The Rockefeller State Park Preserve was a popular spot for dog walkers and runners long before the pandemic gripped the Hudson Valley and almost everywhere else, but the crowds really started to arrive, especially at weekends, when strict limits were imposed on New Yorkers and others in the wake of the public health crisis. On Saturdays and Sundays, long lines of cars can be seen parked close to the entrances to the Preserve as people discover and explore the beauty spot on their doorstep.

If, like me, you crave a little solitude when you walk, it’s easy enough to avoid the crowds, not least because most visitors seem unaware of the prettiest spot of all just a mile or two away: Rockwood Hall. It’s a beautiful park, a place that offers a number of undemanding trails, some of which offer lovely views of the Hudson River. It’s also something of a palimpsest and walkers who pay attention to such things will see signs of what Rockwood Hall used to be. From the mid-1880s it was the site of one of the largest private homes in the United States, a 204-room mansion built by William Rockefeller with grounds landscaped by Olmsted. Nothing of the house remains today except a section of the foundations and some of the brick carriageways. The Rockefeller family donated the site to New York State in 1999, an act of generosity that allows people like me to enjoy some of the loveliest walks in the Hudson Valley.