Barbados

Barbados is a tiny Caribbean island at just 21 miles long and 14 miles wide with most of the population living on the west coast between Oistins and Speightstown.

The Atlantic side (east) offers rugged, untouched scenery and rocky beaches. It is here that Sam Lord's Castle Resort (Long Bay, St Philip's Parish, +246 423 7350, www.barbados.org/samlords.htm) sits majestically on 72 acres of landscaped gardens with its own beach and pool facilities. Further up is the 18th-century Sunbury Plantation House (Sunbury, St Philip's Parish, +246 423 6270, www.barbadosgreathouse.com) with a tour that offers views of all the rooms. A kids’ attraction close by is the Oughterson House and Zoo Park (near Bushy Park, +246 423 62030, www.funbarbados.com/Sights/zoo.CFM) with a collection of small animals including monkeys and snakes.

In the parish of St Joseph, the flowering Andromeda Gardens sits on a cliffside (Bathsheba, www.funbarbados.com/Trust/andromeda.cfm, +246 433 9384), which dates back to 1954 and was inherited by the Barbados National Trust from the former owner. It is a vast tropical garden with a huge variety of orchids.

The parish of St Michael is where the capital Bridgetown is located. Here there is the Barbados Museum (St Ann's Garrison, +246 427 0201, www.barbmuse.org.bb), with engaging exhibits on the history, culture and heritage of the island. Just close by on the Garrison Savannah is Barbados Turf Club (Garrison Savannah, www.barbadosturfclub.com) established in 1905. The six-furlong oval track hosts national and international races.

The Harry Bayley Observatory (Highway 6, Clapham, Bridgetown, +246 426 1317) is the only observatory in the eastern Caribbean with its own 14-inch reflector telescope. The public are allowed entrance only on Fridays from 8.30pm-11.30pm.

Local history

Amerindians were the first people to occupy Barbados but left in the early 1600s; it remained unoccupied until 1625 when it was claimed by the English Captain John Powell for then King James I. During years of unrest and social formation it was finally granted its independence on 30 November 1966.

Local politics

Bajan seniors, more than 70 years’ old will be featured in an upcoming historical book that covers the period 1937 to 1966. The research will be conducted by Oxford Brookes University, and is being funded by the Arts and Humanities Council in the UK, in the hopes of filling in the gaps in the island’s history.