Shirley Heights Lookout

Shirley Heights is the restored hilltop lookout above English Harbour, named after Sir Thomas Shirley, who strengthened Antigua's defences in the 1780s. From roughly 490 feet up, the old gun emplacements and signal station command a sweeping view over English and Falmouth Harbours and the green hills of the south coast. On a clear day you can pick out the masts in Nelson's Dockyard far below, and the neighbouring island of Montserrat on the horizon.

The lookout was built to protect the naval dockyard from attack, and the weathered stone walls, magazine, and cannon are part of the same Nelson's Dockyard National Park. A short interpretive trail and the Dow Hill centre explain how the signal posts once relayed warnings across the island. For most of the week it is a quiet, blustery viewpoint, ideal for photographs in the late-afternoon light.

It is best known, though, for its Sunday party, a tradition running since 1981. From the afternoon into the evening a steel band and then a reggae group play while a barbecue fires up, rum punch flows, and a crowd of visitors and locals gathers to watch the sun drop behind the harbours. It is one of the liveliest regular events on the island and a fixture of any Antigua itinerary.

You can drive up in a few minutes from the dockyard, or hike the Lookout Trail from Galleon Beach for about 30 to 45 minutes through dry coastal scrub. Come for sunset, bring a light layer for the breeze, and stay for the music.