The beauty of Gibbet Island and its idyllic facing coves belies an ugly past. Its name refers to the gallows post that once stood on the island, a site where slaves and criminals were hanged, their bodies on public display as a warning to passing maritime traffic. Such history remains a sore spot for the island’s black—and white—communities in the ongoing effort to foster harmonious race relations over 170 years after Emancipation in Bermuda.
Today, Gibbet Island is owned by a private family trust, so the beach is officially off-limits, though the public Railway Trail [1] runs through the land to Flatts Inlet. Here, a bridge once carried the train on to Shelly Bay and points further east. To recoup the trail, you need to retrace your steps, walk through Flatts Village [2] and around the inlet, following North Shore Road into Hamilton Parish [3].
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/bermuda/smith-s-and-hamilton-parishes/smith-s-parish/recreation/railway-trail
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/bermuda/smith-s-and-hamilton-parishes/hamilton-parish/sights/flatts-village
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/bermuda/smith-s-and-hamilton-parishes/hamilton-parish