This ‘fragile chain’ of barrier islands are well-known for their rich folklore and ‘postcard sights’
A “fragile chain” of barrier islands that shadows the mainland coast of North Carolina for 200 miles, the Outer Banks are well-known in the US for their “sandy, windswept beauty” and rich folklore. And yet they still feel “quiet” and “remote”, says Jacqui Agate in The Daily Telegraph – and make for a wonderful escape from the pressures of modern life. Algonquian-speaking tribes had lived here for 1,000 years when, in 1587, the English established a colony on Roanoke Island – their first in the New World – that later mysteriously vanished. The islands became a playground of the pirate Edward Teach – better known as Blackbeard – and in 1903, the Wright brothers achieved the first controlled, powered flight here.
