Five Islands, Antigua: The Peninsula West of the Capital

Why Go

Five Islands is the peninsula immediately west of St. John's, closing the northern side of the harbour, and it is the piece of Antigua that visitors most often miss despite it being the nearest thing to the capital. It carries a village, a scatter of beaches that see a fraction of the traffic Dickenson Bay does, and Fort Barrington on the headland — a small hilltop battery with a view over St. John's Harbour that is one of the better short climbs on the island.

The Experience

The peninsula is low and dry, with the village strung along the road and the land opening out toward the point. The beaches face different directions and behave differently: Deep Bay is a sheltered horseshoe with a wreck lying in shallow water in the middle of it, Galley Bay is longer and takes more swell, and Hawksbill runs along the western side. None has the crowd of the north-west coast, and some have nothing behind them at all. At the tip, Fort Barrington sits on a steep hill above the harbour entrance, reached by a short sharp path, with the whole of St. John's laid out below. The village itself is residential with limited facilities, and it is the sort of place that has stayed ordinary because the road ends rather than passes through. What makes the peninsula worth knowing is the arithmetic. It is nearer to St. John's than Dickenson Bay is, it has four beaches, a wreck and a fort, and it receives a small fraction of the visitors — largely because the road ends here rather than continuing, so nobody passes through by accident.

What to Try

Swim at Deep Bay and snorkel the wreck — the Andes went down there in the nineteenth century and sits in shallow enough water that a mask is all you need, which makes it the easiest wreck snorkel on Antigua. Climb to Fort Barrington from the end of the bay: it is a short, steep, unshaded path and the view over the harbour and back to the capital is worth the fifteen minutes. Walk between the beaches along the coast where the ground allows. Otherwise this peninsula has almost no commercial infrastructure, so bring what you need and eat in St. John's ten minutes away, or at Jolly Harbour further south. The proximity to the capital makes it the easiest half-day escape from a cruise call. Galley Bay and Hawksbill along the western shore are the other two beaches worth the short drive.

Insider Tip

Combine Deep Bay, the wreck and Fort Barrington into one morning. They are all within a few hundred metres of each other at the end of the peninsula — swim out to the Andes with a mask, come back, walk up the hill for the view over St. John's, and be back in the capital for lunch. It is the best short outing near the city and almost nobody does it, because the peninsula looks on a map like it goes nowhere.

The Practical Stuff

Five Islands is about ten to fifteen minutes west of St. John's and twenty-five from V. C. Bird International, on the peninsula north of the harbour. Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required. You need a car; buses reach the village but not the beaches or the fort usefully. Parking is free and informal at the beach access points. There are very few facilities on the peninsula — bring water and food, and eat in St. John's or Jolly Harbour. The path to Fort Barrington is short but steep and unshaded. Beaches are public, as all Antiguan beaches are. Antigua is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November.

Common Questions

Where is Five Islands?

On the peninsula immediately west of St. John's, closing the northern side of the harbour. It is ten to fifteen minutes from the capital and twenty-five from the airport.

Can you snorkel the wreck at Deep Bay?

Yes — the Andes sank there in the nineteenth century and lies in shallow water in the middle of the bay, making it the easiest wreck snorkel on Antigua. A mask is all you need.

What is Fort Barrington?

A small hilltop battery on the headland at the end of the peninsula, reached by a short steep path, with a view over St. John's Harbour and the capital. Fifteen minutes up and worth it.

Are the beaches busy?

No — Deep Bay, Galley Bay and Hawksbill see a fraction of the traffic that Dickenson Bay does, despite being closer to the capital. Some have nothing behind them at all.

Are there facilities?

Very few. Bring water and food; eat in St. John's ten minutes away or at Jolly Harbour further south. Parking at the beaches is free and informal.

Is it worth doing from a cruise ship?

It is the best short outing near the capital — a swim, a wreck snorkel and a fort with a view, all within a few hundred metres and ten minutes from the quays.

Pair It With

Deep Bay — The swim and the wreck, in the same shallow water.
Fort Barrington — Fifteen minutes up for the view over the capital.
St. John's — Lunch in the city, ten minutes back east.