One of the most pleasant strolls you can take in town is the circuit of the Fort walls at dusk. As the daytime heat fades away, you can walk almost the complete circuit of the Fort along the top of the wall in an easy hour or two. You’ll be in the company of lots of locals, shyly courting couples and plenty of kids diving into the protected waters.
The Main Gate in the northern stretch of the wall is a comparatively recent addition – it was built by the British in 1873 to handle the heavier flow of traffic into the old town. This part of the wall, the most heavily fortified because it faced the land, was originally built with a moat by the Portuguese, and was then substantially enlarged by the Dutch who split the wall in 1667 into separate Star, Moon and Sun Bastions.
Following the Fort wall clockwise you soon come to the Old Gate. The British coat of arms tops the entrance on the outer side. Inside, the letters VOC, standing for Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company), are inscribed in the stone with the date 1669, flanked by two lions and topped by a cock. Just beyond the gate is the Zwart Bastion (Black Bastion), thought to be Portuguese built and the oldest of the Fort bastions.
The eastern section of the wall ends at the Point Utrecht Bastion, close to the powder magazine. The bastion is topped by an 18m-high lighthouse, which was built in 1938.
Flag Rock, at the end of the next stretch of wall, was once a Portuguese bastion. During the Dutch period approaching ships were signalled from the bastion, warning them of dangerous rocks – hence its name. Musket shots were fired from Pigeon Island, close to the rock, to further alert ships to the danger. On the Triton Bastion there used to be a windmill that drew up sea water, which was sprayed from carts to keep the dust down on the city streets. This part of the wall is a great place to be at sunset. There’s a series of other bastions, as well as the tomb of a Muslim saint outside the wall, before you arrive back at your starting point.
