vicarious travelling: New Brunswick Trip - Day 12, Minister's Island

We having been looking at Minister's Island, every day, since we got here, the house faces that way, but the road out to it is only open during the low tide. So today we got over to the base of the causeway at 9am.

Low tide and we started to drive across, following a pick up truck, but there were huge puddles, rocks and soft areas so we decided to park on the mainland and walk across.

We had thought the buildings would be closed (Thanksgiving Monday!) so hadn't bought Jen and Rob's season pass with us but the lady at the gate believed us and let us in. We started our hike down Cedar Lane, the direction carriages would have approached the house.

Ministers Island became famous in the last decade of the nineteenth century as the summer home of Sir William Van Horne, the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. By the time of Van Horne’s death in 1915, the island had been transformed into a small Xanadu, sporting a sandstone mansion furnished in the most lavish late Edwardian manner, manicured grounds, scenic roads, greenhouses turning out exotic fruits and vegetables, as well as a breeding farm producing prize-winning Clydesdale horses and Dutch Belted cattle.Wikipedia

We stopped first at the Gardeners cottage. A lovely spot, right on the shore with

extensive attached, heated greenhouses. Peaches, grapes, tomatoes etc etc were all grown here year round. If the Van Hornes were not in residence then the produce was sent by rail (there was a station in St Andrews) to their estate in Montreal.

We could see the house up on the hill but stopped first

at the bath house. The sandstone for the house and bathhouse was quarried from the beach, leaving a nine foot deep sandstone depression. This became their swimming pool and the lower level housed change rooms.

The upper area had fabulous views, I tried to get a panoramic shot, and Mr Van Horne would paint his seascapes from here.

We walked up to the house, path lined with lavender, and listened to an introduction to the building (all I remember was that they resided there May to October and there are 11 fireplaces)

but we were here to hike, and limited time, so just popped our heads in the first room.

Pretty impressive.

Looking out the front door to Pasamaquoddy Bay

Carriage house

The actual carriage they used to drive the 20 km of carriage tracks on the island.

From here we continued on the perimeter trail, 7km in total.

Some of it on the beaches

with spectacular views

Hospital Island

Some of it through woods

and meadows as we cut back inland, concerned about time

and we wanted a chance to see the barn before we left.

Unemployed shipwrights built the barn and the roof is constructed like a hull. Metal beams were used, unusual in barn construction but Van Horne had seen how well they worked for trestle bridges.

He bred and showed Dutch Belted Cattle and Clydesdale Horses (who were also used to work the farm). Two other breeds of cattle provided milk, cream and meat.

The barn is huge and full of light. Van Horne used innovative water, feed and cleaning systems it was an experimental farm. Pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks also provided fresh food for the family, here and in Montreal, and their employees.

The building on the left was the creamery, lined with tiles.

Work was being done on the oldest building standing on the island, the Minister's cottage. Minister Andrews owned the island prior to the Van Horne's, thus the name.

We walked back across the causeway and could see that the tide was coming in.

Photo out of order, but this is Rob and Jen's place, taken from the barn.

We were there for 3 hours, walking all the time (14,000 steps). We followed the route I have marked in green so didn't complete the perimeter trail. It was our favorite walk so far so we plan on returning and doing the whole trail.