MAINE COAST & North East corner road trip

HOW TO GET THERE

The main purpose of this trip is to experience some of the best of the coast and nearby places in the North Eastern corner of the United States. We flew into Boston, and then headed up towards the top of the Maine coast with just a couple of overnight stops. You could head up rapidly in about 5 hours but it would be a shame to miss out on some of the places and sights you can enjoy along the way up there.

ROUTE

BOSTON (MA)

Boston is a destination in its own right, and at the end of the trip are some suggestions for a stop there of 2/3 nights.

DANVERS (MA)

From the airport it’s about a half hour drive out to Danvers, where we had a 1 night stop. This is a quiet and pretty town with a perhaps unexpected link to a major event in American history. The town was originally called Salem village like the town its namesake 5 miles away. A local woman was tried and executed in the famous witch trials in 1692, and you can visit her preserved home, the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers. Continuing into Salem Town itself there are plenty of interesting buildings and the impressive Peabody Essex museum which has art and objects from all over the world, including a rebuilt Qing-era Chinese house.

DANVERS (MA). - 17th c. Rebecca Nurse Homestead

PORTLAND (ME)

Headed out of Danvers, you're going to visit the beautiful Cape Ann, which is the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. This has pretty coastal countryside, some nice beaches and the fishing towns of Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-sea. This area is very popular with Bostonians and has for a long time been a magnet for artists. Taking local road 133 you'll join up with Interstate 95 for a couple of hours journey on to Portland, Maine.

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA (MA)

Portland is the largest city in Maine. We had 1 night stop here.The major attraction is the Old Port area with its cobbled streets, 19th century buildings and fishing piers - you can have a nice walk around here before your onward journey.

BAR HARBOR (ME)

You're on Interstate 295 then the 95 for the next part of your journey of 2 hours or so. This run is pleasant enough but the scenery is only really notable once you turn off the freeway at Bangor and drive for another hour along local roads into Bar Harbor. We stayed for 3 nights in the town.

Bar Harbor is a small, very tourist oriented town with all the facilities you may require. The main attraction is the rock coastline and hilly countryside of Acadia National Park. Hikers are well catered for on the well maintained trails that evidence the skilful engineering that was financed by Rockefeller in the construction of what were originally carriage roads.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - Coast view from Cadillac Mountain

Although there are large numbers of people on the loop road most do not venture far and there is plenty of space to enjoy the park. Cadillac Mountain offers great views up the coast. An extended drive off the loop road takes you to Bass Harbor and then on to the iconic Bass Point with its much photographed lighthouse.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK - Bass Point Lighthouse

STONINGTON (ME)

Although its only a short way down the coast the geography of the coast makes for an hour and a half drive to the scenic little fishing village of Stonington.

STONINGTON

This is a lovely drive along quiet roads onto Deer Isle, crossing a series of small islands by a suspension bridge and causeways. Just before you get to your destination there is a must see attraction - the quirky 'Nellieland' sculpture park created by Peter Beerits. This is part scrapyard and part reconstructed colonial frontiertown, a testimony to the imagination and skill of the sculptor. Accompanying the sculpture park is “Nervous Nellie's” tearoom and shop selling homemade jam and other wares.

Stonington has a very lively working harbor and all the basic amenities for an enjoyable overnight stop.

DEER ISLE - Peter Beerits Sculpture Park

ROCKLAND (ME)

Rockland is a straight 2 hour drive from Stonington but along the way there are stop offs you need to take at Belfast to take the harborfront walk and see the historic maritime architecture, and at Camden to see the pretty marina. We stayed for just one night in Rockland.

CAMDEN Marina

FREEPORT (ME)

Travelling on to Freeport it’s a straight drive of 1.5 hours but we stopped off for an extended break with a walk round Boothbay Harbor, a very pretty resort town, and to visit the Coastal Maine botanical gardens. Here there are nice trails with beautiful plants and sculptures.

BOOTHBAY - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Of course you'll want time on the day, or the following day, to visit the outlet malls at Freeport, including the famous LL Bean Store.

PORTSMOUTH (NH)
Its just over an hour's driving to get to Portsmouth for your next overnight stop but a short diversion to Perkins Cove will allow you to enjoy a visit to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. This has a stunning location on the coast with a sculpture park. In the galleries there are an interesting selection of exhibitions by local and international artists.

PERKINS COVE - Ogunquit Museum of Art & Sculpture Park

In Portsmouth you have the Harbor Trail with 70 historic sites, and the Strawbery Banke museum covering the oldest settled area of New Hampshire, with 37 restored buildings.

PORTSMOUTH - Strawbery Bank museum: Goodwin Mansion

MYSTIC (CT)

The drive down bypassing Boston to your next stop at Mystic, Connecticut, will take 2.5 hours. However, your best plan would be to take stops during the drive through Rhode Island at both Providence and at Newport. A walk down Providence's Benefit Street will allow you to view some of the 100 historic houses along its length. We also visited the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design whilst in Providence. Arriving at Newport you can enjoy a lovely walk along the cliff that starts at Memorial Boulevard and passes some of the most impressive mansions in the United States.

NEWPORT (R.I.) - The Breakers - The Vanderbilt Mansion

We stopped by at the Vanderbilt mansion at The Breakers which is open for public viewing and has a fantastic interior, and then headed a little way inland to see Kingscote mansion which also has a lovely interior.

We visited the Mystic Seaport museum on the following morning. This is the largest maritime museum in the United States, recreating a 19th century seafaring village with 60 re-sited and restored buildings, and a number of historic ships including 4 that are designated National Historic Landmarks.

MYSTIC (CT) - Seaport Museum

NEW HAVEN (CT)

Continuing on along the coast you'll soon come to the town of Old Lyme on the Connecticut River, which is home to the Florence Griswold Museum, showing an impressive display of American Impressionist works. The site has 12 acres of historic buildings and nice gardens and walking trails.

OLD LYME (CT) - Florence Griswold museum

Moving on for your overnight stay at New Haven, the main attraction awaiting you is the famous and impressive Yale University. You'll need to join a tour to gain access to some of the area and buildings. This is of course one of the premier universities in the USA, with many historic connections to events and people.

NEW HAVEN - Yale University

NORFOLK (CT)

Headed away from New Haven you're going into rural Connecticut with some lovely countryside and pretty towns. Its worth lingering in Litchfield and walking some of the streets with their well preserved buidings and well kept grounds. This is where you will find the oldest law school in the USA, the Tapping Reeve house. Continuing on to the little town of Kent you'll find art galleries and craft shops, and outside the town is the Kent Falls State Park which has a short hike up to view the falls. You'll probably need a further overnight stop somewhere in the Norfolk area before your journey back to Boston.

NORFOLK(Conn) - Infinity Hall 19th c. opera house & concert hall

BOSTON (MA)

A straight run back to Boston will take around 2.5 hours. Staying in the central area will mean you can easily walk round the main historic sites and harbour areas. Start with a day following the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail, which includes the State House and the Cemetry

BOSTON - State House

where many historic figures are buried and some interestingly carved gravestones adorned with a skull and crossbones can be found. When you get down to the harbour you will probably want to visit the USS Constitution, the oldest ship in the US Navy,built in

BOSTON - USS Constitution

1797 - but don’t forget your passport or other photo ID as otherwise you won’t get past security screening. You will probably also want to spend a full day across the river in Cambridge, including a visit to Harvard University and one or two of its museums. For 360 degree views of the City and surrounding areas, head to the Prudential Tower Skywalk Observatory.

Have a Safe journey home!

UZBEKISTAN - Central Asia’s Silk Road

Travelling along the Central Asian section of the ancient trading routes between China and Europe. Visiting the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip, covering religious buildings, fortifications, bazaars and the scientific and cultural aspects of the country. (Picture shows Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand ) HOW TO GET THERE We travelled as a couple with a personalised itinerary provided by the tour company Avantour ( based in Tashkent), who booked our hotels, rail tickets, guides and drivers for our journey. We flew from Manchester (U.K.) with a connecting flight from Istanbul to Tashkent. ROUTE Headed out from Tashkent we went to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva then flew out from Urgench to Istanbul and then back to Manchester. TASHKENT Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the biggest city in Central Asia. Most of the old buildings in the city were destroyed by the earthquake of 1966, a...

NORWAY - Fjords & Northern Lights

Travelling on the Coastal Ferry - headed all the way up through the Norwegian Fjords, crossing the Arctic Circle to the far North Eastern corner of Norway, close to the border with Russia. This is a 12 day round trip, catching sight of the Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis). Route of Havila Cruise with stops from/to Bergen How to get there There are plenty of options to get to the starting point at Bergen. However there is only really one way of seeing the fjords, which is by boat. Various cruise companies operate part of the main routes but only 2 run the route of the old ‘mailboat’ connecting the cities,towns and villages along the coast. Before 2021 only Hurtigruten ran this service, but there is now a major rival - the Havila Krysruten line. Havila built a brand new fleet of 4 ferry/small cruise ships which are excellently equipped to high hotel standards. These ships are powered by low emission engines. These are very quiet with no smelly fumes. The engine includes a...

JAPAN - Central Cities train trip

Japan is a wonderful blend of the ancient and ultra-modern. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip - fabulous gardens, temples and cultural highlights linked by super smooth fast bullet trains. Visiting the major cities of Central Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Okayama and Kanazawa - together with trips out to the Nikko National Park and Naoshima Island. (Picture shows Garden at Nishio Yatsuhashi-no-Sato restaurant , Kyoto) HOW TO GET THERE We arrived at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. For this trip we used the services of a travel company - for a number of reasons. As you may know from other posts we have usually made all our own travel arrangements because we enjoy tailoring trips to our own tastes. The Japan trip took us outside our usual comfort zone because we have no language skills at all in Japanese. We also wanted to make the most of our time on the trip rather than having to navigate all the connections and bookings befo...

GUATEMALA - Mayan and Spanish Colonial heritage.

HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Guatemala City, and then made the journey to and from Flores by plane. All other journeys were by minibus or taxi, apart from boating on Lake Atitlan. As an alternative arrival you could take a Pullman Coach Bus to Antigua out of Copan Ruinas in Honduras that takes about 7 hours if you want to make this part of a longer Central American trip. (See the separate post on Nicaragua and Copan Ruinas.) You will need to check for the current health restrictions that may be in place for your arrival in Guatemala. ROUTE WHERE TO GO SAFELY Guatemala does not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check your own Government's travel advisory page for the latest updates. Most criminal activity is not aimed at tourists but attacks have happened. Although this should not put you off, you need to be aware and take precautions. There are issues about where and when you shouldn't go to particular places, but you will...

SINGAPORE & BORNEO short break/stopover

SINGAPORE - MacRitchie Reservoir Park WHERE TO? HOW LONG? You may be on your way somewhere else, or need to make the most of your precious time with a short break. Many travellers spend just one night in Singapore, but if you plan to stay a little longer you will have a great opportunity to savour what this part of the world has to offer. That’s why the suggestion here is for a lengthier stay, including a short break on the nearby larger island of Borneo. SINGAPORE Singapore is built on trade and is now the 2nd busiest port in the world. Singapore is where many of the world’s civilisations meet up in a jungle setting. SINGAPORE DOWNTOWN The Downtown area is concentrated around the mouth of the Singapore River. Few cities offer as many cultural influences in such a tight space - Little India, Chinatown, the Arab Quarter and the British Colonial District. All of these areas are easily accessible on foot. Not to be missed: The Arab Quarter’s fine clot...

ANCIENT THAILAND - A slow rail trip

THAILAND - A slow rail trip through Ancient Cities. Rail travel - what’s not to like? Take it nice and slow with overnight stops and linger in some fantastic ancient cities on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Pictured SUKHOTHAI - Historical Park HOW TO GET THERE Coming from outside Thailand you'll need to fly into Bangkok unless you're coming overland from elsewhere in Asia, in which case you could start in Chiang Mai and just do the rail trip. There is also an overnight sleeper train that does the journey between Bangkok and Chiang Mai in 15 hours if you prefer to do that rather than the domestic flight. ROUTE This is mainly a rail trip, with a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai at the beginning. Both of these cities feature heavily in the itinerary for the trip and are properly destinations in their own right. The additional main features of the trip are on the rail journey between the two major cities, visiting the towns of Phitsanulok and Lop Buri...

CHILE- Central Cities and Lake District tour

VALPARAISO HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Santiago via Miami on an overnight flight. We managed to get a good deal on our flights with Latam , the Chilean carrier, for all the domestic stops and the international journey by selecting the multi-city option when booking on their internet site. Much of this trip is by plane, with bus/taxi transfers on the short journey legs. You'll need about 3 weeks to do this trip at the leisurely pace we chose, although you could do it in 2 weeks if you cut down the number of nights in some of the locations. ROUTE: SANTIAGO We opted to stay in the Providencia area, with metro links into the centre, good accommodation and dining facilities nearby. This is a short walk from the Sculpture Park which is set on the banks of the Mapocho river. On the way back you’ll pass by or pop in to the Costanera Center - the largest shopping mall in South America with large food halls. SANTIAGO - Providencia Sculpture Park Early on in our stay we t...

PORTUGAL (North) - Historic towns ,cities and the green (verde) region

Take the trip heading out of Northern Spain to the remote mountainous Verde (Green) region of Portugal, and travel back via the historic towns and cities of Braganza, Guimares, Braga, Santiago de Compostela and Gijon. Photo shows Braganza - the Citadel HOW TO GET THERE We completed this trip with a car and towed caravan*. The main loop of the trip inside Spain and then into Portugal could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Headed to Portugal from the UK or Northern Europe you have plenty of options on land routes and stops on the way across France. Alternatively there are ferries into Santander and Bilbao from the UK. We took three weeks to complete the main trip loop, and a further week in total on the outward and return journeys across France taking the ferry from Newhaven(UK) to Dieppe(F). * please see notes on travelling with a caravan or motorhome underneath the header 'Caravanning' next ...

MEXICO - Spanish colonial heritage

GUANAJUATO - night view HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Mexico City. We travelled around on buses or took local taxis/other transport options. The inter-city buses are the Pullman/Executivo type with massive legroom and reclining seats. As we had pre-booked all our accommodation and knew our departure dates we bought our onward coach tickets at each arrival point after leaving Mexico City. ROUTE This is a tour focused on the Spanish colonial cities to the north and west of the capital. WHERE TO GO SAFELY We were fortunate to have a contact in Mexico who offered to have a look at our itinerary before we finalised our plans and booked accommodation. We were advised not to go to destinations in our original plan that were further north and on the west coast as they were not deemed to be so safe. All the places on our route were safe, and the people were very friendly and helpful. Parts of Mexico do not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check...

CROATIA/SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour

A road trip starting out from the Northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland. Germany and Austria into Slovenia and then Croatia. Including visits to Lake Bled, the Istria peninsula, Split, Zagreb, Ljubljana and the Plitvice Lakes. Photo shows: ROVINJ, CROATIA HOW TO GET THERE We started on our journey to Slovenia/Croatia from the ferry terminal at the Hook of Holland, because we were travelling with our caravan* (towed) from the UK. The main loop of the trip inside Slovenia/Croatia could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. If you're not intending to travel across Holland, Germany & Austria please see the Route 2. map below and then jump forward in the itinerary to the section on the Slovenia/Croatia loop starting at Lake Bled. If you do the whole trip this will take you about 6 weeks, with 3 weeks just for the loop inside Slovenia/Croatia which is 960 miles plus mileage for side trip...

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