Rocky Trail to Barefoot Beach
May. 23rd, 2023 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerGrand Cayman Travelog #23
Barefoot Beach - Fri, 19 May 2023, 1pm
As one of the stops on our driving tour around Grand Cayman's remote East End we stopped near Barefoot Beach to see a spot marked as thermal vents. Ultimately we didn't find the thermal vents— they're offshore in the water and are more of a thing for divers or maybe snorkelers— but we did enjoy our exploration near the inaptly named Barefoot Beach.
Why is the name inapt? Well, here's one of the trails to get to it:
Beach access via narrow trail is common on Grand Cayman. The laws are that beaches have to be public, and land owners often provide only the minimum of accessibility through their property. This trail is tougher than most as it's very rocky. The trail passes over very sharp eroded limestone (similar to Hell). In addition there is smashed glass from people leaving trash. This is definitely not a trail you want to walk barefoot!
Embedded in the eroded limestone are corals. There are also loose corals washed up on the dune at the edge of the beach. We found several "brain" corals like the one in the photo above.
We also found a few conch shells. At any beach I've been to before a shell like the one in the photo above would've been an amazing find. Here it's kind of "meh"... because while it's a shell in overall good condition, there's not a living conch still inside it.
Ultimately we made it down to the beach. Beneath one final layer of sharp rocks is soft, soft sand. Perhaps this is what they meant by barefoot beach. It's pleasant out here... though you absolutely have to put good shoes back on to leave!
Barefoot Beach - Fri, 19 May 2023, 1pm
As one of the stops on our driving tour around Grand Cayman's remote East End we stopped near Barefoot Beach to see a spot marked as thermal vents. Ultimately we didn't find the thermal vents— they're offshore in the water and are more of a thing for divers or maybe snorkelers— but we did enjoy our exploration near the inaptly named Barefoot Beach.
Why is the name inapt? Well, here's one of the trails to get to it:
Beach access via narrow trail is common on Grand Cayman. The laws are that beaches have to be public, and land owners often provide only the minimum of accessibility through their property. This trail is tougher than most as it's very rocky. The trail passes over very sharp eroded limestone (similar to Hell). In addition there is smashed glass from people leaving trash. This is definitely not a trail you want to walk barefoot!
Embedded in the eroded limestone are corals. There are also loose corals washed up on the dune at the edge of the beach. We found several "brain" corals like the one in the photo above.
We also found a few conch shells. At any beach I've been to before a shell like the one in the photo above would've been an amazing find. Here it's kind of "meh"... because while it's a shell in overall good condition, there's not a living conch still inside it.
Ultimately we made it down to the beach. Beneath one final layer of sharp rocks is soft, soft sand. Perhaps this is what they meant by barefoot beach. It's pleasant out here... though you absolutely have to put good shoes back on to leave!
