Woodstock VT to Great Barrington, MA

WHAT WE DID

We rejoined Route 100 and kept heading south, then followed 8 down through North Adams, Pittsfield and Stockbridge to Great Barrington.  Again it was an easy, scenic, interesting drive, though Pittsfield came a bit of a sensory shock after the bucolic countryside we had become used to.

We stayed at The Briarcliff Motel.  This was outstanding!  Richard and Clare are such amazing attentive hosts!!!  The accommodation is simple, stylish, comfortable.  The complimentary continental breakfast is excellent with lots of homemade and local selections.  Highly recommended!!!!!

We had a built in sightseeing day in the Berkshires and Richard and Clare were very helpful with multiple suggestions.  We are both avid readers so our sightseeing took us back into Vermont to Bennington for Robert Frost’s grave (and Stone House Museum which was closed for the season).  At the Bennington   Museum there was a wonderful Grandma Moses exhibition as well as other interesting historical sections. On our return trip we stopped at Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s home (also closed for the season).  Our sightseeing drive wound its way through many back roads so that we visited Stockbridge, Lenox, Lee and Williamstown.

The first night we were here we ate at the Barrington Brewery.  And the only drawback was that it was so enjoyable that we ate here again the second night (yes, we should have been more adventurous! Especially as it was not quite as good the second time.)

www.thebriarcliffmotel.com

http://www.barringtonbrewery.net/

http://scoopshops.benjerry.com/scoopshops/pittsfield/default.aspx

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

We weren’t enticed by anywhere in Woodstock to have breakfast before we left.  Big mistake.  Ohhhhh I need a strong coffee to start the day and there was a scarcity of places to stop.

Our second visit to the Barrington Brewery was not quite as good (very busy so maybe that had an impact on the quality) Yes, we should have been more adventurous!

It might have made sense to have changed our route south : from Wilmington head west on 9 to Bennington and then south on 7 (as you can see in the “what we did” in a way we doubled back on our tracks on our sightseeing day … but then again, we did it at a slow no-rush pace).  This would have meant that our sightseeing day could have headed off in a different direction (more of the Berkshires? The Litchfield Hills? Across to the Catskills?). 

Loved our stop here … and we never got to check out all those covered bridges, Clare!! So I wouldn’t hesitate to add an extra night here … there was a lot of exploration to be done and the Briarcliff is an excellent base!

North Conway NH to Woodstock VT

WHAT WE DID

Breakfast before we left North Conway was at Peaches.  The less said the better … very meagre servings (though maybe that was a good thing given the quality of the ham and the overcooked eggs) and poor service (there were only 2 tables to look after but they were busy doing their books) … it think it wins most disappointing breakfast of the trip. 

We had the Kancamagus allllll to ourselves!  (well, maybe we saw about a dozen other cars along the way … but no moose).  It was easy to see that we had missed something spectacular with Fall colour… and hard not to say “I wish …. “ but it was still beautiful.  And I guess without all those showy leaves in the way, we got to notice the little streams, the rocky outcrops, the rolling vistas ….

Our shortened stay in North Conway meant that we didn’t have our free day of sightseeing, the day we had planned to leisurely do the Kanc etc. This meant that we needed to change our exit route to via the Kancamagus, then 112 and 302 to Route 100. 

One of my Internet references was “US scenic Byways” and its suggested route south is via 5 & 10 on the Connecticut River Byway.  Have no idea what we missed, but TA advice put Route 100 firmly in our plans. It was everything we wanted. 

We loved Vermont … different to, but as beautiful as, the Maine coast.  Route 100 was an easy, varied and scenic drive.  Woodstock was a beautiful township – everything from a town green to a covered bridge.  If you look up “picturesque” in a dictionary, don’t be surprised to find a picture of Woodstock accompanying the definition!  We also did a short scenic detour to Quechee State Park.

We stayed in Woodstock at the Braeside Motel.  Not a fond memory.  The room had an abiding cloying smell of deodoriser (the makings of a headache for me! but at least the windows opened for fresh air) and the bathroom was in need of a makeover (why, oh why, do they have those low kiddy height toilets???).  Nice bed, quiet location.

http://peachesnorthconway.com/index.html

http://byways.org/explore/byways/2458/travel.html

http://byways.org/explore/byways/2256/travel.html

www.braesidemotel.com

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Obviously we would choose somewhere else for breakfast.

And we would choose Fall Fall Fall … we would love to be there for peak colour!!!

One thing I would love to change about quite a few of the scenic routes we took would be to put in a few pullovers.  There were times we would have loved to stop for photos, or even do a u-turn to go back and check something out and there was nowhere suitable for manoeuvring.

We would have preferred to stick to the original plan : North Conway to Littleton via 302, on to Stowe via 15 then down Route 100.  But then we would have missed the Kanc.  And only being allowed one designated driver, heading north on I-93 from Lincoln to Littleton to match into this planned route would have made it a long day’s drive for one.

Oh … and I would change not seeing a moose … I looked hard, but never spotted one!

North Conway NH

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WHAT WE DID

We followed I-99 to Lewiston then headed inland via Naples and Bridgton to North Conway.  Not an overly exciting drive for the most part … an Interstate, so can’t expect much.  But given that it wasn’t great driving weather, it was a pleasantly uneventful trip.

We stayed at the Golden Gables.  A bit like the Interstate … pleasantly uneventful.  As was North Conway. But I would like to thank the management of the Golden Gables for allowing a late change to our booking due (one less night).  The room was fine and in the block away from road noise and I loved accommodation where you could open the windows and not be stuck with air-con.

We did a little sightseeing and a little shopping in the North Conway area.  That night we had an outstanding meal at the Moat Mountain Brewery.  The serves were great value and absolutely enormous!  We had more than enough to have leftovers as a picnic lunch the next day!!  Breakfast before we left was at Peaches.  The less said the better … very meagre servings (though maybe that was a good thing given the quality of the ham and the overcooked eggs) and poor service (there were only 2 tables to look after but they were busy doing their books) … it think it wins most disappointing breakfast of the trip.  

www.goldengablesinn.com

http://moatmountain.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

The preplanned route was to go via I-95 to Augusta then head in via Bethal and Gorham and then south on Route16 to North Conway.  With two drivers (about 5 hours without stops) and with good weather it would have been doable.

North Conway wasn’t “us” … or at least the section where we were wasn’t.  Strip malls.  Yes, bigger and better strip malls … but still strip malls!  And, while I can understand that this makes it an attractive destination for some, it wasn’t our ideal stop.  I would look at Jackson as an alternative place to stay.

I was really disappointed that we only got one night in the White Mountains making it virtually an overnight stopover rather than a sightseeing base.  I was looking forward to Mt Washington, Franconia Notch, Bretton Woods etc.  It was unfortunate that Sandy made us err on the side of caution, but we got off lightly.

  

http://www.thecog.com/

http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/start-your-adventure/

Bar Harbor ME

        

WHAT WE DID
We stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn in the oceanfront lodge.  Bliss!  A stunning view.  An expanse of lawn, the ocean front walk … and then fishing boats, lobster floats, islands, sunsets, cruise liners … and a very close visit by a bald eagle.  The complimentary breakfast was very good.

During our stay we ate at (will do full reviews on TA)

Jordan Pond House : I didn’t come away a fan of the famous popovers … erk!

Side Street Café : haphazard service, ho hum food

The Thirsty Whale : good fun, good value, good service, good food – especially those fried pickles!!!

The Reading Room :good service, but generally not impressed, food was ordinary

Morning Glory Bakery : If only we had found it sooner!!  Excellent coffee and food

Havanas : If only we could do it all over again … and again … and again.  Our waiter had to be the best I have ever had … he was so passionate about the food he was serving.  The mojito was the best ever … quality ingredients and superbly made.  The food was excellent, outstanding, delicious.  The owner was interested in customer satisfaction.  Oh??!!  Did I mention that we loved our meal here!!  A perfect night out (an added extra was the horse drawn wagon that kept passing by with loads of kids in Halloween costume)

Grindstone Neck : a wonderful selection of take away gourmet foods

Arcadia National Park still had plenty of colour and not many tourists so we almost had it to ourselves (there has to be some small advantage to missing out on things like the carriage rides …. Sighhhh).  We went through the park multiple times on just about every day that we were there, stopping in different sections for short walks.  We have some good before & After photos of the storm surge created by “Sandy”. We also went to the part of the park on the Schoodic Peninsular as well as driving all around Mt Desert Island.

www.barharborinn.com

http://www.thejordanpondhouse.com

http://www.sidestreetbarharbor.com/

http://www.thirstywhaletavern.com

http://www.barharborinn.com/dining.html

http://www.morningglorybakery.com/

http://www.havanamaine.com

http://www.grindstoneneck.com

http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

I think I set aside too much time for Bar Harbor, given the time of year and with so much “closed for the season”.  And then we added an extra night to our stay so that we could keep an eye on where “Sandy” was going to make landfall, how much flooding might come with it, if roads would be closed because of debris, etc. 

I had planned Campobello as a day trip (FDR is one of DH’s political and polio heroes!), but once at Bar Harbor, and with only one designated driver, we realised that this would be too much of a rushed there-and-back-again drive.  In hindsight, maybe we would have spent a night up that way before doubling back to the White Mountains.

We should (and we are still kicking ourselves!) have found out about bike hire when we arrived.  So many things were already closed and the courtesy bus had stopped running … we made an assumption, without checking, that bike hire would be out of the question.  For all we know it was … but after it was too late, when the weather had changed for the worse, we noticed the bike shop was open!  We should have checked - those carriage trails looked so beautiful! And we had fairly good weather for our first few days.

And we should have eaten at Havana’s much, much earlier in our visit … so that we could eat there again and again!  And we shouldn’t have assumed that The Reading Room would be the “special” place for our last night (it was also my birthday!!) … when we could have been at Havana’s.

Portland ME to Bar Harbor ME

WHAT WE DID

Our route was to Freeport via I-295, then US-1 to Bar Harbor.  Just plain beautiful.  I thought Day 1 coast was great, and things just kept getting better!! Everything you could expect … but more than you expected!

Of course, we stopped at L. L. Bean!  (My Maine ship’s bell windchime is sounding as I type this!) And then it was a slow scenic coastal & small town drive.  We stopped at Damariscotta for an outstanding coffee in an excellent bookshop (Maine Coast Bookshop & Café). We had perfect weather and clear views for our detour on the Mt Battie Auto Road.  Lunch was possibly my favourite of the trip!  Ahhhhh! Young’s Lobster Pound at Belfast!!! (I shall do a TA review later … but right now I will just sit and think about that lobster for a while .   .  .  .   .   .  mmmmmm, yum)  And I should mention DH’s scallops were also amazing!

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/1000001704

http://www.mainecoastbookshop.com/

http://www.stateparks.com/camden_hills.html

http://youngslobsterpound.webs.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Hard to say … Maybe an extra night on the coast getting from Portland to Bar Harbor as we loved all those coastal town.  And maybe it would work taking this extra night coming south from Bar Harbor before heading inland to the White Mountains.  One thing we did miss was going up to the Observatory on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge as we were getting tired of the drive, so an extra night and extra travelling time would allow this to be fitted in.

http://www.maine.gov/mdot/pnbo/