Itinerary

SUNDAY:

Sunday is Arrival Day. Settle in at the Edson Hill Manor in Stowe. Edson Hill was originally a luxurious gentleman’s estate built in the Georgian Colonial Style. It is now a very romantic country inn with over 50 acres to roam, many of which have spectacular views of the surrounding Worcester Mountains.

SUNDAY NIGHT: EDSON HILL MANOR

MONDAY'S RIDE:

Start with a pleasant downhill ride and then rolling terrain past the entrance to Stowe (“ski capital of the East!”). Mt. Mansfield towers over this valley as we ride or shuttle through the mile-long twisting climb to Smuggler’s Notch. This is a challenging short stretch that many enjoy riding and many opt to take up our offer to use the van. We then drop down into the Lamoille River Valley and pass through the quaint village of Jeffersonville. Heading north we begin our exploration of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the least settled and most rural, untouched corner of our state.

Following scenic rolling terrain we enjoy wonderful views of Spruce Peak and Jay Peak as we ride through Bakersfield, stop in Fairfield to have lunch at the excellent Chester bakery, and cycle through picturesque Sheldon. Our last few miles are particularly beautiful with large old farms and covered bridges marking our way to Montgomery Center and the Phineas Swann Inn. An optional ride takes us through Franklin and along the shores of Lake Carmi, adding 13 miles to the day.

The Phineas Swan offers us luxurious accommodations furnished with fine antiques and romantic four-poster beds. The inn was voted Readers' Choice for Best of New England 2010 by Yankee Magazine; was rated as one of the Top 5 Most Romantic Inns in New England by Boston Magazine, and the Innkeepers were named Innkeepers of the year for Vermont in 2009.

MONDAY NIGHT: PHINEAS SWANN INN

TUESDAY'S RIDE:

Today we cycle through some of Vermont’s prettiest farm country passing some of Montgomery’s famous covered bridges before crossing the border into French-speaking Canada (be sure to bring your passport!). We can have an excellent lunch in pretty Frelighsburg and the optional ride through Pigeon Hill includes a visit to Stanbridge East with its famous mill and waterwheel, and the Musee Missisquoi. Our ride back into the U.S. takes us past apple orchards and to the Domaine Pinnacle where we can enjoy their tasting room that includes all of their renowned Ice Apple Wine products and local gourmet food specialties.

TUESDAY NIGHT: PHINEAS SWANN INN

WEDNESDAY'S RIDE:

Today is a long ride as we cycle into the heart of the Northeast Kingdom, passing bogs often frequented by moose and deer, enjoying great views of Camel’s Hump, the Worcester Mountains and Jay Peak, and riding over and down Irasburg Hill where we often picnic at the gazebo on the green. Easy rolling terrain is welcome as we ride south to Craftsbury and then we climb back to Greensboro and the Lakeview Inn. Today we also have a spectacular optional ride leading from Irasburg to Orleans and then to beautiful Lake Willoughby. The option then loops back through Barton passing Crystal Lake and Caspian Lake before arriving at the inn. We stay the next two nights at the Lakeview Inn, a supremely welcoming and relaxing inn that is within easy walking distance of “downtown” Greensboro and the shores of beautiful Caspian Lake.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: LAKEVIEW INN

THURSDAY'S RIDE:

Today’s ride starts with an optional visit to Willey’s, a quintessential Vermont Country Store. Then we ride steeply downhill to Greensboro Bend before a climb to the intersection with Route 215 in Walden that takes us on a beautiful downhill section into Cabot. Here we can enjoy a tour of the Cabot Cheese factory "makers of the best cheddar in the world.” You can turn here for Greensboro or take a beautiful rolling ride to Marshfield where we can delight in the confections at Rainbow Sweets and perhaps picnic by the waterfalls. We reverse our route to East Hardwick and then follow remnants of the historical Bailey-Hazen Road before descending past beautiful Caspian Lake before arriving back at the Lakeview Inn. Â An optional 14 mile ride takes us to West Danville and Joe’s Pond and then past Molly’s Falls Pond before arriving back on the Standard Route in Marshfield.


THURSDAY NIGHT: LAKEVIEW INN

FRIDAY'S RIDE:

Today we take a roller coaster ride down to the village of Hardwick and then begin to parallel the Lamoille River, stopping to visit the Fisher Covered Bridge (one of the last remaining covered bridges built specifically for railroads). We follow a scenic route through Wolcott and then into Morrisville. From here we take a rural route along Randolph Road into Stowe, and then the bike path from Stowe Village before our last climb back to Edson Hill Manor.

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