Cat Island

The island runs about 48 miles from north to south and is rarely more than a few miles wide. Arthur's Town in the north and New Bight in the south are the two main settlements, each with an airport. The actor Sidney Poitier grew up on Cat Island, and the island is the acknowledged home of rake-and-scrape, the Bahamian folk music played on goatskin drum, accordion and a carpenter's saw. The Cat Island Rake and Scrape Festival in Arthur's Town each June draws bands from across the country.

Mount Alvernia, also called Como Hill, rises 206 feet above New Bight and is the highest point in The Bahamas. On its summit stands the Hermitage, a miniature stone monastery built by Father Jerome, the architect and priest John Hawes, who completed it in 1939 and lived there until his death. The walk up passes the stations of the cross he carved, and the view takes in both coasts.

At Port Howe on the southern shore are the ruins of the Deveaux Mansion, the plantation house of Andrew Deveaux, who recaptured Nassau from the Spanish in 1783. Hawk's Nest, at the southwestern tip, has a marina and airstrip used by boaters and anglers. Fernandez Bay and the beaches along the western shore are calm and shallow; the Atlantic side is wilder.

Cat Island suits travellers who want quiet. Accommodation is in small resorts, cottages and guesthouses, mostly on the west coast, and a rental car or a resort with its own boats and bicycles is the practical way to see the island.