The Gambia is a country shaped like a river, a ribbon of land on either bank of a wide, slow stream that cuts deep into Senegal, and Albreda is a village on the north bank that tells the story of why Europeans came. The Portuguese were the first, in the fifteenth century, trading with the peoples of the river, and the remains of their chapel, a ruined stone and brick shell, stand among the houses. The French set up a trading post at Albreda in the seventeenth century, and the British, who held James Island, now Kunta Kinteh Island, a short boat ride away, fought them for control of the river trade. The trade was in gold, ivory, hides and, increasingly, human beings, and the slave trade from this stretch of the Gambia lasted some three centuries. UNESCO listed Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites in 2003.
The neighbouring village of Juffureh is where the writer Alex Haley traced the ancestry in his book Roots, and a small museum records the story. Walking through the village, with its market, children and baobab trees, is moving and complicated. People here are friendly and open, and a local guide can explain how the history is lived.
Getting to this side of the river means crossing it. From Barra, the road runs east along the north bank, with sandy verges, goats and children, and the surface varies from good to rutted and pot-holed. Traffic is light, with bush taxis, donkey carts and the odd lorry. The best season is from November to April, when the air is dry and warm and the harmattan wind brings a haze, and the rains from July to September make unpaved side roads difficult.
Fuel is available at Barra and larger towns like Farafenni, further up the north bank, but may be scarce or inconsistent in villages, so fill up whenever you can and carry a spare can. Bring cash in dalasi, because cards are rarely accepted, and drink bottled water.
The ride list goes on to the Saloum Delta in Senegal, a maze of mangroves and shell islands on the coast, and the roads between the two countries cross a border that can take time.