling around the rural areas of Tobago must be very rewarding, but also very tiring!!!

I checked out your photographs and thought that they were very representative of Tobogo 'off the beaten track'. People who stay at Crown Point for two weeks don't know what they are missing do they?

I noticed that one of your photo's is entitled 'Asphelt Viper'.
I'm not sure if you considered this snake to be poisonous, but it looks to me to be an Amazonian Tree Boa, Corallus hortulanus. which is a constrictor and reletively harmless (unless you are a bat or other small mammal). Tobago has no natural venomous snakes, but I suppose that it is not impossible for snakes to stoway in luggage and frieght from other countries.

Trinidad has a nasty venomous snake known as the Fluer de lance.
I hope that they screen incoming luggage for 'illegal imigrants'.

Best wishes

Steve

Hi Steve,

some call it "fitness", others "stupidity"

The day I rode from Grafton to Castara, I felt so good in shape that I also visited the Englishman's Bay during the afternoon. Later, I even drove up to Mom's Bread and Breakfast to enjoy the view.

Encouraged and astonished by my own fitness, I tried the next to day to visit Moriah. But after one hour (I was near the view point then), I was terribly exhausted and needed to stay in the shadow for a while. And then I returned and rolled down again to Castara.

The day I had to return the bike to Grafton, I asked a Pick-up for a lift to Runnemede. But even simply rolling downhill was hard in the heat.

My advice is: Get up early and try to stay in the shadow. Cloudy days are welcome, too. I think, from 10:30 to 15:00 you should not be on the saddle.

I was just kidding with the name of the snake. The snake was dead, because obviously some cars already ran over it. That's why I called it "Asphaltviper= Tar snake". I had thought that "asphalt" is also an English word, isn't it?

I have already been told that it could be some kind of Boa, so at least 2 people believe now that it is a Boa.

Best regards,

Achim

Other travels:
http://www.alewand.de/fotos/index.html

Enjoyed the photos Achim. Many thanks for the link. Although I hate snakes and wish I hadn't seen that one! Dead or alive I am no fan of them!

When was the Tobago visit? Just wondering about the clouds in some of them (or is that typical all year?).

Clouds? Which clouds?

During September 2003, I spent 24 days on Tobago. Although officially the rainy season, I didn't encounter many rain showers, at least not during the day. Maybe four times I needed to look for shelter and there was only one longer-lasting shower, which did not disturb me at all.

Greetings,

Achim

Achim Lewandowski wrote:some call it "fitness", others "stupidity"

Ain't that the truth! I've done several inline speedskating races in Tahiti (yes, there IS such a thing: http://www.wayb.com/ ). The last one I did was foolishly scheduled at 1:00pm, and the temps were soaring even by Tahitian standards. The black asphalt even hotter! Midway thru the marathon distance, I actually started feeling chills- a symptom of heat exhaustion. I perservered, though, which in retrospect was really rather stupid. I recovered quite nicely, but it had the potential to be much worse.

ANYWAY. Thanks much for the cycling tips. Oh, and I absolutely got your reference to the "asphalt viper"! And Steve- interesting, I did not know that the fer de lance was native only to Trinidad. I've actually been reading up on the flora and fauna of Tobago, in prep for the trip, and in fact hope to see some reptiles! I don't mind them that much; in fact, I rather think them intriguing. On the other hand, I just read a short blurb about "Centipede Island" off the southern coast of Tobago. So named because of its numerous population of rare centipedes. I will be staying as far away from this speck of island as possible, I can assure you.

Are there a lot of centipedes on the main island itself? And spiders, too, are there SPIDERS?!

Karin