On one of our trips to Antigua, we asked Rodney (our taxi driver) to take us someplace on the island that is cool that a lot of tourists dont get to visit or know about. Rodney took us to the Pillars of Hercules. The Pillars are limestone formations shaped over time by wind, rain, and crashing waves through a process called differential erosion. This type of erosion is where softer rock layers wear away faster than the harder layers. The Pillars are located at the entrance to English Harbor and stand approximately 100 feet tall.
To get to the Pillars, you need to start walking east on Galleon Beach. At the end of the beach, you will find a trail that will lead you to the Pillars. Most websites say the walk is 20 to 30 minutes. But Geezers, be real! I don't want to scare anyone off the trail, but I do want you to be prepared. Sure it would only take me 30 minutes if I was some super energetic 20-30 year old. But, let's face it, we are geezers (well, maybe not you). It took us considerably more time.
We were not prepared for our hiking adventure. We did not have on good walking/hiking shoes. You definitely want to wear shoes that are good for hiking that you don't mind getting wet. This is not the time for your $3 pair of flip flops from Wal-Mart! Also, bring plenty of water. We only had one water bottle for each of us and most of us had that gone before we were half way to the Pillars. Also, remember that you may have enough energy to get to the Pillars, but you also need energy to get back. So, I would recommend a protein snack or something to munch on the way. If I were planning this ahead, I would also bring sun screen, a hat, and maybe a first aid kit.
The trail has several obstacles that would not seem that daunting at first. The trail is a little hilly and there are tree roots that you have to step over. The closer you get to the Pillars, there are more and more rocks to walk / climb over. Now when I say rocks, you probably think of large gravel or small rocks that you can hold in your hands. There are some of those type of rocks, but there are also boulders that you must navigate around and over. Thank goodness, my husband's cousin, Steven, and Rodney were there to give us a pull up or a push up if we needed it. Again, easy for a 30 year-old. Not so much if you are 50, 60, or even 70 years old. That's not to say that we did not make it. The hike was just more challenging. But, oh, my friend, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze!
Once you are done marveling over beauty of the Pillars you begin to look around. We must have been there at low tide (something else to consider if making the trek to the Pillars). There were all kinds of little pools of water that were full of muscles, plants, and sea urchins. Rodney even showed us a sea creature called a Chiton. These Chitons were about the size of your thumb and had a shell that was composed of 8 different plates that slightly overlap one another. This not only give the chiton protection but allows it to curl up in a little ball when is it dislodged from it's rock. It reminds me very much of the Roly-Poly bugs that make their homes in rotting wood.
Rodney took out his pocket knife, pried it under the edge of the shell, and popped the chiton loose from the rock. The underside of the chiton was a pinkish color muscle called it's foot. The foot is how the chiton gets around the surface of the rocks eating algae. Rodney expained to us that you can actually eat chitton, although you would have to eat a lot of them to feel full.
Once we were done looking around, Rodney asked if we wanted to try to find the Mermaid Pool. He said that he "believed" we could continue walking around the edge of the island past the Pillars and come across it. Frankly, we were tired and hot. Rodney left us at the Pillars while he went on walk-about to find the pool. He did come back to us after a time and told us that we could go see it if we wanted to, but it would be a hike. We geezers decided that we had had enough hiking and decided to head back to the van. We decided that we would try to find the Mermaid Pool on another day.
We made the "long" trek back. Remember to leave enough energy to get BACK to your car. By the time we got back to the van, we were very hot, tired, thirsty, and hungry. But we all had a great time and this excursion still remains one of the highlights of our many trips to Antigua!