Things to do
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Somerset Village
Come on a weekday if you want to arrive by ferry: the boats to Watford Bridge and Cavello Bay do not sail at weekends. Otherwise buses 7 and 8 reach the village, and the Railway Trail brings you in on foot from Somerset Bridge.
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Cambridge Beaches
Calm water is the reason to choose Cambridge Beaches. On this side of the western tip the sea is shallower and flatter than on the south shore, so it suits kayaks, paddle boards and a first try at kite surfing.
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Fort Scaur
Climb to the upper ramparts for the free public telescope, which looks over the Great Sound one way and sheltered Ely's Harbour the other. Entry is free and there is nothing staged: you come for the view.
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HMS Vixen
Swimming out to the Vixen is not advised: the water off Daniel's Head carries boat wake, a channel current and summer traffic. Take a glass-bottom cruise from Dockyard instead, which passes right over the hull.
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Hog Bay Park
Before you set out, check the tide. At low water a little beach appears at the foot of the main trail and the shallows run out over seagrass, good for a snorkel with hogfish and barracuda; at high water the beach vanishes.
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Somerset Bridge
A short stop at the rail is enough. The span lifts only when a boat's mast needs to pass, which is not every day, and the waterside park on the east side is the place to wait for one.
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Somerset Long Bay
Somerset Long Bay has none of Horseshoe Bay's cruise crowds, umbrellas or lifeguard. You get the sand to yourself on a ship day, and nobody is watching the water.
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Springfield & Gilbert Nature Reserve
This woodland holds some of the last mature Bermuda cedars on the island, in its north-east corner near a mulberry centuries old. If you are on the Railway Trail, they are worth the short detour.
