Bermuda Railway Trail

Bermuda Transportation: Trail vs Bus vs Ferry

This railway trail is one of the best island trails in the world based on potential alone. Take a look at the trail pictures below, and you’ll get a small taste of what I’m talking about. I have ridden bike trails all over the world and don’t remember any with better scenery. While in Bermuda, I used the bus system and the ferry system to get around the island. They were both wonderful services and a tribute to wonderful transportation planning. But neither of them were as enjoyable or relaxing as the Bermuda Railway Trail. On the Bermuda buses and ferries, I had to adhere to a strict schedule and constantly worry about when to get off and if I’d miss my stop. They were efficient but hectic for a lowly tourist. On the bike path, however, I was able to traverse the vast majority of the island, from one end to the other, at my own pace. I could literally stop and smell the Bermuda wildflowers along the way.

Bermuda Trail Potential

Is the Bermuda Railway Trail perfect? No!! But did I mention, it has so much potential. I spoke with many islanders and discovered the following factoids about this beautiful island railway trail:

  • Bermudans cherish their rail trail.
  • The Bermuda Railway Trail is used much more by walkers than bicyclists.
  • Everyone I spoke to would like to see improvements made on the trail.
  • Nearly everyone proudly told stories of special events on the trail such as scheduled group hikes.
  • I heard a limited amount of grumbling about trail inequity for certain island parishes.

Bermuda Railway Trail Bright Spots

Based upon my own experience and the comments of others, the Bermuda Railway Trail is by far Bermuda’s best bike path as well as the island’s best hiking resource. Some of the best trail features include:

  • The trail is available to literally everyone: rich, poor, middle class, residents, tourists, bicyclists, walkers…
  • The Bermuda trail scenery is phenomenal from beginning to end including beaches, tropical foliage, tunnels, neighborhoods…
  • The signposting is not perfect but quite good.
  • The informational & historical signs are fascinating and professionally done.
  • The trail surface is wonderful for hiking from one end of the island to the other.
  • The trail surface is quite good for bike riding for well over half of the route. For mountain bikers it is fine throughout.

Is the Bermuda Railway Trail a Good Destination Trail?

Many of you read the Trailsnet blog to help choose your next destination trail for Active Travel vacations. So I take my recommendations seriously since I don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction. First of all, travel can be quite expensive, and I don’t want to lead you astray. Secondly, there are so many incredible trails around the world, I don’t want to point you in the wrong direction. Having said that, I believe that the Bermuda Railway Trail has a strong potential to become one of the truly great destination trails in the world. Unfortunately, it’s not quite there yet. Bermuda is a fantastic island and if the trail is only one item on a long bucket list of reasons for you to visit, then by all means, add Bermuda to your list of dream vacations. The beaches are gorgeous, the people are friendly, the food is good and the historical sites are fascinating. But many of you put the trail as your #1 priority. (And let me congratulate you on impeccable priorities.) I will not go into specifics in this blog because I prefer to focus on the positives on Trailsnet. However I can say, without hesitation, that the Bermuda Railway Trail has the strong potential of becoming one of the finest destination trails in the world.

Feedback on the Bermuda Railway Trail

If you are one of the lucky few that have had the golden opportunity to experience Bermuda bike trails or Bermuda hiking trails, please send your trail comments and feedback using the form below. Other active travelers and trail explorers would love to hear from you and so would I.

 

Trail Map

Photos

Suggested Lodging

Booking.com

Suggested Bike Rental / Repair

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Companies That Provide Tours on This Trail

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