Welchman Hall Gully is one of several historical gullies (ravines) in Barbados, formed by cracks in the coral rock, or a collapsed roof of a cave. Like other deep gullies on the island, it has a primeval jungle-like feel, hemmed in by limestone cliffs, dripping with dangling lianas and aerial roots. A haven for biodiversity, the gully is also home to 150 of the island’s 700 species of flowering plants and ferns, as well as various imported species. They were brought in by the gully’s first plantation owner – a Welshman, obviously.

The gully has two claims to fame. It is apparently the home of the first grapefruit – an accidental cross between a sweet orange and a shaddock (which confusingly looks like an oversized grapefruit itself). It is also here, in 2008, that the world’s smallest snake (at least for the time being) was discovered. Not something to set the pulse racing, the Barbados threadsnake is a mere 4 inches (10cm) long, is blind, resembles an earthworm and is totally harmless. Much livelier and easier to spot are the green monkeys, which if not at the feeding platform by the entrance, can often be seen scampering round other parts of the gully.