TRAVEL WORDS

Postcards from Around the World

Leaf Peeping in New England (7)

[Leaf peeping is 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.

We only had a couple of nights on Cape Cod as I had decided I would rather be closer to the airport on the Friday night for our Saturday flight back to the UK. There were so many building and roadworks around the airport I wasn’t taking any chances.

Cape Cod has always fascinated me. I don’t know whether it is the name or the shape of it looking like a scorpion tail, or the quaint villages, seafood shacks, lighthouses, ponds and miles of soft golden sandy ocean beaches and bays. Offshore islands like Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard just sound so romantic. And of course all those English place names!

Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. A classic Cape Cod beach with plenty of sand, dunes and gorgeous views of the sea.

So on the first day we simply headed all the way up the State Highway (6) to Provincetown. Stopping off at various landmarks and beaches along the Cape Cod National Seashore. Seeing a lot of the natural beauty of the region disappearing led President Kennedy to sign a bill in August of 1961 protecting forty-three thousand acres of space from Chatham to Provincetown and preserving it as a National Park.

First stop was the boardwalk at Sandwich which leads out to Cape Cod Bay.

Then it was in the car to explore. Coast Guard beach was our first stop and is actually the site of the first landing of the Mayflower! They didn’t hang out here long before realising they were somewhat north of Virginia, so seeking a safe settlement site near the Hudson River they headed back out to sea to set a course southeast. Once the ship became enmeshed in the shoals off the coast of the cape, though, they turned back north and found safe harbour at what is now known as Provincetown where they remained for a month before setting sail for the mainland where they established the Plymouth colony.

Old harbour life saving station and museum

On the second day we spent it mostly along the Massachusetts Route (28) again stopping off at various points before heading back up to Boston in the late afternoon.

Waquoit Bay is a public national estuary, which is typically used as a research reserve. It is a part of Nantucket Sound and is located on the southern shore of Cape Cod , in the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee.

***South Cape Beach State Park, Great Oak Rd., Mashpee.*** This 460-acre park has a beautiful barrier beach sheltering Waquoit Bay to go along with a pair of ponds, Sage Lot and Flat Pond along with many walking trails. The premier trail is the Dead Neck Trail which parallels the barrier beach and runs roughly a mile out to the shores of Waquoit Bay.

The weather wasn’t great on our first day though it improved towards the late afternoon and I think perhaps September would be a better month to visit this region when it’s not so busy with summer holidaymakers, but whilst the weather is still warm.

My final post of Cape Cod will be a look at Provincetown itself.

Words on Wednesday

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.

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.

Postcards from Around the World

Leaf Peeping in New England (6)

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.

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!

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

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.

A sign I still regret not having bought!

Wordless Wednesday

Postcards from Around the World

Leaf Peeping in New England (5)

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.

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.

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.

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.