Scotts Head, Dominica

Scott's Head Village, taken from Scott's Head

Scotts Head is a village on the southwest coast of Dominica, in Saint Mark Parish. In 2001, its population was 721. Predominantly a fishing village, Scotts Head overlooks Soufrière Bay, which is protected as the Soufrière Scotts Head Marine Reserve. It is also a popular snorkelling and diving site for tourists.

The village shares its name with the Caribbean's only tied island, a small peninsula with a rising headland that extends westward from the village at Dominica's southwest tip. The Carib name of the peninsula is Cachacrou, literally "that which is being eaten (by the sea)";[1] this is possibly a reference to its location at the convergence of the Caribbean Sea to its north and the Atlantic Ocean to its south.

Top of the Scotts Head peninsula, with cable & wireless towers, and Scotts Head Lighthouse (farthest right)
Fort Cachacrou ruins including the remains of a stone wall as well as an old cannon. Below the wall is a body of water, Soufrière Bay.
Fort Cachacrou ruins, overlooking Soufriere Bay

At the top of the peninsula is the Scotts Head Lighthouse, a small lighted navigational aid[2] approximately 5 meters (16.4 ft) tall.[3] Also on the peninsula are the remains of the 18th century military battery, Fort Cachacrou.

Each year, in June or July, the Scotts Head village holds an annual feast in honour of Saint Peter.[4][5] The Scotts Head village also is host to Dive Fest, the Caribbean's longest-running diving festival.[6] The festival includes scuba diving and freediving events, as well as food, entertainment, and competitions.[7][8]

Scotts Head is the start of the first segment of the Waitukubuli National Trail, the longest hiking trail in the Caribbean at 115 miles (185 km) long.[9][10][11] From Scott's head, hikers can hike 7 km (4.4 miles) to Soufrière Estate in about 4-6 hours.[9] Additionally, Scotts Head is the start of the Waitukubuli Sea Trail,[12][13] the first sea kayaking trail in the Caribbean.[14][12]

  1. ^ Honychurch, Lennox (1995). The Dominica Story: A History of the Island. Macmillan. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-333-62776-1.
  2. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 110: Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016.
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Dominica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  4. ^ "IN PICTURES: Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul – highlighting the livelihood of a people". Dominica News Online. July 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "Village Feasts and Special Occasions". divisionofculture.gov.dm. Division of Culture. Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  6. ^ "Dive Fest to feature Dominica's phenomenal marine environment". www.thedominican.net. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  7. ^ "Dominica's Dive Fest returns in 2023". Dominica News Online. June 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Byron, Anglina (2023-06-30). "Dominica to conclude Dive Fest with Main Stage Event, Watersports Family Fun Day". Associates Times a Caribbean News website. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  9. ^ a b "Dominica's Waitukubuli National Trail ( WNT )". A Virtual Dominica. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  10. ^ "Dominica [trail map]". Experience Dominica. January 2017. p. 28.
  11. ^ Baxter, Sarah (2019-06-01). A History of the World in 500 Walks. Aurum. pp. 256–258. ISBN 978-1-78131-937-6.
  12. ^ a b "Inaugural 'Waitukubuli Sea Trail' expedition sets off". June 9, 2022. pp. Dominica News Online.
  13. ^ Haslam, Chris (2024-01-06). "Is this the Caribbean's overlooked alternative to Costa Rica?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  14. ^ Walker, Monica (2023-04-15). "Go Paddle explores Caribbean's only sea kayaking - Waitukubuli Sea Trail in Dominica". WIC News. Retrieved 2024-01-06.