A narrow bridge over the Courland River takes you into Plymouth. The streets run in a grid. Fort James stands in the village. Plymouth is a quiet residential village today, but Dutch and Courlander settlers made their homes on this bay in the 17th century.
- People, 2011 census
- 1,192
- Fort James, per Rough Guides
- 1650
- Courland monument unveiled
- 1976 or 1978
- Coast
- Caribbean side
In 1628 the Dutch founded the colony of Nieuw Walcheren on Great Courland Bay, with a fort near today's Plymouth. Then came settlers sent by Duke Jacob Kettler of Courland. According to English Wikipedia their colony existed in several phases, 1637, 1642, from 1654 to 1659 and from 1680 to 1690. German Wikipedia gives a claim from 1654 to 1689. In December 1659 the colony passed to the Dutch. A monument on the bay remembers the Courlanders, unveiled in 1976 or 1978 depending on the source.
Rough Guides calls Fort James the oldest fort on Tobago and dates it to 1650. There was building here earlier, though: in 1628 the Dutch colony put up a fort called Vlissingen near today's Plymouth. The village also has the Mystery Tombstone of Betty Stiven, who died on 25 November 1783. How to read its inscription is still a puzzle. The 2011 census counted 1,192 people in Plymouth. On 26 April 2024 a bull shark injured a visitor off Great Courland Bay, the west coast beaches were closed and all had reopened by 3 May 2024.
Getting there, sleeping, eating
- Getting there
- Over the narrow bridge across the Courland River (Rough Guides). Black Rock lies to the south, Turtle Beach right on the bay.
- Sleeping
- Hotels on Turtle Beach nearby (Rough Guides). Which places our booking partner lists here is on the accommodation page.
- Eating
- Ask at your accommodation about places to eat in the village. Neighbouring Black Rock has two rum bars (Rough Guides).
- History
- Fort James, the Courland monument on the bay and the Mystery Tombstone all belong to Plymouth. The background is on the history of Tobago page.
- On the beach
- Leatherbacks nest on Turtle Beach from March to August (tourism agency, Rough Guides). The beach shelves steeply and the waves are big.
- Nearby
- Arnos Vale, with very good snorkelling straight off the sand, but no one keeping watch.
Our tipOnly go to Arnos Vale in a larger group or by boat. Rough Guides reports robberies there.
Plymouth: frequently asked questions
Why is the bay at Plymouth called Great Courland Bay?
Great Courland Bay at Plymouth is named after Courland. Settlers sent by Duke Jacob Kettler of Courland founded a colony there in the 17th century, and a monument now recalls them.
How old is Fort James in Plymouth?
Rough Guides dates Fort James in Plymouth to 1650 and calls it the oldest fort on Tobago. The Dutch colony had already built a fort near Plymouth in 1628.
When was the Courland monument in Plymouth unveiled?
Sources give two years for the Courland monument on Great Courland Bay at Plymouth: 1976 and 1978.
Can you swim at Turtle Beach near Plymouth?
Yes, but carefully. Rough Guides warns that Turtle Beach shelves steeply and the waves are big, and discovertnt advises staying close to the hotels.