Hill Cove 
Hill Cove lies in the north-west of West Falklands, on the north coast and on the shore of Byron Sound looking out to Saunders Island and is backed and sheltered by Mount Adam, the highest mountain on West Falklands to the south. There are two parts to the settlement, the Point and the Top settlement. The Top settlement is sheltered by the ‘French Peaks’ to the south. A forest, in the valley near the top settlement was started by Robert Blake in 1886 with further plantings of sitka spruce by James Reid, the Government Forester in the 1920’s. It is the largest stand of trees in the islands.
Hill Cove was first leased from the Government for farming by Wickham Bertrand and Ernest Holmstead in 1868 who at the time were leasing New Island. They moved their sheep on to Shallow Bay, Holmstead remaining to live at Shallow Bay and Blake starting the settlement at Hill Cove, the shearing shed and farm buildings being built at the Point, and Blake’s new house at the top settlement was finished by 1888. The farm carried 32,000 sheep. In the 1980’s Hill Cove was bought by the Falkland Islands Development Corporation and sub-divided into eight smaller farms. They were mainly bought by Hill Cove’s ex -employees.
 



Glimpses into the past:
Hill Cove was one of the West’s earliest settlements. 
1888. Hill Cove and Shallow Bay. There are six houses at the Settlements, and three detached houses. Population 41; one birth no deaths two cases of measles, one imported from Stanley, the other caught from that. Diarrhoea very prevalent and severe (one child nearly died at Main Point), epidemic nasal catarrh constantly present. 
Assistant Colonial Surgeon to the Colonial secretary. Report on the Blue Book 1888