A bicycle tour of coastal New England
Bike
New England offers six days of intermediate level cycling
throughout the beautiful
North Shore area that extends from Boston MA to Portsmouth,
NH. On your rides you'll take quiet forested roads to historic
villages, and ride along miles of rocky shorelines and white sand
beaches. We'll stay at two charming North Shore Inns, and enjoy
delicious group dinners together each evening. Daily rides
average 40 miles, with shorter and longer optons available. Van
support is provided only when essential, as our guides prefer to cycle
with their guests.
June 27-July 2, 2010 August 22-27, 2010, and September 12-17, 2010
Schedule
Sunday June 27:
Ipswich MA
Plan to arrive in time for 2:00 pm check-in at the Ipswich Inn in Ipswich MA, one of the oldest communities in New England. After fitting our bikes, we'll enjoy a 10 mile loop to Jeffreys Neck, where you'll havea panoramic view of Plum Island and Cape Ann. On our return we explore the streets of historic Ipswich. We'll have our first group dinner tonight at Theo's Restaurant in Ipswich.
Monday,
June 28:
Old Stone Walls and
Crane Beach
Today's ride takes us through a wooded and
sparsely populated area of Essex County where you'll find roads lined
with
stone walls, thanks to the labors of our farming settlers. We'll ride
along the Ipswich River, stopping in Topsfield and Boxford,
two charming Colonial-era villages.
Our ride today is 35 miles. After returning to
Ipswich,
you'll have the option of an extra 10 mile loop to Crane Beach. We'll enjoy a walk
along historic High St.
tonight on our way to Stone Soup Restaurant.
Tuesday, June 29:
Cape Ann and Salem Today we offer a very full day that visits two Cape Ann coastal communities and historic Salem. We first ride through Essex, an historic ship-building town, before taking a short break in Manchester By the Sea. Then we continue along the shore and have lunch in Salem, famous for the Salem witch trials. We'll take time for you to visit some of the town's attractions. Our route back to Ipswich takes us through Beverly (home of the colonial army's first navy fleet) and on through charming Hamilton before completing our 40 mile loop. Dinner tonight is at the always-popular Choate Pub in Ipswich. (We recommend the fried clams and a mug of Ipswich Ale.)
Wednesday,
June 30: Merrimack River
In the morning we check out of the inn and drive our cars and the Bike New England van just 15 miles to popular Newburyport and the Essex St. Inn, which will host us for the next two evenings. We'll get right on the bikes, setting out past historic sea captains' houses on Newburyport's High St. We'll soon be cycling for miles along the banks of the wide Merrimack River, crossing at the Rocks Village bridge and continuing along the other side of the river. A bike path from downtown Amesbury takes us to Lowell's Boat Shop, a national historic landmark and working museum. Dinner tonight is at the Grog in Newburyport. Today's ride is 35 miles, with extra distance options along the river.
Thursday
July 1: New Hampshire Coast
This
moring we head north to Portsmouth, NH, with a
gorgeous 30 miles along the Atlantic coast. On the way we'll pass
the historic Strawberry
Bank,
which tells the stories of the many generations who settled in the
Portsmouth, NH community. After lunch, we return to Newburyport
via New Hampshire back roads. The full ride today is an easy flat 50
miles, with van support available for the return from Portsmouth.
Dinner tonight is at
Joseph's Winter St. Cafe .
Friday July
2: Plum Island and the Great Salt Marsh
After breakfast we take the bike path out to Plum Island for a loop through the ParkerRiver Wildlife Sanctuary, a coastal haven for migrating sea birds. We'll ride through the Great Salt Marsh before returning to the Essex St. Inn in time for late moring checkout and farewells.
What's Included?
Price $1595 / person. Add $350 for single occupancy.
Lodging: 5 nights at inns in Ipswich and Newburyport MA. Sign up at Old Ipswich Tours
Meals: Continental breakfasts and full dinners are included in the tour price. We pay for our own lunches.
Rides: Rides generally start about 9 am. You will be led by local guides, including Bike New England owner Gordon Harris. Maps and cue sheets are provided for each ride. Van support is provided when needed. When possible, both guides generally ride out from the inn with participants, offering a short and long version each day.
Bike Rentals: Jamis Coda hybrid roadbikes with straight handlebars are available for $100 /week. Email tour director Gordon Harris to rent a bike.
Bicycle Shipping and rental: Assembly, transportation of your bikes is available for an additional charge.
Getting there: Ipswich is a few miles east of I-95 and is on the Commuter Rail, 30 miles north of Boston. Please let us know if you would like to be picked up at Boston's Logan Airport.
Click Here to inquire about this tour. No payment
necessary until your registration is confirmed.
or download the mail-in form
Read about cycling on the Massachusetts North Shore