Tobago: the Caribbean with a touch of the Isle of Wight

Simon Calder: our man in Scarborough

Travel westwards, exactly one-sixth of the way around the world, and south far enough to be well within the warm embrace of the Tropics. You should find yourself 4,366 miles from Gatwick, and in the most fortunate position of touching down in Tobago.

The names are familiar: Scarborough, the capital, as well as Pembroke and Goodwood. On the map, the island resembles an acute accent that has come adrift from its bigger neighbour, Trinidad. Tobago is slightly smaller than the Isle of Wight, and having experienced them both I can confirm that it is rather more exotic. So perhaps you will join me on a quick tour.

A very good place to start is the extreme south-west of the island, at Crown Point, which is the location for the airport. The journey into Scarborough takes just a quarter-hour – and delivers you to a working port that decorates Rockley Bay. There’s a pretty Botanical Garden, but the main attraction is Fort King George, offering fabulous views across the southern part of the island. Inside the former officers’ quarter, the Tobago Historical Museum will not detain you too long – but will give you an excellent insight into the island and its fluctuating fortunes.

Close by, the island’s top stadium is named after Tobago’s sports star Dwight Yorke, the former Aston Villa and Manchester United footballer.

Heading east, the road soon shakes off the modest suburbs and starts a sinuous course towards the far end of the island. There are those who will whizz straight along to their hotels and villas, but wise travellers during their stay will visit the accessible and beautiful interior, in the shape of Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve.

The deeper you get into the rainforest, the more intense the experience. I took a guided hike along a trail that was wreathed in roots and tendrils, the air heavy with moisture and the aroma of the jungle. Climb higher – waves of cool air will assuage the effort – and you get glimpses of the Caribbean before the tourists arrived.

Arrive we did, though, and the north-east of the island is where most of us end up. Unlike some other islands, everything remains on a human scale. You get the sense that Tobagonians shun barriers between the host community and the visitor, so you can wander from your accommodation to eat, drink and be merry in colourful venues that you share with the islanders. Back in your resort, though, the usual luxuries abound.

The back road on the other side of the island is even more of an adventure, snaking beside the coast and through the hills, before dropping down to Scarborough. Over towards the airport, it loops past fairways that are the island’s main appeal to golfers. One more feature in common to both Tobago and the Isle of Wight: both are outside the hurricane belt, good news for anyone planning a trip in the summer or autumn.