Crawl, Bailey’s Bay, and Coney Island

A trio of North Shore neighborhoods leads from Shelly Bay [1] to the Causeway in Hamilton Parish [2]. Peppered with gospel halls, a rainbow of cottages, and dull, but essential services like gas stations, variety stores, and coin laundry centers, they are totally local in focus, without important attractions or fancy restaurants—or even signposts letting you know when you’ve passed from one into another. But all give a good sense of regular island life.

The Railway Trail is the perfect way to traverse each area, via the rocky coastline. Pedal bikes, scooters, and mopeds would also allow you to explore the region easily. It also sits on the main bus route. Crawl is essentially a neighborhood hillside leading up past Shelly Bay as you head east. Artist Otto Trott’s gallery sits here, and Dub City Variety stocks snacks and sundries. The Railway Trail leaves Shelly Bay, following the coastline to Burchall Cove, before leading past craggy limestone formations, inlets, and bays into Crawl. This is one of the trail’s most beautiful sections, exposing seaside cottages and charming old butteries as it hugs the ocean on its way to the dramatic island-dotted seascape of Bailey’s Bay.

While the noisy main road runs parallel nearby, the thick limestone walls of the railway bed shut out most of civilization, allowing for a tranquil escape. Crawl ends at Bailey’s Bay, a sheltered harbor for small boats surrounded by hilly residential pockets and farmland. Eastwards around the corner, turn into Coney Island Park, a rugged peninsula incorporating parkland, beach coves, a cricket club, and various government outposts such as the Fisheries Department. There’s a Jamaican Grill [3] restaurant here, and usually a cricket match on summer weekends.