BERMUDA AND NEW ENGLAND IN SPRING - OGUNQUIT, ME

Monday 29 May 1995 Ogunquit, ME

We woke up early this morning because the blinds were thin and the sun rises about five up here at this time of the year. I was wearing my Lone Ranger mask, which helped a bit, but not a lot. We had bathed in the old enamel bath which had the most unusual drainage system I have ever seen and were dressed and packed by breakfast time. (we were not too keen on this, our second Bed ‘n’ Breakfast Inn. Like the one in Churchtown it was ‘quaint’ which seems to translate into ‘lacking modern amenities’. It had the old bath referred to with a light  fitting that gave off a curious dull green light in the bathroom – no shower – a very small black and white TV set – we didn’t know it was still possible to get those – Rab could barely manage to clamber into the bed which was so high off the floor. No carpets of course, just a couple of rugs – and no curtains. This experience cured us of quaintness and we used good class motels with all mod cons from this time on. )

Our picnic basket breakfast

Our meal was delivered in a picnic basket delivered to our door, promptly at 08.30 as advertised. No knock on the door, just the slightest rustle of clothes and the basket was there. We had a bit of a laugh about the contents because there was not an even number of all the items. So although there were three delicious croissants, but only one blueberry muffin plus a bit of fruit – not a lot, but enough for what we needed.

I started on our way by heading in the wrong direction (again!) until Rab realised we were going the wrong way but we got back on the right road and soon left Salem behind and were driving through some beautiful country as we went up the coast and around Cape Ann. Manchester was particularly nice as were parts of Gloucester and Rockport. We stopped off for a while at a little village called Magnolia because the local café advertised cappuccino – big mistake. They had the machinery but no clue how to use it. I was hoping to look around the old Hammond Castle between Magnolia and Rockport but it was closed (to Rab’s relief who thought it looked very spooky).

View through the castle collonades

On we went to Newbury through some mixed areas and where we decided to stop and stretch our legs in the Old Town. We found ourselves in a Memorial Day market with craft stalls galore and some interesting tucker too. We had what looked like (and tasted like) boerwors (South African sausage, literally Farmers’ Sausage, a coarse mix of beef, mutton and pork plus spices) on a roll with green pepper and onion. Our next stop was Portsmouth which our guide book had promised us was an under-rated spot. We were not sure on what scale, but there was nothing there that we found too attractive and we got comprehensively lost for a while. We finally came to an enormous roundabout (called a rotary in New Hampshire, the only State to have them I believe). After completing two full circles and assessing all available options, Rab chose the correct one and we were soon across the river into Maine.

One of the reasons we lose our way from time to time is that we are trying to use only secondary roads, which does create a bit of difficulty from time to time. We had noticed that once we hit New Hampshire from Massachusetts the drive deteriorated although one of the last places we came to before crossing the State Line  – Salisbury – was really run down and derelict. Things improved a little as we headed North, but that was only relatively speaking. Some of the areas looked like very seedy versions of Blackpool or the Gold Coast. All parlours and bars and raucous noise. We think New Hampshire must have different planning laws for what is a fairly short stretch of coast, which is all they have. Certainly once we were in Maine, the standards lifted again.

It was overcast and dull all day and this didn’t help to brighten most of the seaside resorts we passed through which looked pretty grim. The sea was grey and white and the granite rocks and the few beaches we saw were pebbly and dark (with the exception of Salisbury where the sand looked like sand and which made its dinginess even more incomprehensible to us). The houses along the fronts tend to be grey and black as well, so the entire effect is somewhat depressing. Some of the pictures I took look like black and white film, there is so little colour. Inland the green of the woods and in the areas around the ports where the houses tend to be multi-coloured are much more cheerful.

 We had planned, on the advice of our guide book to spend the night at the Kennebunk Inn, but when we got there neither of us thought it looked too impressive, so we came back ten miles or so to Ogunquit and the Towne Lyne Motel which Rab had spotted. It is very comfortable, has all mod cons and is half the price of last night’s Inn. To cap it all there is a little veranda overlooking a babbling stream which runs through the grounds. We have all but lost faith in the guidebook – there are three strikes against it now.

 

On the advice of our hostess we went down the road to the Lobster Pound for our first Maine lobster. We were a bit disappointed. The claws were delicious but the body was a bit tough – overcooked I thought. No doubt we will try again to test this theory.