Bermuda is a British island territory located in the Atlantic Ocean.
Known for its pink-sand beaches, Bermuda is a destination for almost 200 cruise ships
each year and many ships stay docked for multiple days.
In this video, we’ll provide an overview of our second day in Bermuda, when we visited
Sea Glass Beach, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, and Church Bay.
Our ship -- the Celebrity Summit -- docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard port for three
days in August of 2019.
The port is located at the Western end of Bermuda and is sometimes referred to as Kings
Wharf or Heritage Wharf.
During our stay, we used Bermuda’s bus and ferry system to explore on our own.
For more information on Bermuda’s transportation system, check out the video from our first
day in Bermuda.
To visit Sea Glass Beach, we got on the bus in front of the Clocktower Mall.
The old bus stop that was previously located near Diamonds International was closed and
all buses now arrive and depart at the Royal Naval Dockyard bus stop in front of the mall.
If you would rather not walk to the bus stop, you can ride the dockyard’s free shuttle
train from the cruise ship area to the bus stop area.
From the dockyard’s bus stop, you can take either the number 7 or number 8 bus to get
to Sea Glass Beach.
However, the number 7 bus is one of the most popular for tourists because it goes to many
of the popular beaches in Bermuda, so you may find more seating available on the number
8 bus.
The short ride to the Sea Glass Beach bus stop lasted about two minutes.
The stop that is closest to the beach is located across the street from four large teal housing
buildings.
After exiting the bus, we crossed the street and walked between the buildings to the much
smaller road behind the buildings.
A hand-painted sign posted on a nearby pole pointed us in the right direction for Sea
Glass Beach.
We walked a short bit and easily spotted the steps that led from the road down to the beach
area.
Another hand-painted sign pointed the way.
A large posted sign located near the stairs warns visitors that it’s unlawful to remove
any items -- including sea glass -- from the beach.
Despite the warning, we saw several creations people have made using sea glass as we walked
down the stairs to the beach.
Once we reached Sea Glass Beach, it was immediately obvious that it was not a typical beach.
Instead of sand for playing and lounging, the beach was almost completely covered with
pieces of white, clear, green, and brown glass.
It was also immediately obvious that the glass is leftover from hundreds and hundreds of
broken bottles and many of the larger pieces still have letters, numbers, and other markings.
While most of the pieces of glass have been dulled by being tumbled in the surf, we still
strongly recommend you wear a good pair of thick-soled shoes and pay close attention
to where you’re stepping while exploring because we still saw many sharp pieces of
glass.
After wrapping up our visit to Sea Glass Beach, we headed to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.
We tried to catch the number 7 bus, but it was completely full, so we ended up on the
number 8 bus.
The number 8 bus route goes north of the lighthouse, which made our walk up Lighthouse Road a bit
longer and steeper than if we were able to ride the number 7 bus to the south side of
the lighthouse.
The extra exercise was worth not having to wait for a space on the crowded number 7 bus.
Along our walk up Lighthouse Road, we crossed part of Bermuda’s Railway Trail.
The trail is an 18-mile walking and biking trail that was built in 1984 to replace unused
railway track.
The trail runs almost the entire length of Bermuda.
Once we got to the top of Lighthouse Road, the signage pointing to the lighthouse was
easy to find and follow.
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse was put into operation in 1846 and is the tallest of the two lighthouses
on Bermuda.
Although the lighthouse is just 117 feet tall, the size of the hill it stands upon puts the
total height 354 feet above sea level.
The weathervane that was installed at the top of the lighthouse when it was constructed
is now part of a monument at ground level.
According to the plaque, it was replaced with an early warning radar scanner in 1988 to
prevent ships from running aground on Bermuda’s reefs.
Admission tickets for climbing the lighthouse are sold in the gift shop and cost $2.50 each
during our visit.
As you climb the 185 steps to the top, there are several platforms along the way that offer
a chance to rest or catch your breath.
After you reach the top and head outside, be prepared for an amazingly spectacular view
of all of Bermuda with beautiful blue water everywhere.
During our visit, it was also quite windy at the top of the lighthouse.
If the skies are clear, you might be able to see your cruise ship in the distance at
the Royal Naval Dockyard, like we did.
In addition to the gift shop that sells admission tickets and souvenirs, the lighthouse grounds
also has free restrooms available.
After wrapping up our visit to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, we followed the marked path back
to Lighthouse Road and the number 7 bus.
Since we were headed back toward the dockyard to get to Church Bay, the bus was not nearly
as crowded.
Church Bay is located at the western end of the popular South Shore beaches of Bermuda.
The beach is situated among several cliffs and was not crowded when we visited.
Before heading to the beach, we made a quick stop at the public restrooms at Church Bay
Park, which is located at the top of the cliffs.
From the park, we followed the path down to the stairs that lead to Church Bay beach.
According to several websites, Church Bay is typically known for having calm waters
during normal conditions, but the waves were quite large during our visit because of high
winds.
Take note that several websites recommend wearing water shoes while swimming at Church
Bay due to the potential for sharp rocks being in the sand.
The rocks and reefs located in the water very close to the beach are one of the reasons
Church Bay is also known for having good snorkeling.
However, the rough waters we experienced made it difficult to see anything more than a few
fish scattered among the churning sand and floating sea plants.
Even the locals who came prepared to snorkel ended up just enjoying some time in the water.
After spending a couple hours at Church Bay beach, we boarded the number 7 bus at a nearby
bus stop and headed back to our ship at the Royal Naval Dockyard to wrap up our second
day in Bermuda.