Britain does not always get the weather right, but it absolutely nails the summer sporting calendar. Over a few golden weeks the country serves up tennis, cricket, and golf at the very highest level, often within a short train ride of one another. Last year I built a trip around exactly that, chasing the great British summer of sport from London out to the coast, and it turned into one of my favourite holidays in years. If you plan to follow … [Read more...]
A New Hampshire summer road trip: mountains, lakes, and the quiet charm of the Granite State
Some states shout for your attention. New Hampshire is not one of them, and that is exactly why I keep going back. Wedged between the crowds of Vermont's ski towns and the tourist machinery of coastal Maine, the Granite State just gets on with being quietly spectacular, and summer is when it does its best work. Last July I gave myself a loose week to drive a loop from the seacoast up into the White Mountains and back down through the lakes. I … [Read more...]
Top 5 Places For Summer Camping
Summer is here in full swing and there is no activity that will bring the family together like camping. Getting in the outdoors and connecting with nature will provide both you and your family with an experience that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. That being said, hitting the great outdoors isn’t just as easy as packing up the camping equipment and heading into the woods. No, you need the right destination in order to get the most … [Read more...]
Franconia Notch – an easy day trip from Boston
One of my favorite things to do when I used to live in Boston was to spend the weekend in one of the adjoining states. I'd load my car with my dog, grab a backpack and head out to either the Green Mountains in New Hampshire or the White Mountains in Vermont. Because the states in the US northeast are so small, getting there was all too easy. So when I visited Boston recently for a conference, I decided to extend my stay through the weekend and … [Read more...]
Hiking Mt. Zealand and The Bonds
Two nights. 21 miles. 5 summits. Mt. Katahdin has some stiff competition for the title of best hike in New England. There are a few route options for hitting all the Bonds, but the most common are starting from either the Zealand Trail parking area or the Lincoln Woods trail head and doing an out-and-back. There is also the option of doing a two-car traverse from either trail head. We chose the Zealand Trail out-and-back option mostly … [Read more...]
Backyard Bears in New Hampshire
Last week, we had the unexpected pleasure of discovering black bears in the Outer Banks. While our bear itch had been sufficiently scratched, when we heard a rumor that there had been recent bear sightings in and around our New Hampshire stomping grounds, it was a foregone conclusion that our weekend would include another bear safari. We drove in the direction of the rumored bear sightings, and came across a couple standing in their driveway. … [Read more...]
Sexy Vermont: 50 Shades of Green
Who would have guessed? But, as laid bare before me, Vermont is the sexiest state. Beyond its partially-trussed shoulders, and sensually curved back, beyond its juicy, succulent berries, Vermont is a place that emanates a pheromone that smells more pine than Axe. And yet it somehow manages to excite in ways unexpected. The favored car is not a Porsche, but rather a Subaru. The state color not hot pink, but forest green. It is more Von … [Read more...]
Meredith – New Hampshire
If you're at all familiar with the Lakes Region in New Hampshire, then chances are you know the town of Meredith. Or did know it. If you haven't visited the tiny little community on Lake Winnipesaukee in the past 20-plus years, chances are you wouldn't recognize the place. What was once a sleepy little mill town - where an asbestos factory once loomed and was mostly just a cut through to the White Mountains – is now a bustling tourist … [Read more...]
Norfolk a surprise of food, arts and other delights
For me, the best part of traveling has to be the delight of surprise, finding unexpected pleasures in places you thought you had a handle on, even if you haven't been there before. Norfolk, Virginia, provided that in a great, grand way on a recent trip I took there, as I found it a place with scenes of the culinary, arts and sports stripe. I'd gone thinking, perhaps as a stereotypically snooty Northerner, "Well, old, southern … [Read more...]
Rambling Through Quebec’s Eastern Townships
I was glad the bus was air conditioned as our group of eight drove on that hot July day, through Quebec's Eastern Townships - a part of Quebec famous for its tourist appeal. I was happy and content. Inside it was cool and comfortable and outside it was a scenic world. The countryside was covered with flowers, greenery as well as cultivated fields. At times we drove through rolling hills; at other times through flat and fertile landscape. As … [Read more...]