Hayr Shtayyah is not a place you can ride to. It is an oyster bed lying in the open sea off the northeast coast of Bahrain, one of three offshore pearl beds included in the UNESCO site Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy, listed in 2012. For centuries, pearling was the backbone of Bahrain's economy: every summer, fleets of wooden dhows sailed out to the banks, and divers plunged repeatedly into the warm water with a nose clip, a stone weight and a basket, holding their breath for minutes to gather oysters. Then the Japanese cultured pearl and the arrival of oil in the 1930s brought the industry to an end almost overnight.
The onshore part of the UNESCO site is where you can actually go, in the old town of Muharraq. The Pearling Path is a walking route through narrow lanes, linking merchants' houses, traditional buildings and a museum that tells the story of the divers, the boat captains and the traders who grew rich from the trade. At the southern tip of Muharraq, the small Bu Mahir fort stands on the seashore where the pearling boats used to set off, and from there the path begins. The old houses, with their wind towers and carved wooden doors, are beautifully restored.
Riding in Bahrain is straightforward but not especially exciting. The country is small and flat, with good roads, modern highways and causeways linking the islands. Traffic around Manama and Muharraq is heavy at rush hour, and drivers can be impatient. The heat and humidity in summer are intense, with temperatures often above forty degrees, so ride early or late, and consider visiting in the cooler months from November to March. The long causeway to Saudi Arabia, the King Fahd Causeway, is an experience in itself, if you have the right paperwork.
Fuel is plentiful and cheap, and services are everywhere in Manama and Muharraq. Try machboos, spiced rice with chicken or fish, and halwa, a sticky sweet flavoured with saffron and rosewater, best with a cup of cardamom coffee. Look out to sea from the shore and imagine the white sails of the pearling fleet on the horizon.