It’s been a nice visit over the last two nights but it’s our favourite part- moving on.

Was Key West worth the drive? Yes and no. On the one hand this is just another seaside resort full of tatty gift shops and plenty of bars, and patrons sampling them until the early hours. It’s a party town full of party people enjoying the usual Happy Hours. If you only see Duval Street and Mallory Square along with many others then I think you’ve missed the heart of Key West.

Wandering further afield into and around the old town opens up a charming southern town, much akin to Savannah or St Augustine further north. A delightful mix of wooden clapperboard houses with sheltered verandas squished together really show what this island once must have looked like. Apparently it was far smaller once so they built houses so close together that there was no room for front yards or back yards, just tiny little tree lined alleys between properties so that your neighbour could get to their front door too.

The island was enlarged a long time ago and more houses built. Hemingway lived here, his house is behind Duval Street. They did not get mains water until 1948 and only then because the US Army moved onto the island to stare at Cuba more, so they laid a pipe. Before that, the residents used to collect water on the roof during rainy season and store it, making it last until the following year.

So I think I’d come back some time…