FOR a get-away-from-it-all holiday destination, it would be hard to beat #StHelena, the tiny British colony in the middle of the South Atlantic, the government of which – looking forward to the start of direct flights next year – that has recently hired a director of #tourism.
Here’s all you need to know – but never got around to asking – about one of the planet’s remotest settled islands.
Size: 10.5 miles by 6.5 miles.
Where is it?: 1,200 miles from the South-West coast of Africa, and 1,800 miles the coast of South America.
Population: 3,800.
Language: English, but with a distinctive dialect and pronunciation.
Currency: The St. Helena £ is used on the island, which is fixed at parity with the British Pound Sterling, which is accepted on the island. Scottish bank notes are accepted, but payment card use is limited, and there are no ATMs.
Climate: For much of the year, temperatures remain between 70-80°F. The rainy seasons are late March to early May, and July to September.
History: The first, very small, settlement was established by Portuguese and Spanish traders. Their shipping was harried by English warships, and in 1657, Oliver Cromwell gave the island to English East India Company, which fortified the island and colonized it with planters. The first English governor arrived in 1659, making it one of Britain's oldest colonies outside North America and the Caribbean.
Getting there: The RMS Saint Helena runs between St. Helena and Cape Town, also visiting Ascension Island and Walvis Bay, Namibia, and sometimes sailing north to Tenerife and Portland, UK. It berths in James Bay, St. Helena, approximately 30 times a year. The ship was due to be de-commissioning in 2010, but its service life has been extended until the completion, expected next February, of a £250 million airport being built by the UK government, with weekly flights to and from Johannesburg.
Who’s been there: The British Empire found it a useful place on which to dump people it wanted kept out of harm’s way, the most infamous of whom was Napoleon Bonaparte, who died there 1821 after six years in exile. More than 5,000 Boers were held there as prisoners during the Second Boer War.
Getting there: The RMS Saint Helena runs between St. Helena and Cape Town, also visiting Ascension Island and Walvis Bay, Namibia, and sometimes sailing north to Tenerife and Portland, UK. It berths in James Bay, St. Helena, approximately 30 times a year. The ship was due to be de-commissioning in 2010, but its service life has been extended until the completion, expected next February, of a £250 million airport being built by the UK government, with weekly flights to and from Johannesburg.
Who’s been there: The British Empire found it a useful place on which to dump people it wanted kept out of harm’s way, the most infamous of whom was Napoleon Bonaparte, who died there 1821 after six years in exile. More than 5,000 Boers were held there as prisoners during the Second Boer War.
- Longwood House, where Napoleon lived and died.
- Castle Gardens, where some of the island’s endemic plants can be seen.
- Jacob’s Ladder, built in 1829 as an inclined plane, which was used to haul manure up from Jamestown and send goods down. The ladder is 600ft high and has 699 steps.
- St James Church, built in 1774, and the oldest Anglican church in the southern hemisphere.
- St. Helena Distillery, which makes rum and island’s own Juniper-flavoured gin.
- High Knoll Fort, with views across much of the island, and occasionally open for guided tours.
http://sthelenatourism.com
Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
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