Harbour Island in a day: water taxi, Dunmore Town and the pink sand

The crossing from Three Island Dock to Harbour Island is so short that most people spend it hunting for their sunglasses. You step down into an open boat on the North Eleuthera side, the driver backs out past the mangroves, and a few minutes later you are bumping against the government dock in Dunmore Town. Clapboard houses in sherbet colours climb the low hill, golf carts hum along the waterfront and somebody is already dicing conch at a stand by the water.

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Harbour Island, or Briland to the people who live there, is roughly three and a half miles long and never much more than a mile and a half wide. That makes it one of the few Out Islands that rewards a single day almost as well as a week. Late October, when the summer visitors have gone and the winter season has not quite begun, is a lovely time to try it: the beach is quiet, the town is waking up after the slow autumn months and the light is soft by mid-afternoon.

What follows is the day I would plan for a friend staying on mainland Eleuthera. It assumes settled weather, shoes you can walk in and cash in your pocket.

Before you set off

Getting to Three Island Dock

Three Island Dock sits a few minutes' drive east of North Eleuthera Airport. If you are flying in for the day, taxis meet arriving flights and run you straight to the water. If you are already on Eleuthera, drive yourself: from Gregory Town it is a comfortable run up the Queen's Highway, while from Governor's Harbour you should allow well over an hour. Leave the car near the dock and take only what you can carry all day.

From Nassau, a fast ferry runs to Harbour Island on certain days of the week. It takes a few hours each way, so as a day trip it is long but possible. Flying to North Eleuthera is quicker. Our guide to choosing your first Out Island sets out how Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells fit together if you are still deciding where to base yourself.

Late October practicalities

• Cash, in small notes. Land and water taxis take cash only. Fares are modest, a handful of dollars a head each way, but they change, so ask before you board.
• Check what is open. Some hotels and restaurants on Harbour Island close for part of the autumn and reopen ahead of the winter season. A quick call the day before saves a disappointing walk.
• Watch the weather. Hurricane season does not officially end until 30 November, and the first cold fronts of the winter can start arriving in late October. Our month-by-month weather guide explains both.
• Mind the light. Sunset comes at around half past six in late October, and earlier again once the clocks go back at the start of November.

The day, hour by hour

8.30am: across the harbour

Water taxis run from early morning into the evening, leaving every half hour or so, or when the boat fills. Before you hand over your fare, ask the driver what time the last boat goes back, and write it down. It is the one detail that turns a relaxed day into a rushed one.

The crossing runs over shallow sand and grass, the water shading from bottle green to pale turquoise. Look north as you go: beyond the island's northern tip lies the Devil's Backbone, one of the most notorious reefs in the country.

9.00am: the waterfront and a decision

You land on Bay Street, the road that runs along the harbour side of Dunmore Town. This is the moment to decide between feet and wheels. Golf carts are the island's cars, and several rental stands work near the dock. For a single day I usually walk the town in the morning and only hire a cart, if at all, for the afternoon loop north. The town is compact, the beach is a short walk over the hill, and you see far more of the houses on foot.

9.30am: Dunmore Town on foot

Dunmore Town dates from the eighteenth century and is one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas. It takes its name from John Murray, the fourth Earl of Dunmore, governor of the colony in the late 1780s and 1790s, who kept a summer residence here and laid out the grid of streets you still walk today. Loyalist families arriving from the former American colonies after the Revolution added to an older seafaring community, and for a long time the town ranked among the most important places in the Bahamas outside Nassau.

Wander inland from Bay Street and the grid slowly reveals itself: narrow lanes, picket fences, deep verandas, gingerbread trim and gardens spilling bougainvillea over low stone walls. Three buildings are worth seeking out.

• Loyalist Cottage, dating from 1797, one of the surviving homes from the Loyalist period.
• St John's Anglican Church. The parish was created in 1768, making it one of the oldest religious foundations in the Bahamas. The church building has been knocked down by hurricanes and rebuilt more than once since.
• Wesley Methodist Church, built in 1846, a reminder that Methodism took deep root in the islands during the nineteenth century.

These are family homes and working churches, not museum pieces. Admire from the lane, keep out of gardens, and ask before photographing anyone.

11.00am: over the hill to the pink sand

Walk east along any of the cross streets and within ten or fifteen minutes the houses give way to sea grape and the Atlantic opens up in front of you. The beach runs for about three miles along the island's eastern side.

The pink is real, though it is softer than the photographs suggest. It comes from foraminifera, tiny single-celled organisms living on the reef whose shells are red or pink; broken down and mixed with white coral sand, they tint the whole shoreline. The colour shows best at the waterline, where the sand is wet, and in the low light of early morning and late afternoon.

An outer reef usually keeps the water gentle, which makes this a fine swimming beach in settled weather. After a few days of strong north-easterly wind it can be a different place, with surf and a pull along the shore. There are no lifeguards, so swim near other people and stay within your depth if conditions look lively. And leave the sand where it is. One jar seems harmless; multiplied by every visitor it is not.

1.00pm: lunch on the harbour side

Walk back across to Bay Street for lunch. The conch salad stands along the waterfront make their salad to order: raw conch diced with onion, sweet pepper and tomato, dressed with citrus and as much hot goat pepper as you ask for. Fried fish and cracked conch are never far away. If you want to know what you are eating and why sourcing matters, our guide to conch, every way is a good companion read. Bring cash; small places rarely take cards.

2.30pm: a loop to the north end

This is the time for a golf cart, though fit walkers can manage it on foot. Head north out of town and the lanes narrow, the houses thin out and the views open across the water towards the Devil's Backbone. This shallow, jagged reef has torn the bottom out of ships for centuries. Tradition holds that the Eleutheran Adventurers, some of the earliest English settlers, wrecked here in the 1640s, and visiting yachts still take a local pilot through the passage between Harbour Island and Spanish Wells.

On your way back along the harbour side, look out for the Lone Tree, a bleached driftwood trunk standing upright in the shallows. It was carried there by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and has since become the most photographed piece of wood on the island.

4.00pm: back to the beach

Return to the Atlantic side for a last swim. By mid-afternoon in late October the beach empties, the wind often eases and the sand warms to its deepest shade of pink.

5.45pm: sunset over Eleuthera

The harbour side faces west, towards the mainland of Eleuthera, so find a spot on the waterfront near the dock and watch the sun drop behind the low line of the island. Keep one eye on the time. The light goes quickly after sunset, and you want to be aboard well before the last boat.

If you have more time

Harbour Island deserves a night if your budget allows; rooms here cost more than on mainland Eleuthera, but the town after dark, with the day visitors gone, is a quieter and friendlier place. Divers should know about Current Cut, between North Eleuthera and Current Island, a fast drift dive where the tide does the work. Spanish Wells, a short boat ride from the North Eleuthera side, makes a natural second day trip with a very different character: a working fishing town rather than a resort.

What to bring

1. Cash in small notes for taxis, water taxis and lunch.
2. Comfortable sandals or trainers for the walk; the lanes are uneven.
3. A hat, mineral sunscreen and a long-sleeved layer for the boat.
4. A dry bag or zip-lock bag for your phone on the water taxi.
5. A refillable water bottle.
6. The time of the last water taxi, written on your hand if necessary.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a golf cart on Harbour Island?

Not for the town or the beach, which are both an easy walk from the dock. A cart is useful for the north end of the island or if you are carrying beach gear or small children. For a single day, hiring one for the afternoon is usually enough.

Is the sand really pink?

Yes, though it is a blush rather than a bright pink. The colour comes from the shells of foraminifera, tiny reef organisms, mixed into white sand. It shows best at the water's edge and in low morning or evening light.

Can I visit Harbour Island as a day trip from Nassau?

You can, either by a short flight to North Eleuthera and the water taxi, or by the fast ferry that runs from Nassau on certain days. The ferry makes for a long day, so check the current timetable and return times before you commit.

When does the last water taxi leave?

It varies, so always ask the driver on your way over. Water taxis run from early morning into the evening, but timings change with the season and the number of passengers. Aim to be back at the dock before dark.

Is late October a good time to visit?

It is a pleasant, uncrowded time, with warm sea and a quiet beach. It is still hurricane season, though, and some businesses close for part of the autumn, so check the forecast and call ahead. The official Bahamas tourism site is a good starting point for current transport and opening information.