Slow Down on Nevis

Saturday was a fantastic overview of the island with Wendy & Bill, so on Monday we decided to take it a bit slower and travel on foot.

What happened to Sunday??  Well that was Mother's Day and after calls with family and some pretty heavy rain we decided to take a lazy boat day.  The sun did shine a bit in the afternoon and we celebrated with sundowners on Mowzer just to let the sun know we appreciated it's presence.

The destination for our walk was the Montravers Estate ruins and then a hike on the Upper Round Trail over to Morningstar.

Straight up from the boat to Montravers and then around the island to Morningstar.

The trail was pretty straightforward to find from Pinney's Beach and we were treated to interpretive signs along the way.

The Baobab tree at the old gatehouse is the largest on the island.  We've seen Baobabs on other islands and they are usually the result of a captured African bringing the seed over with them when they were enslaved and then amazingly planting it somewhere where their new community would be able to sit under it as they had back home.  Even in all the turmoil of that time, some traditions survived.

Somewhere in there is a huge tree and the remains of the gatehouse.

The Baobab tree is pretty overgrown so its immensity is difficult to see through all the trees and vines around it.

Stepping gingerly through the gatehouse we noticed bat droppings on the floor.  Sure enough, wriggling away in the rafters above us were a few little furry bodies having their daytime nap.

The broad path continued straight up to the great house.  You can imagine the work carts and drays driving up and down here when the plantation was in operation.

At the top of the road, we weren't being chased away, just being asked to respect the site even though it is on privately owned  property.

Looking back down to Pinney's beach and beyond that, Mowzer in the anchorage.

The Montravers Estate comprises a quite unusual three-storey great house with the foundations of earlier buildings alongside.  There is a large barn that has been restored and lots of evidence of ongoing work on the other buildings.  The plantation produced sugar for some 300 years and archaeologists have found the site of the slave village, although we didn't see it while there.  Interestingly, a failed experiment saw the plantation owner, Joseph Pinney, bring in six camels to work on the estate.  They didn't prosper in the Caribbean and I guess we can be thankful that Nevis is not currently overrun with camels, although they do have a bit of a problem with donkeys and monkeys.

Great house on the top of the hill at the left and the restored barn on the sloping ground below it.

Old iron feed bracket on the wall of the camel barn.

Checking out an immense boiling pot used in the processing of the cane juice.  Most that we've seen previously are about half this size.

The lower storey of the great house is almost below grade and there's a dry moat surrounding the building.  Doors and windows open into the moat so one assumes it was used as a passage way.

Small bridges provide access to the second level at both the front and back of the house.

From Montravers Estate we carried on up the slope of the mountain along the trail until we reached the Upper Round "Road".  At one time this was quite a well developed road that provided access across the plantations and small holdings at the higher elevation.  However, since the abandonment of donkeys as a primary method of transportation the road has reverted to nature and is now a fairly overgrown single track trail.

Not far up the trail however, we came across a very new and well-installed scaffolding tower, four stories high.  There was no indication of it's purpose other than a lookout tower for something, so of course we had to climb it.

At the fourth level we popped out above the tree-tops and were treated to a panoramic view of the west coast of Nevis.

The tower provided the only real item of interest along the trail.  It's an easy hike as it traverses the side of the mountain with no real elevations changes.  We exited the trail to the roads above Charlestown just below the Hamilton Estate ruins and then continued along to Morningstar.

Wendy and Bill had pointed out the Charcoal-Man's pit when we drove by the other day.  This time we stopped and had a better look at this operation that provides charcoal for grills on Nevis.

Have you ever wondered where charcoal comes from?

Its almost mango season!  Unfortunately none are ready for eating here yet.

The skies opened up with cooling, drowning rain - enough already!  Lunch with Wendy & Bill at the cottage and then before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat.  We had another fun little tour of some of the distinctive properties of the south end of Nevis as they kindly saved our feet and drove us back to Pinney's Beach where we'd left the dinghy in the morning.

Montpelier Estate with an amazing tree out front.  This place is still in operation as a fancy guest house and touts its history as the place that Horatio Nelson met his wife.

More of Montpelier Estate.

We then moved on to The Hermitage:  the main building is the oldest wooden house in the Caribbean, and it too operates as a delightful guest house with cottages.

The original wooden structure built in 1740 - full Nevisian style!

Slowing down on Nevis and enjoying the gentle charm or this laid back island, it is both difficult and quite easy to believe that Nevis once ruled British Caribbean trade as its largest producer of sugar.  Today the island is quaint and laid-back but the history that you encounter at every turn reminds you constantly of this island's past importance.  I feel you could stay here for months and only scratch the surface.

Discovering Nevis

Nevis, a tiny little island boasting about 12,000 residents, part of the federation with St. Kitt's, has been enticing us to come visit for quite a while.  Last year we dropped by for a half-day visit as we were passing through but this time we planned a more lengthy stay.

The real allure was that we would get to meet up with sailing friends Wendy & Bill (Overstreet) who also spend half their year at the family cottage on the island, and what more perfect way to get a little insight into a place than through the eyes of someone who is almost a local!

We met up in Charlestown after completing our check-in formalities and from there we started our little introduction to this bustling little town.  On Fridays it seems that there is almost a street fair atmosphere as everyone readies themselves for the weekend.

I took a picture of this flamboyant tree last year - still just as pretty in the town square!

First stop - the beer depot.  Do we have a reputation??

When you've got a scratch, you gotta scratch!  There are donkeys pretty much all over Nevis.

We then headed up into the hills above Charlestown for a visit to the Hummingbirds Cottage, where they call home - what a lovely, airy place perched up on the hill.  I loved that when I asked Wendy exactly where it was that we were perched on Nevis, she pulled out a map that dated to 1871.  Here was another hint that there is history on this island and time rather stands still.

Our approximate location at Hummingbirds Cottage.

Best place to hang out with a view of the gardens below and the sea beyond that.

Our evening moved onto dinner and plans were hatched for the next day to include a round of golf (for the men only since it was men's play on Saturday morning), and a bit of exploration and a local flea market for the ladies.

Clouds rolled down from Nevis Peak and treated us to a beautiful rainbow, but quickly dissipated for a beautiful day.

We headed up to the north-west corner of the island to find the Nevis Golf Club.  Bill warned us as we drove past a well-manicured course not to get our hopes up, as we continued up the coast past the Four Seasons and arrived at Jones Estate.

Henry was presented with an official scorecard.

West Indian style abounds in the little clubhouse.

2:00am??  Hurricanes??  What are the guys in for?

Bill suggested we walk around a bit so Henry could get the lay of the land.  I kid you not, this little course boasts not one, but two holes with varying tee placement to play a full fourteen!

Pano picture of the ENTIRE Nevis Golf Club.  You truly have to admire the dedicated band of golfers who have turned this little bit of pasture into a fun and (from the sounds of it) very social weekly activity with tournaments to round out the season.

Wendy and I left Henry and Bill to enjoy their round and we set off to the east coast to find the flea market that we had been assured would be starting at 7:30 am.  Knowing that the best deals get picked up early, we hustled up to the community centre at the late hour of 8:45 to find them just setting up a few tents and tables and the ultimate indicator that a Caribbean event is not yet ready to go - the music had not yet arrived.

Instead of hanging around, we carried on down the coast to the New River Estate and the Coconut Walk Estate.  Wendy guided the car down a narrow little track to a broad savanna area that once was home to native Arawak Indians and later to sugar cane processing.

Roadwork had narrowed the track, but Wendy had been down here before and who knows when they'll get around to filling the ditch back in.

An old windmill base and processing building lie in ruins below Nevis Peak.

It's pretty stark out here with no trees and little topsoil remaining at site of the Coconut Walk estate.

The sparse conditions make it easy to find old pre-columbian Arawak pottery.

After the muddy conditions getting down to the site, Wendy found the concrete road to get us back up the hill.  When we reached the top and I spied the condition of the spare tire on the rental car, I was rather glad that Wendy has figured out how to get around here.

Tread?  Who needs tread?

Back up at the New River Estate, the preservation is much more advanced on this site.  Old machinery sits on neatly masoned plinths, buildings have been protected with new roofs and really all that remains is the insertion of some interpretive signs.

Wendy displays her treasure trove of found objects as she participated on an archaeological dig on the site earlier in the year.

All those found objects came from excavating this odd opening in the foundation of this building.

Old sugar cane processing machinery on display, just awaiting explanation.

This building housed the cane crushers and steam engine.

Surprisingly close to the mechanized worksite are the remaining pillars from the Great House.  We've found that on Nevis the plantation owners liked to build their homes where they could keep a close eye on operations.

We couldn't figure out the purpose of this half-buried building, especially when we glimpsed the strange construction inside, but it must have been cool storage for something.

Little brick alcoves lined three sides of the small subterranean room.

In case you're keeping track, and wondering how Bill can be golfing and in the picture above, we actually went back to pick up the guys when they were finished, and had another visit to the sight so that Henry could see it.

Also, in case you were keeping track of the flea market, we did make it back to find the music thumping away, a few wares for sale but other than a local cook-book there was not much of interest on offer.

Another unique site on the north end of the island is the Cottle Church.  Built in 1824 it was the first Anglican church in the Caribbean where master and slaves worshipped together.  However, I did note that it was built by the slaves at the master's command.

Today, this idyllic setting is still used for weddings.  For some reason I can't get Chris de Burgh's song about a country church out of my head.

We rounded out our island tour with a visit to Golden Rock Inn which occupies the buildings and grounds of the old Golden Rock Estate.  Beautiful, peaceful gardens surround the place and it is amazing the amount of work that has gone into creating a complete oasis in a historic setting.  Feast the eyes!

Who wouldn't love a little repose here but at about $500US per night it's a tad out of our price range.  

We weren't even tempted to stop for lunch so instead headed back to the cottage where the afternoon unfolded with a little bit of unusual garden work.  A new avocado tree was ready for planting but first needed a new home in the form of a teepee.  Bamboo harvested from the thicket at the side of the garden and a bit of chicken wire around it, all held in place with a frill of rocks at the bottom.  What the heck??

I see supervisor written all over this picture!

Pretty happy with the results.

Still not sure why this level of effort was required to plant a little avocado tree?  Well, as the sun lowered towards the horizon and it was time to think about heading home, a troupe of Green Vervet monkeys also had the same thought and were heading back up the mountain for the night.  Close to fifty monkeys traipsed through the yard, stopping to pick fruit and nuts from the garden trees, sitting and enjoying the fruits of their labours in plain sight of the house.  Unfortunately I didn't have my big camera lens to capture these skittish little bundles of energy.

Two monkeys sitting at the bottom of the garden and checking out the newly protected planting.  Will it be monkey-proof?  Time will tell.

What have we discovered of Nevis thus far?  A friendly, relaxed little island with quite a large ex-pat population, beautiful vistas with history at every turn.  Some of the history is preserved and much more of it lies in ruins, sometimes deeply buried beneath dense jungle.  Wild-life and domestic-life abounds - donkeys, cows, sheep, goats and monkeys, so many monkeys!

Nevis has played a pivotal role among the islands - at one time producing more sugar cane than many of her bigger sisters in the Caribbean.  Of course with sugar cane came slavery and because of the level of production, Nevis was often one of the first sites to receive slaves as they were transported across from Africa.  Nelson is also tied romantically to the island as he married a Nevisian woman, daughter of a local plantation owner.  Today, Nevis shares a sometimes uneasy federation with St. Kitts and we are only starting to scratch the surface of that relationship.  So much more to enjoy and discover on this little island gem.