Lochabar Beach takes its name from the Scottish Gaelic term 'Loch Abar' meaning 'loch of the marsh' or 'lake of the confluence,' brought to the Bahamas by Scottish Loyalist settlers who fled the American Revolution in the late 18th century, establishing plantations on Long Island that bore names reminiscent of their Highland homeland. Located on Long Island's Atlantic eastern shore near Clarence Town, the island's capital, this beach occupies part of the 80-mile-long island that stretches north to south, bisected by the Tropic of Cancer. Long Island's Lucayan Taíno indigenous name was 'Yuma' meaning 'middle high land,' and some historians including Samuel Eliot Morison identify it as Christopher Columbus's third landfall during his 1492 voyage, which he renamed Fernandina. Spanish enslavement decimated the Lucayan population by the early 1500s, leaving the island virtually uninhabited until the Simms family arrived in 1720, establishing one of the first permanent post-Columbian settlements. American Loyalists from New England and New Jersey arrived after 1783, fleeing Revolutionary defeat, and began raising cattle and sheep. By the 1790s, settlers from the Carolinas established cotton plantations using enslaved African labor. Clarence Town, established as the district capital, features twin churches built by Father Jerome Hawes, a Catholic priest and architect who constructed both St. Paul's Anglican Church and St. Peter's Catholic Church in the mid-20th century, creating the distinctive twin-spired skyline visible for miles along the coast.
Lochabar Beach stretches along the Atlantic Ocean side of Long Island, offering powdery white sand beaches characteristic of the Bahamas' eastern shores that face the open ocean rather than the protected western Caribbean-facing beaches. The Atlantic exposure creates more dramatic surf and wave action compared to the island's leeward beaches, with turquoise to deep blue waters extending to the horizon. Access to different sections of Lochabar Beach requires navigation of local roads—traveling south from Clarence Town past Tommy's Tourist Inn and the Department of Health Services, visitors take the next paved left-hand road (under two miles) to reach the northernmost section. Ridge View Drive, located another quarter-mile south with a 'Beach Access' sign, provides additional entry, though vegetation sometimes overgrows these paths due to light visitation. The beach offers panoramic Atlantic views stretching eastward across 4,000 miles of open ocean toward Africa, creating impressive sunrise viewing opportunities. Swimming conditions vary with weather and sea state, with calmer periods providing excellent opportunities while rougher Atlantic swells require caution. The remote location ensures solitude and natural beauty unmarred by commercial development. Nearby attractions include Dean's Blue Hole west of Clarence Town—the world's second-deepest underwater sinkhole at approximately 200 meters deep—drawing free-divers and adventurers globally. A blue hole also exists near the northern Lochabar access point via Harbor Breeze Villas, adding geological interest to beach visits.
Dining options on Long Island concentrate in settlements like Simms and Clarence Town, requiring short drives from Lochabar Beach. Mario Simms operates Long Island's longest-running restaurant in a blue unmarked building on Queens Highway in Simms settlement, serving traditional Bahamian meals including grilled lobster with rice and peas for 8, fried grouper with coleslaw for 2, chicken wings with hot sauce and fries for 4, and conch salad with fresh lime for 6, offering casual backroom dining at reasonable prices. Blue Chip Restaurant & Bar in Simms provides similar fare with cracked conch for 8 and Kalik beer for . In Clarence Town, Lighthouse Point Restaurant offers indoor and patio seating with pan-seared snapper and plantains for 4, conch fritters for 2, and grilled mahi-mahi with mango salsa for 6, overlooking the marina. Harbour Rest Restaurant & Bar serves breakfast plates with eggs and Johnny cakes for 0, lunch burgers for 4, and fresh-caught fish dinners for 2. Le Pon Restaurant & Grill specializes in jerk chicken with rice and beans for 6, BBQ ribs with mac and cheese for 0, and rum punch made with Bahamian Bacardi for . Visitors should note that Long Island's remote location means limited restaurant hours and occasional closures, with locals typically providing current information about which establishments are operating.
