Sure Travel Journey Vol 5.1 Summer 2019 | Page 50

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Clockwise from above: Island billboard.
Longwood House, where Napoleon was
interred for the last six years of his life.
There’s no lack of incredible vistas on St
Helena - if the weather obliges.
At Sandy Bay, a rocky path leads to the
famous tidal pools known as Lot’s Wife’s
Ponds. You’ll find a lovely wander through
the meadows at lonely South-West Point,
ending with memorable views over sheer
cliffs to Speery Island. A gentle amble
through the George Benjamin Arboretum
is also not to be missed, as fairy terns
dive and wheel through the boughs of
towering Cape yew trees.
But the wonderful walking is just one
of many reasons travellers are starting to
sit up and take notice of St Helena. For
centuries, the island has been one of the
most remote settlements on Earth, only
reachable by ship. For modern-day tourists
that meant stepping aboard the RMS St
Helena in Cape Town for a five-day voyage
to the island. You’d spend a week on the
island before taking another five days
to sail back. But in late 2017, all of that
changed when South African airline Airlink
touched down at the island’s new airport
to herald the first commercial flights in the
history of St Helena.
Ironically, it was the island’s very
isolation that made it such a useful piece
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of rock in the first place. Discovered by
the Portuguese in 1502, it soon became
a crucial stop for the ships of the British
East India Company on trading voyages
to the Far East. It also proved useful as a
prison island. In the late 1800s, Zulu King
Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo spent nearly a
decade here in exile, while between 1900
and 1902 the island was home to more
than 5 000 Boer prisoners of war. It’s a
fascinating history best discovered at the
charming St Helena Museum in the heart
of Jamestown. In a series of exhibits,
the small museum unpacks St Helena’s
colourful history, with everything from
Spanish cannons to Boer woodcarvings
and ancient manuscripts on display. But
the most famous – or infamous – prisoner
to call the island home was Napoleon
Bonaparte. The French commander was
exiled here in 1815 after losing to the
British at the Battle of Waterloo and spent
the last six years of his life at Longwood
House in the heart of the island.
“Like a dank cellar,” Napoleon grumbled
in his diaries when he saw the renovated
farmhouse where he was to spend his
days. Today, much of the house has been
restored to how it would have been in
Napoleon’s time – even the furniture in his
private apartments is mostly original, from
the large billiard table to the deep copper
bath and iron bedstead. Look carefully
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