Barren Ground, Saint Helena

Barren Ground is a settlement at the western end of the island of Saint Helena, north west of Blue Hill.

It is administratively part of Blue Hill, but is locally seen as a distinct place.

Geography

The area is located at the top of Swanley Valley and Old Woman's Valley, at around 700m above sea level.

The scenery is dominated by High Hill to the west and The Saddle to the north.

Despite the name, the area is fertile, but due to the steepness of the terrain is largely woodland.

Communications

Road access is via Blue Hill. The journey time into Jamestown is about 30 minutes. The road into Barren Ground actually heads north-east from Blue Hill and, if extended, would reach Head O'Wain, thus shortening the journey into Jamestown.

It is possible to reach the sea on foot by descending Swanley Valley or Old Woman's Valley, but this is not an advertised route due to its difficulty.

The area is served by the island's telephone network and dial-up Internet is available.

TV service is provided from the relay at The Depot, the large mast adjacent to the church of St. Helena and the Cross.

Currently FM service is provided by the main Saint FM transmitter at High Knoll on 93.1MHz, but a local relay for the Blue Hill area is planned.

Medium Wave reception of Radio St. Helena is poor, especially at night, due to remoteness from the transmitter, located at Pounceys.

hops

There are no shops in Barren Ground. The nearest retailing outlet is the Blue Hill shop, on the western side of Blue Hill.

Links

[http://www.burghhouse.com Burgh House Limited, a local company] also providing additional information about the area.