Bathway Beach With Kids: Doing the Atlantic Coast the Easy Way

Most families in Grenada stay on the calm Caribbean side and never see the Atlantic coast, which is a pity, because Bathway Beach in St Patrick is one of the few windward beaches where children can swim comfortably. A long reef runs parallel to the shore a short distance out, breaking the ocean swell and leaving a strip of shallow, sheltered water between reef and sand. On a good day it behaves like a natural lagoon, with surf booming on the reef in the background.

The catch is that Bathway needs a little more care than Grand Anse. The reef has gaps where currents run, the beach is a drive of an hour or more from the south-west, and services are simpler. Handled well, it makes one of the best family days on the island, especially combined with a cocoa estate or a crater lake on the way.

How the reef pool works

The reef at Bathway acts as a breakwater. Atlantic swell, driven by the trade winds, breaks on the outer edge, and only small ripples reach the inner pool. Between reef and beach, the water is mostly shallow, often between knee and chest deep for an adult depending on the spot and the tide, with a sandy bottom and patches of rock and seagrass.

The important thing to understand is that the pool does not cover the whole beach evenly. In places, gaps in the reef let water drain back out to sea, and those channels carry a strong current. The water there can look calmer, because waves do not break in a channel, which is precisely what draws people towards it. The ends of the beach and the reef edge itself are where problems happen.

The safe zone is the middle of the pool, well inside the reef, in water where adults can stand comfortably. Watch where local families swim and set up near them. On days with very big swell, or at the top of a high tide, water can pour over the reef and push currents through the pool; on those days, keep children to paddling at the edge.

Rules for children in the water at Bathway

Adults in the water, not on the sand. At Grand Anse a watcher on the beach may be enough for older children. At Bathway, have an adult standing in the water between the children and the reef, so nobody drifts outwards unnoticed.

No swimming to the reef. Make it absolute, for teenagers too. The reef edge has surf, sharp coral and current, and it is not a place for snorkelling or standing.

No inflatables on windy days. The trade wind on this coast blows onshore, but currents through the reef gaps can still carry a float outwards. Keep inflatables in very shallow water or leave them at home.

Water shoes on. Patches of rock and rubble in the pool and near the ends of the beach can hide urchins and sharp edges.

Check the tideline. After strong onshore winds, look along the sand for stranded blue Portuguese man o' war floats before children start running in and out of the water.

Facilities, food and shade

Bathway is better equipped than most Atlantic beaches but simpler than Grand Anse. Expect the following, and check locally, since arrangements change:

• A public beach facility building has operated at Bathway with toilets and changing areas. Opening hours and maintenance vary, so carry wipes and plan for the possibility that it is closed.
• Food and drink stalls, more of them at weekends and on public holidays, when families come from across the north of the island. On quiet weekdays there may be little or nothing for sale.
• Some natural shade from trees along the back of the beach. Arrive early to claim it, or bring an umbrella or pop-up shelter, which the steady breeze here can test, so weigh it down with sand bags.
• Parking close to the beach, so the carry from car to sand is short, a real advantage with small children.
• Mobile signal is generally available, but keep your phone charged and in a dry bag, and note that the nearest hospital is the Princess Alice Hospital at Mirabeau in St Andrew, a drive away.

Building a family day around Bathway

The drive north-east from the Grand Anse area takes roughly an hour and a half or more, depending on the route and traffic, along winding roads. A day that works for most families:

1. Leave early, by about 7.30am, so you reach the beach before the midday heat and while the water is often calmest.
2. Swim and play in the reef pool for two or three hours in the morning.
3. Eat lunch on the beach or at one of the cafés and estates in the area.
4. After lunch, drive to Belmont Estate, a working cocoa estate with a restaurant and tours of cocoa processing, or to the River Antoine Rum Distillery with its old water wheel, and Lake Antoine, a shallow crater lake nearby.
5. For older children, stop at the cliffs at Leapers Hill in Sauteurs, where the story of the Kalinago resistance against the French in 1651 makes a powerful history lesson.
6. Start back by mid-afternoon to avoid driving the winding roads in the dark, which comes quickly after sunset.

Levera, turtles and other nearby beaches

Bathway sits at the edge of the Levera National Park area, and the coastline north of it is wilder. Levera Beach, with views of Sugar Loaf Island, is a leatherback turtle nesting site, and turtle watching takes place at night in the nesting season, roughly March to August, with authorised guides and strict rules about lights and distance. It suits older children who can stay up late and keep quiet; it is a long night for toddlers.

Levera Beach itself is not a family swimming beach. It is open to the Atlantic without a protective reef in many places, and the sea can be rough with strong currents. Enjoy it from the sand, and leave swimming to the Bathway pool.

On the drive back down the east coast, the towns of Grenville and the St Andrew coast offer lunch stops and a glimpse of everyday Grenadian life, from the market in Grenville to fishing boats pulled up on the shore. Children who have been in the sea all morning often sleep most of the way home.

Mistakes families make on the Atlantic day

Most Bathway days go smoothly. When they do not, it is usually for one of these reasons:

• Treating the whole beach as the pool. Families spread along the sand and children wander towards the ends, where the reef protection thins and currents strengthen.
• Arriving at midday after a late start, with tired children, the strongest sun and the most wind, then rushing the drive home.
• Expecting Grand Anse-style services. On a quiet weekday there may be no food on sale and the facility building may be shut, so a cool box is not optional.
• Snorkelling towards the reef. The sheltered water is great for floating and paddling, but the coral and fish are on the reef edge, which is exactly where nobody should go.
• Ignoring the swell forecast. On big Atlantic days, or after a winter north swell, water spills over the reef and the pool becomes less sheltered. Have a backup plan on the Caribbean side.
• Underestimating the sun. The constant onshore breeze makes the heat feel mild, but the exposure is the same as anywhere else on the island, and the drive home with sunburnt children is long.

Frequently asked questions