All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Ireland

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

Newcastle Pottery

We are big fans of renting a car while on vacation.  I know some folks would prefer to get comfortable at the resort and not move for a week, but we like to get about a bit.  Renting a car is the only way to see local sites and really get out and meet the people of the island.  Before flying to Nevis, I had read about New Castle Pottery, which fires its pottery in a big wood fire on the property, and I was determined to see it.  On the first couple drives around the island, I had missed it.  This day, instead of driving counterclockwise around the island, we left the Four Season and drove clockwise, knowing that if we hit Nisbet Plantation, we had gone too far.  As we drove past the airport, however, we came upon a hazard more common than monkeys crossing your path, a pothole.  This was a good one.  It was large enough and deep enough to take out two tires on our little Toyota Yaris.

Sad Yaris

With only one spare, my husband set out to the nearby airport to get assistance, and practically insisted that we walk down to the beach bar which was visible from the road.  After watching a few planes take off and land, we walked to the road at the end of the runway and found a gem, Sunrise Beach Bar.

NEV Arrivals

 The people at Sunrise were very welcoming, quite familiar with the hazards of the pothole.  The beer was cold, they had a great view, and a comfortable atmosphere.  This was officially a happy accident.

Sunrise Drink Specials

Sunrise Beach Bar

View from Sunrise

Looking toward St. Kitts

Nice cold Carib to ease the pain

Sunrise Beach Bar

Why is the rum always gone?

Well, the Thrifty rental guys were super fast.  Before my Carib was finished, we were on our way.  We managed to find New Castle without any problem. It’s just past the airport on the mountain side of the road.

Welcome to New Castle Pottery

They weren’t firing any pottery the afternoon we were there, as it was too hot.  However, the woman working at the shop was painting a piece of pottery.  There were so many different designs to choose from.

Shelves loaded with choices

My daughter took many more shots than I did of the different creations, and the following shots are hers.  I was busy paying for her choices!

Loads of fish

Piggy

Turtles and salamanders?

Fishy, Fishy

Loads of turtles

We ended up taking home a few ornaments, a small church, and a turtle bowl.  There was a gorgeous piece at the back of the studio which was not for sale.  It was explained to us that this was a historic building on Nevis which had been torn down, but it was preserved in clay.

History preserved

With all the excitement for the day over, we headed back to the Four Seasons.  The mighty Yaris made it home!

Happy Yaris!

Browse recent posts on Nevis at: 

Or check out our full series on our trip to Nevis:

Part One: Four Seasons Nevis

Part Two: Sunshine and the Killer Bee

Part Three: Rodney’s Cuisine

Part Four: Bars of Pinney’s Beach

Part Five: Source Trail Hike with Sheldon

Part Six: On the Nevis Heritage Trail

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All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

Take me back to 

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All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

On the Nevis Heritage Trail: New River Estate

 From the moment you arrive on Nevis, you are aware of the country’s proud history.  The people often speak of their history and traditions, and how it makes Nevis and its people what they are today.  A trip to the island is not complete without taking in some of the historic sites.  You cannot travel far around the island without seeing at least one of these blue signs, signifying points of interest on the Nevis Heritage Trail.

Fort Charles was our first stop on the trail.  Fort Charles was the largest fort on the island, built in the 17th century to protect the capital city of Charlestown.  The historical sites on Nevis are not what one might encounter in the United States.  There are no ropes to keep you out, or tour shops to buy a souvenir.  The sites are as they were left, and as affected by man and nature.  So feel free to explore! A word to the wise: avoid flipflops if you wish to get deeper into the ruins, as there are muddy areas and grown over areas which are not friendly to bare legs.

Fort Charles at the sea

Remains of Fort Charles

Our next stop on the trail was St. John’s Figtree Anglican Church, c. 1680, famous as the home of the marriage certificate of Frances (Fanny) Nisbet and British Naval hero, Horatio Nelson.  We visited on a Sunday, and mass was in progress.  You won’t see me snapping shots of people mid-worship, but I can share some exterior shots.

St. John’s Figtree Anglican Church

Cemetery at St. John’s Figtree Church

Welcome to St. John’s Figtree Anglican Church

We visited a few former plantations on the island as well.  Although the marriage certificate for Fanny Nisbet and Horation Nelson can be found at the St. John’s Figtree Church, they were not married there.  The were married at Montpelier Plantation, on March 11, 1787.  The former sugar plantation is now an inn, a Relais & Chateaux property.

Entrance to Montpelier Plantation

I understand that you can dine in sugar mill on the property.

The Sugar Mill at Montpelier

Entering the Sugar Mill at Montpelier

Inside the Sugar Mill

View from the Sugar Mill

We also stopped by the Hermitage Plantation, which also operates as an inn.  The great house on the plantation was built in 1670, and has been continually in use in some capacity ever since.

Hermitage Plantation

Hermitage Plantation

Hermitage Plantation

We also visited Nisbet Plantation.  Nisbet Plantation was the home of Fanny Nisbet, and on the grounds you will now find the Nisbet Plantation Beach Club.  There does not appear to be much of the original home left, other than that which you see at the entrance to the resort.

Nisbet Plantation

From the Heritage Trail sign

We were on the hunt for the Eden Brown Estate, the ruins of a plantation with a ghost story attached.  The story goes that the what was to be a wedding, ended with a duel taking the lives of the groom and his best man, and leaving the bride to haunt the home to this day.  Unfortunately, despite having a map, we could not find the right road.  Unless something is on the main road, it’s a bit tough to find in Nevis.  The roadmap for the island shows a general location, but it’s not easy to figure out how to get there.  After two separate attempts to find it, we gave up.  However, in the process, we did find the New River Estate, holding the remains of the last functioning sugar factory on the island.

New River Estate

New River Estate

Sugar Cane Press? at New River

On the walk toward the ocean

Ocean Views

There is no shortage of places of worship on Nevis.  The Nevisian people take great care in preserving the churches on the island.  We stopped in at St. George’s Anglican Church, built in 1842, although gravemarkers in the cemetery date back to 1724.  We parked our car, and were taking a few shots, when the caretaker kindly invited us in and offered to show us around.

St. George’s Anglican Church

St. George’s

Pipe Organ at St. George’s

Interior of St. George’s

Interior of St. George’s

Cemetery at St. George’s

As you approach the main road from St. George’s, turn left at the donkeys…

Turn left here…

And you will find Gingerland Methodist Church, built in 1844.

Gingerland Methodist Church

Alongside Gingerland Methodist Church, looking toward Mount Nevis

Gingerland Methodist Church

We had nine days on the island, and only scratched the surface of the historical sites. Nevis is full of history, just waiting for you to discover it.

Read other parts of our trip report on Nevis:

Part One: Four Seasons Nevis

Part Two: Sunshine and the Killer Bee

Part Three: Rodney’s Cuisine

Part Four: Bars of Pinney’s Beach

Part Five: Source Trail Hike with Sheldon

Part Seven: New Castle and the Mighty Yaris

For more shots from our trip to Nevis, check out the Nevis Gallery:

Or browse recent posts on Nevis at: 

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All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

Our Guide, Sheldon

While planning our trip to Nevis, we decided that we wanted to do a mountain hike.  Rainforests and mountains were new to us on trips to the Caribbean, so we thought we would arrange for a hike.  I knew I wasn’t in shape to hike to the peak, knowing that climbing robes and vines was involved, so we looked at the options for one of the shorter hikes.  The three options we had were:

Rainforest & Ruins – Hike with a guide into the Rainforest and Coconut Plantations on the slopes of Nevis peak.  Along the way, experience the beauty, tranquility of a cool, luxuriant and tropical ravine with massive volcanic boulders worn smooth by a mellinniums rainfall.  Majestic trees and lush tropical plants such as heliconia, elephant ear ferns and bamboo. (2 ½ hours, $30/person)

Source Trail Rainforest Hike – Experience a moderately challenging hike through lush forest to an ideal spot for panoramic island views.  You will hike by two tropical ravines and into a cave.  You will be introduced to the flora and fauna of the island, including bamboo and fruit trees such as bananas, citrus, mangoes and guavas. (2 hours, $35/person)

Butler’s Source Rainforest Hike – Take a moderately challenging hike to the Butler’s source.  Along the route see the prison farm, better known as Russell’s Rest and learn about it’s true origin.  Walk along lush tropical Rainforest, enchanting ravines and haunted areas.  View the flora and fauna, monkeys, cocoa trees and a variety of fruits.  Enjoy breath taking vistas of the Atlantic Ocean. (3 hours, $35/person)

Knowing my son’s patience for organized activity, we opted for the two-hour Source Trail Rainforest Hike.  We had a rental car, so we planned to meet our guide, Sheldon, at the entrance to the Old Manor Hotel in Gingerland.  We were early, so we explored St. George’s Anglican Church and Gingerland Methodist Church, and Sheldon met us there.  We drove a bit up the mountain, until we ran out of road, and then went out on foot.

On the Source Trail with Sheldon

Sheldon gave each of us a walking stick to use on the hike, which I was glad I had.  My husband and I questioned the “moderately” in the “moderately challenging” description of the hike at a few points.  There were areas where we needed that stick as a third leg to cross rocks and ditches.   I would think it’s just that were in our mid-40′s and out of shape, but even our children, ages 12 and 14, were challenged by the hike. Twice, I had to stow my camera in my backpack so that I could cross a rocky or slippery area.

Almost time to put away the camera

We learned quite a bit about the area, the plants, trees, and environmental conditions such as deep ravines, known as “ghauts.”  The photo at the top of this post captures one of those moments. Sheldon held up a lemon with one bite out of it.  He explained that this is what the monkeys leave behind.  They are quite wasteful creatures, taking one bite, and tossing the rest aside.  The monkeys, a delight to tourists, are essentially pests to the residents, devastating their plantings.

Cocktail ready!

Pipeline on the Source Trail

View from the mountain (shot while completely out of breath, hence the blur)

On the Source Trail

Although we learned quite a bit about the island plants and animals, my favorite part of the hike was learning about the island people.  After walking and talking for a couple hours, you can’t help but share information on all sorts of topics, including religion, family, taxes, and government.  At the end of the trail, we were exhausted, had shoes covered with Nevisian mud, but all concluded that we had a great time.

Read other parts of our trip report on Nevis:

Part One: Four Seasons Nevis

Part Two: Sunshine and the Killer Bee

Part Three: Rodney’s Cuisine

Part Four: Bars of Pinney’s Beach

Part Six: On the Nevis Heritage Trail

Part Seven: New Castle and the Mighty Yaris

For more shots from our trip to Nevis, check out the Nevis Gallery:

Or browse recent posts on Nevis at: 

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All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson

All words and images ©2006-2012 Wendy G. Gunderson