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Rolling Ridges
High on Tortola are
pastures with cattle grazing
Banner Frames
No Frames
| Country life is reached by going
UP, a scant few minutes from Road Town, where part of the rural
area is found on Tortola's mountainous spine. Life on Ridge Road includes farms, highland Caribbean settlements,
restaurants, and national parks. |
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Dining
Skyworld
 |
| Come up for a drink or a desert, always with a spectacular
360� panoramic view of the islands. Yes, many travelers, especially first
timers, like to visit Skyworld, a trip into the clouds above Road Town.
On the right is an antique observatory. Surprising
guests with the quality of its food, Skyworld (494-3567, open lunch and dinner) offers fine
cuisine with dishes such as pumpkin soup, seafood chowder, and
conch fritters. For dinner, try the Steak Diane and Steak with
Peaches & Port, shrimp sauteed in garlic butter or grilled Dolphin. And
a great selection of deserts is available all day, including fudge pie
and key lime pie. |
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Sights/Scenic Drive
Ridge Road |
| The views are
stupendous! Click the frames link above to view Tour Tortola by
Land/Ridge Road.
The path of Ridge Road with its succession of vantage points, the
"movement" of these rolling ridges, including their vertical splendor, the islands beyond with their surf and reefs, the cloud-filled horizons with
their play of light and shadow--all of these inspire the "scenic" in this
journey.
Lost on Ridge Road? See directions
here.
Road cuts are extensive and present opportunities to view
thrust-up layers at various inclines as well as individual rock outcroppings, some in
especially deep, rich earth colors. |
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Horseback
Riding
Shadow Stables |
| Just east of Skyworld, Shadow Stables
(494-2262) on Ridge Road offers the chance to ride horses in the sky. |
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Dining |
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| A local landmark
whose bar stools poke out toward the road at the turnoff to Cane Garden
Bay, Rudy's (495-9136) has cold sodas, beer, mixed drinks including Rudy's rum
punch, barbecue on Fridays, goat water soup, hot dogs, grilled chicken leg, and fresh
grilled pot fish. See directions.  The "in" secret at Rudy's is the lower
level behind the bar hiding a few tables with a view of Brewer's Bay-- a special stopoff
on the Ridge Road tour.
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Scenic Drive/Nature
Vertical "Ghuts" |
 Slopes on this mountains of vocanic origin become
so steep that side ridges form picturesque "ribs" to the main
ridge.The stream valleys or "ghuts" on this ribs become almost
vertical.
The vertical ghut pictured in this collage goes beneath Cane Garden Bay Rd. on its way
down from Rudy's Outside Bar. |
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Sights/Hiking
Mt. Sage |
| Of course, the highest point on Ridge Road is Mount Sage, now a National Park. |
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Dining
Mountain View |
| At the entrance to Mt. Sage National Park, Mountain View (495-9536, open
for lunch and dinner) offers excellent rotis, a fresh grilled fish platter, its popular
seafood salad, grilled lobster, baby back ribs (lunch only), grilled steak with herb
butter, and conch in a lime butter
sauce. |
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Sights/Hiking
Mt. Healthy Windmill |
| Just a bit off Ridge Road is the ruins of Mt. Healthy Windmill, another National
Park. |
To Ashore in the Islands
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