March 5, 2024 – Stanley – Falkland Islands

We woke to the scenes of the bay outside Stanley Harbor. The light was striking through the clouds. It was a chilly day, made colder by a slight breeze. The itinerary for the day was a tour of the Highlights of Stanley. Stanley, also known as Port Stanley, is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. The population of the Falklands is about 3,400 with all but 1,000 residing in and around Stanley. Charles Darwin made two stops here and called it “the most desolate place on earth”.

The largest commercial activity is fishing, primarily for squid, the bulk of which gets exported to Spain.

Our tour was guided by a local “legend” Phil Middleton who regaled us with stories of life, and death, on this Island so far from everything.

We started our tour with a view of the town from across the harbor. In the foreground is the remains of the “Lady Elisabeth”, a commercial sailing vessel built in 1884. It was stationed in the harbor until her mooring lines broke during a storm and she drifted to where she now lies in Whalebone Cove.

Next, we stopped at the “Totem Pole”. The signs were put on an old utility pole by military men with nothing else to do with their time. From there we moved on to the Peat Bog. While few still heat their homes or cook using peat, until recently this was a major source of fuel and a community asset. Next stop was at Government House, the home of the Governor. We then stopped at the memorial to the fallen during the 1982 war. Margaret Thatcher is a hero to the locals.

We were dropped off at the Dockside Museum. Here there are many exhibits of the history of the islands and artifacts from various ships and expeditions. Of particular interest was the hut used by an expedition to the Antarctic in the 1950’s. Very tight quarters. After a look around we walked back to the docks with a stop at the Christ Church Cathedral with it’s iconic whale bone arches on the way.