Tour Overview
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Tour Dates: You may schedule your tour to begin on any date during our tour season, which extends from
May 1 through October 31. See Schedule for additional scheduling considerations.
Distance: 106 miles
in 4 stages, plus miles of optional cycling loops.
Terrain: This is
one of the lesser challenging of our Vermont circuit tours. The terrain is mostly easy to
moderately challenging. However, there are stretches of the ride that will test
your climbing mettle, particularly on Stage 3, which involves a long, though not
terribly steep section of climbing.
Location: Southeastern Vermont's lovely and historic Windham
and Windsor Counties, and
small portions southwestern New Hampshire. The tour starts and ends in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Highlights:
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Gorgeous scenery
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Mostly easy cycling along river valleys
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Visits to quintessential Vermont and New Hampshire villages, including Grafton,
Chester, Walpole (NH) and Newfane, among New England's most beautiful
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Opportunities to supplement your cycling with hiking, swimming, or canoeing
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Historic covered bridges
Daily Itinerary
Arrival Day: Free day in Brattleboro. Sightsee, Canoe, Kayak, Dine, Relax. Spend 1 or more nights.
You may arrive in Brattleboro at the time of your choosing, as there are no activities planned for your arrival day. Of course,
the earlier you arrive, the more time you have to take advantage of the sights and charms of this wonderful New England town.
Brattleboro is a lively southern Vermont arts and cultural center, ideal for window shopping, gallery hopping, people
watching, participating in a walking tour, canoeing on the Connecticut River, hiking the trails of the Brattleboro Retreat or visiting the Retreat's Petting Farm, buying Vermont handcrafts, relaxing over a
locally brewed beer, catching a movie or some live music, and of course, enjoying any one of a variety of exciting eateries and fine restaurants.
Accommodation options for your stay in Brattleboro include a downtown 1930's art deco style hotel, several lovely
bed and breakfasts, and for the budget-minded, a variety of motels. Click here to view Brattleboro accommodation options. For more information about the town of Brattleboro, click
here.
Stage 1: Cycle from Brattleboro, VT to Bellows Falls, VT - Distance: 27 miles. Spend 1
or more nights.
Following breakfast you will attend a brief orientation at your hotel or B&B, test ride your bicycle, and then begin your first day's journey from Brattleboro to Bellows Falls.
Today's route follows the mighty Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Though cycling
in the fertile, orchard-studded valley carved by the river, the terrain is gently rolling, with occasional rises providing beautiful views of the mountains just across the
river. You arrive shortly in the quintessentially Vermont village of Putney, known as a Mecca for arts and crafts, and a wonderful opportunity to break and
refuel.
Beyond Putney, your route takes you down to the riverside
for wooded cycling on a quiet dirt road before reaching Westminster. In Westminster, you
cross the river to the New Hampshire side for the day's final riverside stretch. Just ahead, the mountains begin to close in on you, creating Bellows Falls' dramatic setting. Crossing back into Vermont, you
reach the day's final destination, Bellows Falls.
Bellows Falls was a manufacturing powerhouse in the 19th century, putting to use the massive energy of the falls for which it is
named. The old factories are mostly gone now, but the vestiges of that prosperous era remain in the Victorian mansions that comprise the town's
registered historic district. (You can even overnight in one, if you wish.) Bellows Falls is a wonderful place for strolling and soaking in the New England atmosphere.
Accommodation options for your stay in Bellows Falls include
two B&Bs and an economy motel. If you prefer to stay in a smaller village, you also have the option of staying at an inn in Walpole, NH or in one of two
B&Bs in nearby Saxtons River, VT. Click here to view the Bellows Falls area accommodation options. For more information about the town of Bellows Falls, click
here. Or perhaps you would like to take a
virtual walking tour of the historic district.
Optional Free Day(s) in Bellows Falls Area with Optional Cycling.
We encourage you to spend at least two nights in the Bellows Falls area to take advantage of additional cycling in the area. You have the choice of
three
circuits: (1) a moderately challenging 29-mile ride through deep forests and
sleepy New Hampshire villages, which includes the opportunity to visit a
restored 18th century fort;
(2) an easy 18-mile ride to historic
Charlestown, NH; and (3) an easy 10-mile
ride to Walpole, one of New Hampshire's most beautiful villages and home to
locally renowned Burdick's Chocolates.
In addition to these cycling options, you
can make the short,
scenic ride along the Saxtons River to the quaint village of Saxtons River. Or you can take a break from cycling altogether and spend the day looking at
Indian petro graphs by the river, browsing in the local shops, or strolling the streets to become more familiar with the charms of Bellows Falls.
Stage 2: Cycle from Bellows Falls to
Chester, VT - Distance: 27 miles. Spend 1 or more nights.
Leaving
the relative bustle of Bellows Falls you quickly return to quiet, wooded cycling
along the Vermont side of the Connecticut River. Here the river cuts right
through the more rugged landscape, providing occasional vistas of the narrow
river valley. Bidding adieu to the Connecticut, you then begin a gradual
westward ascent on a paved rail trail that parallels the Black River to
Springfield, VT. There you'll have an opportunity to have lunch and enjoy
strolling the picturesque streets of its nicely preserved downtown. Like Bellows
Falls, Springfield was also a manufacturing powerhouse in the 19th century, and
you can still see its Industrial Revolution era factories that once
harnessed the river's power. Beyond Springfield your route takes a long, gradual
climb before plunging down to the Williams River, the course of which you will
follow via tranquil, thickly forested dirt roads the remainder of the way to Chester.
Chester
is a village full of charm and good-natured Vermonters looking to share their
portion of paradise with you. You'll definitely want to spend some time
exploring Chester's artisan and retail shops, marveling at the grand Victorian
homes, and perhaps swing by Chester's "Stone House Village," named for the
pre-Civil War houses constructed from locally quarried stone. Accommodation options for your stay in
Chester include one historic inn, six B&Bs, and one economy motel. Click
here to view Chester's accommodation options. For more information about the village of
Chester, click here.
Optional Free Day(s) in
Chester
With its quaint
shops, cafes, and beautiful setting, it would be a shame NOT to spend at least
one day relaxing and becoming better acquainted with this charming,
quintessentially Vermont village.
Stage 3:
Cycle from Chester, VT to Grafton, VT - Distance: 20 miles. Spend 1 or more nights.
Because today's ride
takes you on a long climb into the Green Mountains on your way to Grafton, we've
kept the mileage low so that you can relax and enjoy the scenery. Though long,
the climb is fairly gradual, and you will want to stop frequently at any rate to
enjoy the views of pristine forested hills. This portion of the ride is pure
nature -- just lovely scenery and few reminders that you have not left the 21st
century for a more peaceful time. In fact, the second half of today's
ride is along an unpaved state highway! How often do you encounter those? This
second half of the ride is virtually all downhill to Grafton, so your legs will
have a chance to recover before you arrive at the day's destination.
Grafton
is one of
Vermont's most beautiful villages and is like a trip back to a simpler time. The restoration of its historic structures is magnificent, as is its setting.
There is only one place to stay in Grafton, the splendid
Old Tavern Inn. For more information about the village of
Grafton, click here.
Optional Free Day(s)
in Grafton
You
should plan to spend at least two nights in Grafton or you may forever regret it. For your second day, we offer
2 very different cycling circuits. One is a 25-mile loop over quiet, wooded back roads,
passing small farms, a covered bridge, and quaint villages like Cambridgeport
and Saxtons River.
The second cycling option is a 27-mile loop that takes you south to the pretty village of
Townshend in the West River Valley. Adjacent to Townshend are two wonderful parks for hiking: Townshend State Park and Townshend Lake and Dam Recreational Area. On this loop, you also visit the
Scott Bridge, the longest wooden span covered bridge in Vermont.
Should you need a
break from the saddle however, you may choose to stay closer to home, just
soaking in Grafton's beauty, or taking the short half-mile ride to the Grafton Village Cheese Company,
the Grafton covered bridge, and
Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center.
Stage 4: Cycle from Grafton, VT to Brattleboro, VT - Distance: 32 miles. Spend 1 or more nights.
Today's ride is another of exceptional beauty along quiet back roads. From Grafton you follow the valleys of the Saxtons River, Bull Creek, and Grassy Brook on your
way to the tiny village of Brookline, with its historic one-room, round schoolhouse. Then it's on to Newfane, the loveliest of Windham County's
so-called 18th Century "White Villages". (Virtually all of Newfane's
buildings and homes are white, from the grand, Federal-style courthouse to the
smallest private home.) Newfane is the ideal place to stop for lunch and explore the beautiful buildings along the village green.
Beyond Newfane, your route follows the West River, where you have a number of opportunities to take a
dip with the locals in one of several pristine swimming holes. At the West Dummerston
Covered Bridge, Vermont's longest covered bridge still open to traffic, you have the option of continuing your flat route back to
Brattleboro along the West River, or taking an exceptionally beautiful, but more challenging ride through the mountains for some incredible vistas of the West River Valley.
In Brattleboro, you'll have a final opportunity to shop for keepsakes made by Vermont artisans and enjoy at least one more evening of fine dining before heading home.
