Presenting Plymouth
Great Courland Bay - better known as Turtle Beach.
Plymouth is also a wonderful holiday location. It's not only for "Tobago Jazz" but also for visiting several other Tobago attractions. The village itself is neatly laid out, grid style, modern in that sense yet it retains an "old" leisurely, familiar feeling.... the past is present. Street names reek of it's history, as does the neighbourhood and indeed the whole atmosphere of the village.
As Caribbean beaches go, Plymouth has two faces ... there is the glorious mile-long
arch of golden sandy beach sweeping from Plymouth to the village of Black Rock.
This is Great Courland Bay - better known as Turtle Beach.
Its official name
recalls the first colonial settlers, the Courlanders - now Latvians in central
Europe.
It's popular name is for the endangered Giant Leatherback Turtles which
nest here during the season.
During the nesting season visitors may be fortunate
enough to see this awe-inspiring pre-historic event. On shore, the Turtle Beach
Hotel by Rex Resorts also adopted the name.
 Plymouth Back Bay |
 Plymouth Shade |
And there is the wild face of the Caribbean .... "Plymouth back bay"
with its small coves and wild waters on the far side of the village., Here,
at the rocky outcrops is the famous Lovers Leap site where the island's early
pre-colonial inhabitants, (the Amerindians), leapt to their deaths rather than
be captured by the invading Spaniards. This Caribbean water is not suitable
for sea bathing, but is spectacular for photography or just "gazing out
to sea".
Tobago Heritage festival is held in July .... visitors can see and take part in a Tobago-style Carnival event during the 2-week festival. The various festival events are held in different villages throughout the island, with one of the days' events in Plymouth.
The Mystery Tomb stone of Betty Stivens, 1783 ....try to unravel the mystery of her life.
Historic Fort King James 1650 - 1811 .... its cannon and ruins are located
on the cliffs overlooking Great Courland Bay 
and the Monument to the earliest Tobago settlers from Courland (now Latvia)
is a stone's throw away.
next to the teenyweeny Plymouth Post Office, a gem of a building. You look at
it, you smile, you want to protect it - it's just so nice!
Recently a concrete section was added to the rear end of it and it became a
politician's office.
The Kite Flying Festival - Tobago Flying Colours – family fun after the Christmas holiday on 28th December at the Plymouth Recreation Grounds (same venue as Tobago Jazz Festival)
Throwing the net a bit further afield, but not too far .... in the near surroundings at Arnos Vale there is excellent birding amidst the ruins of the old sugar plantation and waterwheel at the Arnos Vale restaurant. A collection of plantation artifacts can also be seen at the site, but it is best visited for birding and to get a sense of how sugar was crushed and refined in the time of slavery, over 150 years ago.... when this little island made colonists so rich there was a saying in England "you are as rich as a Tobago planter".
PLACES TO STAY while in Plymouth
Cherrie's Holiday Apartments
