WELCHMAN HALL GULLY

One of our favorites, because such places in Barbados are rare. As the island is relatively flat, it only took a few years for British settlers to clear the land for plantations. The only inaccessible and impassable spots are the gullies carved out by thousands of years of water erosion of the limestone rock. In these small, steep-sided valleys, the flora has been preserved.

Created by the collapse of a cave connected to Harrison's Caves, Welchman Hall owes its name to a Welsh general, William Asygell Williams. Exiled by Cromwell, he established a plantation nearby, which he called "the Welshman's house", and exploited the gully to grow exotic plants and an orchard. It has hardly changed since then. It is home to Barbados' only remaining endemic species of flowering plant: broom weed(Phyllanthus andersonii) and the world's smallest species of snake, Leptotyphlops bilineata . It is as thin as a needle and measures just 9 centimetres. The gully is also said to be the birthplace of the grapefruit, the fruit of a cross between an orange and a pomelo.

Under the soothing shade of palm trees and tree ferns, you can stroll along a widely accessible path (for PRMs too), guided by explanatory signs. In season, you can pick nutmeg that has fallen from the trees, and if you look up, you'll spot the mischievous green monkeys leaping from branch to branch. It's a truly invigorating experience!