This year, the Columbus Day holiday was wonderfully warm and sunny, with temperatures in the low 70s. For once, this was perfect for the activity we had planned – catching the train up to Poughkeepsie to walk across the Hudson river on an old railway bridge.

From the bridge, the views over the river and surrounding countryside were superb, and we were treated to glimpses of the leaves just starting to turn – this must be quite spectacular at peak foliage time.

On the western side of the river the trail continues along the old railway line for another mile or two, with side trails leading off into the hamlet of Highland. We wandered up the trail for a while, stopping on a handy bench to eat our picnic lunch, and then branched off to see what Highland had to offer. Almost everything in town seemed to be closed for the holiday, which was a shame, so after briefly admiring the charming architecture we looped back to the trail again.

Although there were plenty of people on the bridge itself there weren’t many of us on the land trail, which made it even more pleasant.

On the way across the first time we’d spotted an elevator dropping down to the riverfront, and decided to take that down on the way back. Waiting for the car to arrive, we had an ideal opportunity to see just how tall (not to mention fragile-looking) the bridge actually is…

And, a few moments later, looking back up it seemed higher still:

We finished the afternoon on the terrace of the Icehouse bar, enjoying both the drinks and the evening light on the bridge.