The Gambia is a long, narrow country that follows its river, and Banjul sits at the mouth where the river meets the Atlantic, on a low, sandy island that feels like a sandbar with ambitions. The city was founded by the British in 1816 as Bathurst, a base to suppress the slave trade, and the Six-Gun Battery is one of the military remains from that era. It forms part of the UNESCO site called Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites, which also includes Fort Bullen on the opposite bank at Barra, and together they tell the story of the Gambia river as a route of the Atlantic slave trade and of the later effort to end it.
The battery itself is modest, with old cannon pointing out toward the water, but the setting makes it powerful. The two forts faced each other across the mouth of the river, and between them the river is wide, brown and strong. The story is bound up with the names of the river, among them Kunta Kinteh Island, upstream, which Alex Haley made famous in his novel Roots. The wind off the sea is steady and salty, and the light in the late afternoon is soft and golden.
The riding is not what you would call challenging. The Gambia is flat, hot and small, with a coast road of surprisingly good tarmac, red laterite side roads, and plenty of police checkpoints, where a friendly greeting is usually enough. Heat is intense from March to May, and the rainy season from July to October brings heavy storms and flooded tracks. The best months are November to February, when the days are warm and dry. Banjul itself is crowded and chaotic, with markets, mopeds and goats, and driving requires patience.
To cross to Barra, you take the ferry, which is a slow and sometimes unreliable experience, with long queues and an unpredictable schedule, so bring patience, snacks and water. Banjul and the nearby towns, such as Serrekunda, have fuel and shops, and Barra has the basics. Food is excellent, especially grilled fish, domoda, a peanut stew, and fresh bread, and a cold Julbrew beer or fresh ginger drink makes a good finish.