Loblolly Beach, Anegada BVI: Island Lime Videos

They say the best places to explore are ones that are hard to reach. I don’t know who “they” are but I tend to agree.

Anegada is the often over looked island in the British Virgin Islands. It’s an odd ball. It sits about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda, further than the other islands of the BVI and it’s completely flat. All the other islands in the BVI have large rolling mountains that cascade into the sea, Anegada is a flat raised coral island that is invisible from its nearest neighbor. That distance and the fact that it’s completely circled by a shallow reef that has claimed over 300 shipwrecks makes Anegada more difficult to reach, thus more of a joy to explore.

We sailed up to Anegada and spent over 40 hours exploring the island’s beaches, restaurants and culture. Our group of 15 pirates rented scooters and jeeps then set out to explore the island’s notable locations. One of those locations was the stunning Loblolly Beach and Big Bamboo Restaurant, also the focus of this Island Lime Video.

I joined the team of Mango Eddie and Passionfruit Sista, whom run the Caribbean Soul Trekkers blog, in a comfortable air conditioned jeep. Really a CR-V or something. After exploring the local culture of the Settlement we were a little behind our kamikaze scooter group. When we pulled into the Big Bamboo and Loblolly Beach you could instantly tell you were in a special place.

The bright blue building sits on the white sand of Loblolly beach, divided from the water by a large hedge of lush green Sea Grapes. Our friends were already huddled around the small rustic bar ordering rum filled Teasers and ice cold beer. The stage was set for a memorable day.

Loblolly Beach is a lazy crescent shaped bay that sits on the northern shore of Anegada, its bright blue waters calmed by an off-shore reef. That reef creates good snorkeling opportunities on coral formations closer to the shore.

My feet sunk deep into the soft sand as I looked for ideal spots to capture the waves for this Island Lime Video. Below is a small taste of what it’s like to stand in the sand of Loblolly Beach on Anegada. The audio is a little poor due to the strong trade winds that day, hopefully it still brings you three minutes of Caribbean relaxation.

Loblolly Beach, Anegada BVI – Island Lime Videos

If there’s one image that best captures that beauty of Loblolly it’s this photo of a simple bench and thatch umbrella pinched by the green Sea Grapes trees on both sides. I’ve done a lot of research on Anegada and this image shows up countless times when Loblolly is talked about. It’s beautiful to look at on the computer screen, but photos don’t do it justice. The actual setting and feeling you’ll experience when you’re standing on this sand is incomparable. Your eyes will be taking mental photographs with every blink.

This sleepy island in the British Virgin Islands is definitely worth the effort it takes to get to. The people are eager to share their paradise and speak about its fascinating history. Loblolly is just one of many postcard-perfect points of interest on Anegada, but if this stretch of sand was all the island had to offer, it would still be worth the trip.

This story was made possible by Virgin Islands Sailing, a company that makes VI sailing charters easy.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan