Built in 1755 to act as a grand arrival to the Estate, it is listed Grade 1 for its historical importance.
The 18th century Fonthill Arch, the historic entrance to the Fonthill Estate lies only a mile or so off the A303 in Wiltshire. This lodge has been transformed into a characterful holiday cottage, run by the Beckford Arms which is a pub with rooms on the estate. If you look closely you will see a Green Man carved in the archway.
View of The Arch from within the estate
We were staying, not in this lodge, but in a delightful B&B just around the corner. On our first night we walked through this entrance into the Fonthill estate parkland for about a mile (25 mins walk) to the Beckford Arms for a meal.
Through the arch there is a lake on the left, a cricket pitch on the right. You are in a valley with not a single house in view, just trees and sheep and horses and glimpses of the lake.
The tranquil lake on the estate – sadly there is no public access to walk around it.The Arch – on the way back as the sun was setting.
[Leaf peepingis an informal term in the United States and Canada for the activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage in areas where leaves change colours in autumn, particularly in northern New England]
When I was teaching it meant holidays could only be taken during the school holidays when it was more expensive and busy. And I couldn’t tag on to the OH’s conferences either. Which is why during one October half term we decided to do a fly drive holiday to the eastern side of the USA and do a spot of leaf peeping.
Last views of the White Mountain NP
The last part of this autumn trip was to spend a few days on Cape Cod, south of Boston which meant about a 5 hour journey without stops, so pretty much the full day. We set off after breakfast and because I am never fond of doing the same route twice I decided to head down and around Lake Winnipesaukee which is the largest lake in New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is in a pretty stunning location and I would not say no to a holiday in one of the lakeside resorts there. Unfortunately the weather was much the same as yesterday with dark clouds and rain.
Colour around Lake Winnipesaukee
After briefly stopping to look at the lake views we continued south and joined the I93 at Tilton. As I mentioned earlier, Cape Cod is to the south of Boston, which means of course having to traverse the city. And that meant entering the tunnels. Where you have to keep your wits about you so that you don’t miss the turn off. Traffic speeds through these tunnels (though it is supposed to be restricted to 45mph) and having seen one car bounce off the central reservation just before entering them I was already a little nervous! Afterwards I’m not sure why I didn’t take alternative routes around the city!
Tunnels ahead
Leaving the interstate at Quincy we joined the Pilgrims Highway (3) which later becomes the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (6) leading to Sandwich where we had booked the The Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa for the next three nights. Sound familiar? Yes. It was the same Daniel Webster that the highway was named after which we took en route to Mount Washington.
Incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod and one of the oldest towns in the United States, settled by European immigrants nearly 150 years before the American Revolution. Another historic hotel this one dates from the 18th century, previously known as the Fessenden Tavern. Daniel Webster was a highly successful Boston lawyer who had a room booked at this Tavern from 1815 to 1851.
Duck Pond
Dexter Gristmill
Pumpkin display
To stretch our legs after the long drive we had a wander around the town admiring the architecture but as the light began to fade on a very dull day we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a well earned Margarita cocktail in the bar where I got into a lively conversation about a Red Sox game that was on the TV. The OH ushered me out before there was any blood shed.
[Leaf peepingis an informal term in the United States and Canada for the activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage in areas where leaves change colours in autumn, particularly in northern New England]
When I was teaching it meant holidays could only be taken during the school holidays when it was more expensive and busy. And I couldn’t tag on to the OH’s conferences either. Which is why during one October half term we decided to do a fly drive holiday to the eastern side of the USA and do a spot of leaf peeping.
On our final day in the White Mountains the weather was decidedly against us, so we headed north on another circular loop taking us through Jefferson to visit Stark, a very small and quiet place, where we would find another of the wonderful covered bridges that I was becoming quite obsessed with.
Stark covered bridge
Fall / Autumn colours
It’s not just Stark itself that makes the trip worth it, it’s all of the towns, scenic stops, bridges and bodies of water you come across on the drive through the New Hampshire mountains.
Lake Umbagog in the rain
After Stark we continued to Berlin and Errol over to the Umbagog Lake, hoping to find some colourful reflections.
You’ll come across many logging trucks in this region
After a brief stop we continued along the ME-26 into Maine and the Grafton Notch State Park, stopping off at Mother Walker Falls to stretch our legs.
Despite the weather it was an enjoyable day out. The roads around this area are well maintained and the views stunning. One last stop was in a rainy Jackson for, yes, you guessed it, another covered bridge.
Jackson NH covered bridge
Our last evening we drove down the road to a diner where I had nachos. I swear the plate I got could have fed a family of four, despite my best intentions the pile never seemed to go down! We had a fabulous stay in the White Mountains, but now it was time to head back to Boston and on to Cape Cod for the final part of this trip.
TRAVEL WORDS 