The cannons
Over Prince Rupert Bay.
Leahtaylor 9 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CareAhLine — CC0 · CareAhLine — CC0 · Kaspar C from Barbados — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · Dillngerforce — Public domain
Fort Shirley is an old British garrison of stone and brick on the Cabrits peninsula, north of the town of Portsmouth in Dominica. Restored buildings with orange roofs and cannons on the lawns look over the sea, with dense forest all around, and it is part of Cabrits National Park. The British began it in 1765 to defend the north of the island, naming it after Sir Thomas Shirley, governor of the Leeward Islands. The French extended it between 1778 and 1784. It had more than 50 buildings, including seven gun batteries, cisterns, powder magazines and barracks for over 600 men. It fell out of use in the 1850s. The park around it was founded in 1986 and covers about 530 ha with a marine area. The peninsula is an old volcano that was once a separate island, with two peaks, East and West Cabrit. You walk between the restored buildings and ruins in the forest, with cannons looking over Prince Rupert Bay. The name Cabrits comes from the French word for goats, which sailors left to graze here. The park has trails up both peaks. The fort is 1.7 km north-west of Portsmouth. Sources give about US$5 for a single site, around EC$13.50, or about US$12 for a week pass covering all sites. The forest has snakes and lizards, so stay on the paths.
Over Prince Rupert Bay.
Orange roofs in the forest.
An old volcano.
Cabrits peninsula, north of Portsmouth, Dominica
Yes, to the East and West Cabrit peaks.
The Indian River is 2 km away.