Wiencke Island (hut at Dorian Bay)
Visited more than the limited attractions deserve.
Rating: *

Why Visit?

This site has a flourishing Gentoo penguin population, but the space around it, and the spectacular views, are worthwhile on their own.  A gently sloping series of hills lead up to views of glaciers and icebergs up and down the Neumayer Channel and of the surrounding mountains on Anvers and Wiencke Islands.  Mount Francais may even be visible if the weather is good.  The small British hut at Dorian Bay has some interesting historical significance.

 

Where is it?

Only a couple of miles North of the more famous Port Lockroy, on the Western side of Weincke Island in the Neumayer Channel.

 

Challenges?

Access is either through Dorian Bay, where the tide can make zodiac manoeuvres tricky, or via a series tiny rocky outcrops.  Once on shore, walking is easy but distances may be long for the more sedentary.

 

Wildlife

Gentoo penguins and skuas make their homes in the area, Weddell seals often bask on the shore of Dorian Bay.

 

Human activities

There is a small British hut at Damoy Point that is a designated Historic Site. British Antarctic Survey (BAS) previously used this location as a staging-post when flying south to Rothera Station – there is an ice runway on the glacier behind the hut, which was erected in November 1975 to serve as sleeping quarters and storage facility for BAS staff being flown south.  The hut was last formally used in 1993 and is now being repaired and converted to a mini-museum.  Bahia Dorian, the even smaller Argentine refugio (refuge, or emergency shelter) next door, was built in 1953.



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