+ Bermuda 101 (click to open)

Walkscore: St. George's is 65 and Hamilton is 90. Walkscore is a score out of 100 and is based on whether basic amenities like groceries and restaurants are within .25 miles.

Maps

• Bermuda Railway Trail Ride with GPS
• Bus Map
• Ferry Map

Somewhere around thirty-three million years ago, a volcano tossed up a few new mountains in the middle of the Atlantic tectonic plate. Erosion brought the lofty peaks down closer to sea level, and corals turned plankton into calcium by the ton, laying down a limestone cap atop the underlying volcanic bedrock. Sea levels rose and fell, forming a rich network of caves. Red sand blew across the ocean from northern Africa, and when combined with the pale coral sand, it formed today’s famous pink beaches. Spanish sailors left pigs and tobacco for future refuelling stops. English sailors bound for the New World wrecked on the abundant reefs. Most of the English continued on to Virginia, but some stayed. Everyone who subsequently inhabited the island felt the need to build a LOT of forts, though none of them were ever really used in anger. The English provided most of the island’s culture, evident today in cricket matches, tea times, and beautiful-but-stuffy clothing. Tourism became the main driver of industry, with massive cruise ships disgorging thousands of tourists a day at several ports, until the port at St George was no longer deep enough to be able to accommodate the newest massive cruise liners. Jobs waned, and depression loomed, until the insurance business stepped in to become the island’s leading source of wealth. Today, Bermuda is a fascinating pace to visit. It has much of the look and feel of a Caribbean island, but more of a North Carolina climate and “tennis and polo” British vibe. The beaches are abundant, and arrestingly gorgeous. The whole island is 22 miles long, and perhaps a mile across at the widest, with the sporadic makings of a proper rail trail spanning end to end. The people are generally in no hurry, and they live in paradise. Bermuda is, in short, a very easy and rewarding place to explore.

+ Biking in Bermuda (click to open)

Etiquette

There are so relatively few people cyclng in Bermuda today that there is, from what we could tell, no effective cycling etiquette to speak of. Cars and scooters so completely dominate the island’s transportation today that bikes are often seen as a curiosity, particularly any form of bike other than drop-bar roadies or full suspension mountain bikes. Anyone on a folding bike or a dutch-inspired city bike will likely draw curious smiles and a “have a good ride” from passers-by. As with all British territories, they drive on the left side of the road, so North Americans will need a day or two to get used to looking the right direction for oncoming traffic. Beyond that, if you ride predictably and signal your intentions, you should be fine.

Safety

Main tip: avoid morning and afternoon rush hour. The roads in Bermuda are narrow and twisty, and most don’t even have a sidewalk, much less a shoulder or bike lane. The speed limits are low at 20 mph, however, and drivers are very used to watching for people walking at the edge of the road, so we had no close calls or uncomfortable passes the whole time we visited. Drivers are patient, and they wait until it is safe to pass at a good distance. If you are uncomfortable biking next to cars, period, then you will have to pick your routes very carefully in Bermuda for the time being. If you are comfortable with sharing the road with patient drivers, then you can stitch together some incredibly beautiful stretches of island scenery.

Security

Bermuda has to be the least worrisome place we’ve ever biked, as far as security is concerned. (Not that you should EVER do this, but) we regularly left Bromptons outside shops and restaurants unlocked, without issue. I don’t even recall seeing a bike lock on the island, come to think of it. We still recommend locking your bike up, and bringing it in for the night, of course. ALWAYS bring your bike inside at night. But for what it’s worth, the people of Bermuda didn’t seem to be very interested in stealing bikes.

Bermuda Culture

Bermuda’s culture falls somewhere between laid-back island easy and the English polo/yacht set. The coffee is good but not great. Wine selections are excellent, owing largely to the abundance of well-heeled patrons who expect nothing less. Beer selection is severely limited, mostly to the top 6 InBev fizzy yellow lagers you can get anywhere else on the globe, though we did manage to scrounge up some Fuller’s London Pride, some Schneider Weisse, and even a bottle of LaChouffe from Belgium. Cocktails, especially those featuring rum, were good. The cuisine tended to be French- and English-inspired, with seafood being an obvious standout. We found gluten-free offerings at many restaurants, and the level of service was generally excellent.

+ Bikes (click to open)

Rentals

• Pedego Electric Bikes
• $40+ half day rental for electric cruiser, mountain bike, tandem, long tail, kid trailer or kid seat
• Elbow Beach Cycles
• $23+/3 hours for a mountain or electric step-through or mens bike or $23/3 hours for a mountain bike.
• Oleander Cycles
• Hybrid bike rentals

Tours

• Long Story Short
• $150+ per person for a walking or biking tour of Bermuda's amazing history and food, given by the brilliant Kristin White. We can't recommend this enough!

+ Eats, Drinks and Sights (click to open)

We're constantly updating this list of our favorite bike shops, beaches, restaurants, museums, scenic vistas and other nooks and crannies in Bermuda.

• Foursquare List
• this is the better app for on-the-go exploring
• Pinterest Board

+ Hotels, Inns and B&Bs (click to open)

• AUNT NEA'S INN

  Reservations, (441) 297-1630, 1 Nea's Alley, St. George's

  Amenities: bikeable neighborhood, nearby bike rentals

• FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON

  Reservations, (441) 238-8000, 101 South Shore Rd, Southampton

  Amenities: 3 BMW city bikes complimentary for Fairmont Club members

• GROTTO BAY

  Reservations, (441) 293-8333, 11 Blue Hole Hill, Hamilton

  Amenities: Oleander Cycles rents bikes and is a 3 minute walk from the resort

• HAMILTON PRINCESS

  Reservations, (441) 295-3000, 76 Pitts Bay Rd, Hamilton

  Amenities: complimentary bikes for Fairmont Club members

• NEWSTEAD BELMONT HILLS

  Reservations, (441) 236-6060, 27 Harbour Road, Paget

• ROSEDON HOTEL

  Reservations, (441) 295-1640, 61 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton

  Amenities: bikeable neighborhood, nearby bike rentals

+ Transportation (click to open)

CITY TRANSIT

Breeze Bus (Schedule) - $3.50 one way or $19 per day (includes ferry). The buses are not equipped with bike racks and they are not allowed on the bus.

TAXI

• Larry Rogers - Larry has a van that seats 7 and he took wonderful care of us while we did our tour. 441-734-8024, email

• Adventure Transport - Island-wide Mini-bus transport for 15-30 persons. Can transport bikes. 441-292-5813, email

FERRY

SeaExpress (Map & Schedule) - $3.50 one way or $19 per day (includes bus). This is a bike friendly service and a great way to enjoy one-way bike routes and then return by ferry.

AIRLINES

• British Airways - FREE to check bike
• Delta - $150 to check bike
• JetBlue - $50 to check bike (folding bikes in container under 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs are FREE)