Things to do.

ISN`T IT A BIT BORING THERE?

No not at all.Although it is a small island there are a lot of things you can do. How about swimming.The island has its fair share of sandy beaches but you have to be a little careful as to which ones you go to for a swim. The sea around Ascension can be extremely dangerous.Strong currents and large waves are not uncomman.It may be a lovely day and the sea may appear to be like a mill pond, but out of nowhere freak waves appear.These waves are whipped up by storms thousands of miles away and hit Ascension with no warning.One minute you are swimming quite happily,the next you are on the rocks. If you want to spend the day at the beach and want to swim your best bet is either Comfortless Cove or English Bay.Take a snorkel and mask with you aswell.You wont believe the amount of sea life you can see in these crystal clear waters.

Lovely

CAN I GO FISHING?

Fishing is a very popular pastime on the island,especially amongst the St Helenians who eat a lot of what they catch.When we stayed on the island, we arranged a fishing trip on one of their boats.They provided all the tackle and off we went.If you have viewed the wildlife section of this site you will have already seen some of the results of our days fishing.
Fishing The St Helenians who operate the boat were very friendly and helpful and by the end of the trip we had caught two Wahoo,a Tuna and a Blackjack.When we arrived back at the pierhead in Georgetown they weighed the fish and gutted and filleted them for us.Luckily we managed to persuade the chef in the airmans mess at Travellers Hill to keep the fish in his freezer.At the end of the stay we had a barbecue on the beach and ate our catch.

In this photo you can see the Tuna I caught.It looks big doesn`t it?At least that what I thought.One night we went down to the pierhead in Georgetown to watch the locals fishing.The Tuna they were catching were absolute monsters.I then realised that my fish was just a baby. Oh well,at least he tasted nice. How the hell do they get these in the tin.

If you dont fancy fishing but would still like a pleasure boat trip round the island this too can be arranged.We were taken round the island to Boatswain Bird Island where we anchored and were allowed to swim and fish with hand lines.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO DURING THE DAY?

Walking.That may sound boring but trust me it is far from boring.There are a wide and varied choice of walks ranging from nice and easy up to tough.If you are really into walking you can do some of the letterbox walks.Most of these walks are two or more hours in duration and at the end you will find a tin,or letterbox as they are known as.In the tin is a guestbook and a rubber stamp.Sign the guestbook and use the rubber stamp to prove you were there.During our stay we completed three of the letterbox walks,the Dew Pond on Green Mountain,Sisters Peak and Ladyhill.Here is a full list of the islands letterbox walks.

SISTERS PEAK LADYHILL
LETTERBOX CRATERCLIFF
BROKEN TOOTH DEVILS RIDING SCHOOL
MOUNTAIN RED HILL CRYSTAL BAY
DEW POND WHITE HORSE
COCONUT BAY DEVILS CAULDRON
WEATHER POST PILLAR BAY
SPIRE BEACH NORTH WEST POINT
SOUTH RED CRATER BULLOCK POND

Another view of the Island

Green Mountain itself has a number of walks you can try.I have already mentioned the Dew Pond which is virtually at the sumit, but there are other walks lower down aswell.These walks are extremely scenic and you will find yourself passing through tunnels cut in the mountain.The longest tunnel starts in the right hand corner of the Residencies vegetable garden and cuts through the mountain to Breakneck Ravine.Take a torch and a pair of wellies as it is very dark and very muddy.

Dodgy Geezers

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN THE EVENING?

Don`t expect Ascension to be like Ibiza or Tenerife.There are no night clubs or long strips full of pubs and bars.The NAAFI bar at Travellers Hill is open every night and more often than not there is a theme night or a games evening in progress.If you go down into the US sector of the island you can spend an evening or two in the Volcano Club. There is a great atmosphere in here aswell as cheap cocktails.We were lucky enough to be on the island over Independence Day and experience the celebrations in the Volcano Club. Also at the Volcano Club is an outdoor cinema.There are a number of films on each week and if you get thirsty you can nip into the club for some more cocktails.