COASTAL MAIN BIKE/CAMPING TRIP, SUMMER 2005 

 

We took this one-way bike-camping trip in the summer of 2005, starting out from Bike New England in Ipswich, MA , and ending in Stonington, ME on the Penobscot Peninsula.   Average daily ride was about 50 miles.  Much of the first two days was on the well-marked Eastern Trail in New Hampshire, riding away from the coast.  In Maine, we enjoyed cycling out it's many coastal fingers, with great ocean views and lots of lighthouses.  Coastal Rt. 1 in the area around Camden was a pleasant surprise, with great shoulders .   We were greatly disappointed by the dangerous narrow winding roads near Stonington, in this otherwise beautiful tip of the Penobscot Peninsula.  There are, however, several roads leading to nearby Blue Hill more suited to on-road cycling.

 

Here's our daily itinerary:

Saturday     Ride from  Ipswich to Eliot Maine, northwest of Portsmouth  50 miles.  Camp at   Indian Rivers Campground, 3 Indian Rivers Rd. Eliot  ME  207-748-0844 .  This campground was sufficient, but nothing fancy.

 

Sunday  We rode from  Eliot to Old Orchard Beach, ME   45 miles.  Deb takes Amtrak back to Boston from Old Orchard Beach.  For a short 2 day trip, you can return on Amtrack to Boston.  Amtrak schedule:  http://www.thedowneaster.com/schedule.php  We enjoyed the Old Orchard Beach Campground 27 Ocean Park Road   Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064   Phone: 207-934-4477   relax@gocamping.com .  No reservations are needed for tent camping.

Monday   Ride from Old Orchard Beach to Freeport,  50 miles.  Camping at Recompence Shore Campground at Wolfe’s Neck Farm.   http://www.freeportcamping.com/ .  (207) 865-9307.   The campground is a wooded area down a dirt road from a farm, but we had a great site that looked right out into the bay.          

 

Tuesday    We rode  from Freeport to Damariscotta, 50 miles, an stayed for two nights at the  Lake Pemaquid Camping, Back Meadow Rd., Nobleboro, so that we could do a loop the next day on the Pemaquid Peninsula.  http://www.lakepemaquid.com/  207-563-5202   Email: lakepem@tidewater.net

Wednesday   We stayed at Lake Pemaquid and immensely enjoyed the  Pemaquid cycling loops, visiting shipyards, country stores, a nature center, and the lighthouse at the tip.  Check out the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site and Fort William Henry . 

 

Thursday  We continued along the Maine Coast, passing through the charming town of Rockville, and camping for the night at Camden Hills State Park.  

Friday  Today we rode from Camden Hills away from the crowded coastal section of Route 1, and returning  along the coast near Searsburg.   Camp for the night at Shady Oaks Campground in Orland for a total 53 mile ride.   

 

Saturday:  Ride 12 miles south on the Penobscot Peninsula to charming Blue Hill.  Continue on for another 10 miles to the Deer Isle Bridge (a long narrow arched bridge, but the traffic is fairly light at certain times of the day).  It's another 20+ miles to beautiful Stonington on the tip of Deer Isle.  I recommend extreme caution from  the bridge on,  since the roads on the Isle are narrow and twisting.  But you'll love camping at the Old Quarry Campground in Stonington, 130 Settlement Rd. about 5 miles north of town.  They have two campgrounds, each with 10 gorgeous tent sites, and offer outstanding kayaking experiences. 

  http://oldquarry.com/