Heading into the Highlands: New York Edition

Around this time last year, Ramón and I were exploring the Highlands, the Scottish Highlands. Who would have thought that a year later, we would encounter a glimmer of Scotland in upstate New York? In this post, I would like to tell you about how a quaint town situated in American Revolution history holds nearby a Scottish inspired castle nestled into the “Hudson Highlands”. This is Heading into the Highlands: New York Edition. As a preface, I would suggest reading my previous post, Heading into the Highlands, as this provides a helpful frame both of the visual similarities of the Hudson Highlands to the Scottish Highlands, and also sets a foundation for historical connections for Bannerman Castle.

Before heading to Bannerman Castle, Ramón and I decided to start our adventure in the little town of Beacon, New York. Situated north of New York City, and across the river from Newburgh, we drove about two hours until we would see the edges of the town. Beacon is a picturesque, small-American town with an active main street. Thanks to the suggestion of a co-worker, I knew that we would have no shortage of places to eat, shops to look around, and snippets of creeks and forests to see as we relaxed before our boat ride. Of course, my priority was to stop into some local bookstores to pick out a book on the local history. Quite fitting of our last adventure in the Hudson Valley, I chose Possessions: The History and Uses of Haunting in the Hudson Valley, by Judith Richardson, from Stanza Books as it discusses not only ghost stories of the Hudson Valley, but also explains why stories such as “Sleepy Hollow” came about (see Halloween Adventures in the Hudson Valley for my experience in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown).

After some window shopping and gazing upon historical buildings, we stopped for lunch before our boat ride to Bannerman Castle. This was essential as food and water are not offered on the boat ride and choices on the island are minimal. Looking back, I would have packed a bottle of water, some dried fruit, and a bag of chips as we had a hot day ahead of us. Regardless, we had a lovely lunch, and we were ready to hop aboard our sailing vessel.

To go to Bannerman Island, you will need to buy your ticket to visit (which includes a boat ride to the island) in advance. I noticed tickets were selling out just a few days before our visit, and some people were turned away at the dock. For those relatively nearby, the dock is perfectly situated near the Metro-North Beacon train station. The boat was cute, small ferry, with a surprise bird’s nest hiding behind our captain’s radio. I guess the baby chicks wanted to be in on the action. Our captain’s first mate, Moose, is from the area and told us all about the history of Beacon, nearby Newburgh, and West Point, dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War. My mind drifted between family tales from Moose, and the mountains ahead of us bordering the Hudson. The forest green tinge of the trees, smooth rolling mountain tops, and how the clouds glided by reminded me of the Scottish Highlands…

After five or so minutes, Bannerman Castle slowly snuck into view on the island ahead. My eyes were amazed, yet confused, of how this brick version of a Scottish castle came onto this island, tucked away in upstate New York. As we came closer to the dock, I was truly shocked to see how much of the castle was missing (considering it was built in 1901) and how in-cohesive the design of the castle was. Once docked, and after climbing a windy, wooden staircase, we were given a 40-minute tour by our guide Abby to understand more of this mysterious building.

Without giving the whole tour away, a few things should be noted. First, Francis Bannerman is from Scotland, thus explaining the inspiration for this castle. The design of the castle grew from his imagination of castles in Europe, and requested his designs to be brought to life. This cleared up my understanding of why something looked slightly off in the design of the castle. An architect did not participate in this process, which explained why we all thought the structure of the building was peculiar. Another important fact is that Bannerman utilized cheap and leftover materials to build the castle. Quite eco-friendly and cost effective. However, this was the reason why half of the castle is basically gone, and more parts crumble into the river every now and then. The last piece of knowledge I learned towards the end; there is more than one structure on the island….

After seeing Bannerman’s Castle from a safe distance, I truly enjoyed looking around Mrs. Bannerman’s summer residence. In a way, it reminded me of Antoni Gaudí’s unique building designs housed in Park Güell. Inside the fantastical building was an equally charming interior design… with a rock from the Scottish Highlands! The rock was inscribed, noting that it originated from a house foundation in Glencoe where the MacDonald Clan once lived! Within one year, Ramón and I saw Glencoe in person, learned about Highland life, the unfortunate Massacre of Glencoe of the MacDonalds, and then in New York, we saw how that history has lived on through a descendent of the MacDonalds. Who would have thought?

After the tour concluded, we explored other parts of the island, like Wee Bay. Above the rocky bay and tree covered beach, there is a small grotto overlooking the water. While sweet looking, I journeyed forward to get closer to Wee Bay’s shore. I studied what looked to be a sunken dock by a fortress structure not far from the island. I sketched this folly of sorts as I was intrigued how a structure like this continues to float here; so out of place, yet connected.

Our visit to the island was roughly two hours in total, and was the perfect amount of time to learn, explore, and enjoy the scenery. The boat ride back to Beacon allowed us one last scenic view of Bannerman Castle with the Hudson Highlands in the background. This area was a lovely small nod to the Scottish Highlands I enjoyed a year prior. As our boat began to slowly glide back into the dock, and our adventure was coming to a close, I wondered, which set of “Highlands” I should visit next?

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Thank you for reading this blog. If you are curious to see more about my trip, or ask some questions, feel free to visit my Instagram or Buy Me a Coffee page. I look forward to sharing more about my travels with you soon. Until next time.