Rob and Barb are a Canadian couple on the catamaran "Riff Raff". They are just a little ways down from us in the marina, and we asked them if they would like to join us on a trip to Brimstone Hill, the home of "The Gibraltar of the Eastern Caribbean". This massive fortress is visible to all boats transiting the west side of the island, and as a World Heritage Site, seems to be a "must see" while visiting St. Kitt's.
We met at the designated time and went to the bus terminal to catch a bus up the west side of the island. About 15 minutes later, we were on the side of the road looking at the sign for Brimstone Hill. While we didn't note it then (I noticed it on another trip by that area by bus) there can be a distinct smell of sulphur from a fumerol right there at the edge of the Caribbean. This is where the name comes from, the sulphurous smell associated with hell, fire and brimstone.
The fortress is located at the top of a volcanic plug that was thrust out of the sea, which left it with limestone deposits on its' sides. The limestone proved useful in the construction of the fortress, and a limekiln was built at the base of the cliffs. From here it was carted up to the workmen doing the masonry work, where they mixed it in to make their mortar. This was far stronger than the technique that was necessary on other islands without accessible lime deposits, which was to cook down coral and work with that.
We followed the road up towards the battlements. On our way, we looked up to see four monkeys looking down at us. They chose not to stick around long enough to get a picture. Apparently there are A LOT of monkeys on this island. Later on we saw one that I managed to get a picture of (check our web album).
At every corner or switchback, there was sign with "honk" on it. There were also "No Dogs Allowed" signs, which were obviously not a deterrent to the cats snoozing in the sun by the guard's shack. We continued our walk upward. Fortunately the grade really wasn't too bad, so the walk was quite enjoyable. The views from the top were fantastic, with panoramic views to Saba and Statia to the north, and Nevis and Montserrat to the south.
This really is a fortress, with multiple batteries, officers' quarters, a citadel, and all of the things that about 800 soldiers required to live and work. The hill is an appreciable size, and has a towering presence over the surrounding countryside. With a large fortress on top of it with many artillery pieces, this was not a place to be trifled with. It was defeated once, by 8000 French laying siege to 1000 English for a month siege, but after they had beefed up the fortifications and developed a stronger artillery, it was never tested in battle again. I think the French realized it would have been a losing effort.
We wandered amongst the fortifications and the ruins, and the cruise ship passengers. They seemed to come in waves, where a bunch of groups group would come for about an hour, then there would be a reprieve, then another bunch would arrive in their tour groups. Well, it is one of the must-sees on the island.
We had a mix of sun and cloud, with a sprinkling of rain thrown into the mix. It was a good day to go up to the fortress as the visibility was quite good.
The walk back down wasn't as difficult, and we easily caught a bus back into town.
To see the pictures, check out the St. Kitt's album on our Web Album (link to the right).