Lyn and I would really appreciate your help on this leg of our New England trip. On Saturday 3rd October 2009 we plan to drive from Boston to Bar Harbor. We aim to leave about 9:00am and we would hope to arrive at Bar Harbor about 18:00pm.
We were hoping to make a few stops along the way and were thinking of having a look around Salem, Kittery and Portland.
The tentative route that I was looking at is:-
Boston – Salem - via Rt 107 – 15 miles – about a half an hour
Salem to New Hampshire Turnpike – via I95 – 33 miles – about 40 minutes
New Hampshire Turnpike to Ashworth by the Sea – via RT 107 – 8 miles – about 10 minutes
Ashworth by the Sea to Wallis Sands – via Ocean Boulevard – 10 miles - about 25 minutes
Wallis sands to Kittery – via HWY 1 over Draw Bridge – 7 miles – 20 minutes
Kittery to Portland – via I95 – 55 miles - about 1 hour
Portland to Bar Harbor – via US Rt 1 – 170 miles – 3 hours 20 minutes
Total Mileage – 311 miles – 6.25 hours. This potentially could give us 3 hours for mooching around Salem, Kittery and Portland
I realise that I am not going the direct route but I just thought it would be nice to try and drive along Ocean Boulevard and US Rt 1 right next to the ocean. However, over 6 hours in the car may be too much even for us.
Your opinions on this route would be very much appreciated
Regards
Ray
Is this possible or rediculous
SomersetBoy-
A large chunk of this trip is really in ME rather than NH, and I like to schedule stuff during our trips but holy cow partner you are right down the the minute.
With NH only having about 50 miles of shoreline and the absolutey beauty of the ME seacoast, you may want to concentrate your ';visit'; along US Route 1. Which by the way is a beautiful ride almost anywhere along the its route down the Atlantic seaboard. I have seen alot of seacoast with 24 years of Naval service behind me now, but absolutely nothing compares to the ME coast line or the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia - My humble opinion, and I am married to a Nova Scotian, so a bias is present.
Portsmouth is not listed on your places to stop, and should be considered if you can fit it into the ';schedule.'; I am picking on you a bit here, you are suppose to be visiting and relaxing too, correct?
I fear that if you have never been through this region, your going to see many things from the windsheild and never get to stop and smell the roses. Do you and Lyn have a prefrence for things to see and do?
Travel Well!
Tazman
Is this possible or rediculous
Hi Tazman
I hear what you are saying - we have built in days to smell the roses honestly - you are not the first to have mentioned this. Its just that this is one of our longest trips and I want to make it as enjoyable as possible.
I%26#39;m not really that precise about the planning - I know it sounds as though I%26#39;m planning a military operation - its not really like that - I%26#39;m just trying to get a feel of what is realistic and also have one or two places to visit up my sleeve when Lyn has had enough of sitting in the passenger seat and runs out of her own ideas (not likely I have to say).
Honestly we have a great time - it sounds worse than it is.
Thanks for you input - much appreciated.........Uhmmm Nova Scotia - Lyn where%26#39;s our map gone? lol
Take care
Ray
I would leave Salem and stick to the interstate I95 until you reach Maine. Once in Maine get off in Kittery and take Rte 1 through York, Ogunquit Kennebunkport, Portland up to Freeport.
If shopping is what you are looking for I find Freeport a lot nicer than Kittery. The only thing I like in Kittery is the Trading Post. Freeport is more walker friendly whereas Kittery is more like driving shopping plaza to shopping plaza. They have a lot of the same outlets in Freeport plus it%26#39;s home to LL Bean. It could take you hours just to look through there.
If at anytime you have had enough and you just want to get to Bar Harbor you should be able to hop right back onto the interstate 95.
I don%26#39;t really think that 3 hours will be enough time to take in everything. I%26#39;d stop off for one night somewhere. Maybe book a place around Freeport then you%26#39;d be able to see southern Maine before you head north. It really is a beautiful area. I don%26#39;t get the impression that you want to see everything but you shouldn%26#39;t be so rushed that you don%26#39;t get to eat a nice lunch or stop at some cute little shops. That would be more relaxing.
Whatever you decide will be great. Enjoy your trip to New England.
Oh btw I loved your comment about the map...that was funny.
My avatar is from the lighthouse in Portland Maine. Check it out if you get a chance.
Thank you so much for your comments - am I glad I asked you first - I think I was about to make a big mistake.
I think I was expecting something like highway 1 along the California coast where you can see the Pacific all the way.
Ok big revision - as Lyn nearly strangled me last night because I said that I think we should skip Salem - what I think we%26#39;ll now do is leave Boston earlier say 8:00am - spend the morning in Salem and then get on the I95 and drive well into Maine and cut across to Belfast for the run in to Bar Harbor.
We%26#39;ll either have lunch in Salem or stop somewhere nice along the way.
That seems to make more sense - we will miss all of those quaint Maine coastal towns but I supposed we will get our fill at Bar Harbor
Many thanks
Ray
That sounds like a good plan. I have traveled the Pacific coast hwy and our Rte 1 isn%26#39;t like that. You do get water views but nothing like California. You could easily skip all those small Maine towns and get your fill as you get closer to your destination.
SB
I really am fascinated that everyone from the UK wants to visit Salem. I would be interested if you could tell me if Salem has a great ad campaign or if there are other reasons. Having grown up just outside Boston and still visiting quite often, I will visit Rockport, Gloucester and drive up thru Ipswich and Essex but I have never spent any time in Salem.
I guess it is not as big a deal to skip these towns as you will be visiting other great harbor towns like BH. Have a great trip.
I have to agree that Salem is wayyy overrated as a vacation destination. Be prepared for lots of traffic getting into and out of Salem , if you really must go there. If I were going to visit someplace on the northshore it would be Newburyport and Plum Island, right off 95, easy access, quaint little town.
NH has only 18 miles of shoreline. Skip Ashworth by the sea. Hampton is way overrated as well. That said, however, Ocean Blvd is breathtaking and the Beach Plum has the best ice cream!
Enkopy your trop..and if you can fit Portland , maine in, that is a nice city to visit.
Just so you know the scenic drive part where you%26#39;re thinking of going along Ocean Boulevard straight up to Kittery, Maine is WELL worth it, trust me. New Hampshire%26#39;s coastline is only 17 miles long, it%26#39;s breathtaking %26amp; believe it or not, some parts of it were on a TV commercial and people thought it was Newport, Rhode Island, but it wasn%26#39;t, it was Rye Beach, NH. Where you%26#39;re starting it near the Ashworth By The Sea Hotel is basically at the beginning of this scenic, panoramic ocean drive with the gorgeous coastal vistas along the rocky coast of Rye Beach %26amp; New Castle, you need to definitely do this, it%26#39;s incredible to start there for Maine, we do it all the time, it%26#39;s awesome.
As you drive from that point up the coast (north route 1-A) you%26#39;re going to see some stunning estates along the coast. You%26#39;ll head toward Rye Beach then New Castle where you%26#39;ll have to follow this road around the rotary (roundabout) which is just after the Odiorne State Park a ways; following it around to the right where you%26#39;ll see the signs for the Marriott%26#39;s Wentworth By The Sea Resort, GO there if you can for a cup of tea on their veranda, it%26#39;ll be worth it for you. It%26#39;s truly beautiful up thru New Castle. You really won%26#39;t regret this part of the drive at all. You can get to Kittery, Maine from there very easily and head right up to Bar Harbor from that point on as you can pick up the Maine Turnpike from this point on, it%26#39;s right there.
Absolutely check out Portland too on the way up. It%26#39;s that Portland Headlight (their lighthouse) that you have to see while driving through there %26amp; their beautiful park surrounding it, it%26#39;s great!
Just my two cents again...
Oops, 18 miles of New Hampshire coastline NOT 17, my typo mistake. The part where you start it is actually a few miles up from where it starts, but it%26#39;s the better part of it. You won%26#39;t have to start at the beginning of it, just keep heading north to really see the panoramic beauty of it. It%26#39;ll be well worth it for you to see this!
When I went to Pebble Beach, CA. %26amp; saw their coastline, yes it was quite a sight, with an amazing, incredible coastline, I loved seeing it all out there. Yet, I thought our estates along the NH coast were MUCH more stately %26amp; completely more exquisite compared to theres on the left coast. NH%26#39;s are more like Newport, Rhode Islands believe it or not. I%26#39;m sure that there%26#39;s were worth a huge fortune in California, but there%26#39;s just something about the older New England architecture that stands out more. You%26#39;ll see what I mean when you do this scenic drive along NH%26#39;s short coast.
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