Hudson River Valley
Between Beacon and Cold Spring
A little more than an
hour north of Manhattan there is a small island that holds the remains of a
Scottish castle. From spring to fall, when the waters of the Hudson River are
above hypothermia inducing temperatures, visitors can kayak to the island with
guided group tours that depart from the towns of Beacon and Cold Spring on the
east bank and Cornwall-on-Hudson on the west bank. Less athletic visitors can
take a ferry from Beacon on the east bank or Newburg on the west bank. These
tours are generally on the weekends, and every third Sunday there is music on
the island provided by local musicians.
My partner and I embarked
via kayak from Cold Spring one fine August Saturday with a group led by Hudson
River Expeditions. The tour is a bit pricy—$130—but includes lunch, a kayak guide, and an island tour. We were a bit worried about our kayak skills—I had kayaked before,
but never such a far distance, and he had never kayaked—so we opted for a
tandem kayak. This meant we both could work a little bit less, though going in
a straight line proved to be something of a challenge.
The tours take somewhere
between four and five hours, with the trip to and from the island taking
somewhere around an hour, depending on weather and the river current. It was a perfect
day when we went, sunny but not too hot. Hunger is the best spice and I do
believe the avocado hummus sandwich I ate after arriving to Pollepel Island was
one of the best I’ve ever had. Thom Johnson, a man from the Bannerman Castle
Trust met us and provided us with a thorough history of the island—including a
few promotional remarks about his book on the island’s history (but, hey, all proceeds
go to the Trust). Unfortunately, none of the structures, home or castle, are
safe enough to enter, but the Trust is working to make visits inside the home a
future possibility.
The Scottish castle was
begun in 1901 by Francis Bannerman, a man from Dundee, Scotland, who moved to
Brooklyn with his family in 1854 when he was three years old. Frank’s father
started the family business of buying surplus army and navy goods and reselling them. Frank took over the family business and following
the Spanish War had acquired so much equipment, ammunition, and gunpowder that
the city of New York forced him to move his business from Broadway in Manhattan
for fear an accident could blow up the southern tip of the island. This is when
Bannerman purchased Pollepel Island and built a home for his family and a
storage building in the style of a Scottish castle (designed by Francis himself) as a nod to his family’s
cultural heritage.
Despite being a munitions
dealer, the Bannermans considered themselves peaceful persons. Francis wrote
that he hoped one day his warehouse would be known as “The Museum of Lost
Arts.” The Bannerman family lived on the island in the summer and his wife,
Helen, grew the trees, plants, and gardens that continue to thrive on the
island. Prior to her gardening the island was all but devoid of greenery.
Francis Bannerman died in
1918 and in 1920, 200 tons of shells and powder exploded, destroying part of
the complex. The Bannerman business faltered due to new legislation which
prohibited the sale of military weapons to civilians. They sold the island to a
branch of the Rockefeller Foundation, which in turn sold it to the New York
State Office of Parks in 1967, which briefly offered tours of the island. Two
years after the State acquired Pollepel Island, a massive fire destroyed much
of the building structures, and the island was placed off-limits to the public. After several decades of neglect, decay, and random acts of vandalism from kids these days, the Bannerman Castle Trust was founded in 2003 to preserve the island. Part of
its fundraising efforts includes tours that educate the public as well as provide
revenue. In 2009 a storm caused a third of the remaining castle structure to
collapse, and in 2012 a campaign was implemented to stabilize the remaining
castle walls. While the modern scaffolding does a great deal to eliminate the
castle’s romanticism, it also serves to prevent further deterioration of the
structure.
After the tour is over
and visitors paddle back to Cold Spring, a visit to Go-Go Pops on Main Street
in order. This shop makes delicious fruity popsicles with only natural
ingredients. I recommend the sour cherry or hibiscus; Ben likes the chili lime or spicy mango.
That looks like a fun way to kayak! And it seems to be much longer than the usual fare. Not only you guys got a workout, but you had an enjoyable day checking out castles an hour away from the city. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMarilyn Webb @ Spirit Paddle