Saddle Hill Battery

Saddle Hill rises to around three hundred and forty metres in southern Nevis, and on top of it are the ruins of an eighteenth-century battery: low stone walls, a cistern and gun positions looking out over the sea in both directions. Nelson is said to have used it as a lookout while enforcing the Navigation Acts, watching for smugglers. The climb is steep and the view runs to Montserrat on clear days.

What you actually see

• The battery ruins - low walls, cistern and gun positions on the summit.
• The two-way view - open sea on both the Caribbean and Atlantic sides.
• The Nelson association - the tradition that he watched for smugglers from here.
• Montserrat - the neighbouring island visible on clear days.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the clearest views. Morning is cooler for the climb. Cloud can sit on the hill.

Honest expectations

The path is steep, overgrown in places and poorly marked. The ruins are fragmentary and there is no interpretation. The Nelson connection is tradition rather than documented fact.

Nearby

Gingerland is below, and Montpelier is northwest.