After a great trip on the west coast of America back in 2008 we decided it was time to return to the US. We obviously wanted to go somewhere different so we plumped for the east coast……. the research began!
After much research and a lot of helpful tips from trip Advisor, I finally came up with an outline route along with a long list of ideas for activities and things to do.
Day 1:
Having booked premium economy seats, the holiday started off in style in the Manchester BA business lounge with croissants and Bloody Marys (Tim not me!). It got even better when we arrived at the gate at Heathrow to board the plane as we were upgraded to business class – result! With comfortable, leg stretching seating, fine food and a reasonable amount of alcohol, the flight to Boston seemed to be over in no time. As an added bonus, I was also given a bottle of champagne by the steward for “just being so friendly and polite”. Well, manners don’t cost anything do they?
Once in Boston, we picked up the hire car from the rentals area. Another result – we were upgraded! Surely our luck could not continue!? It was around 2.30pm and I’d booked the first night’s accommodation in Portsmouth back in the UK. It was only an hour or so away as I didn’t want Tim to be driving on US roads straight after a long journey. Thankfully we’d got a sat nav (a learning from our last trip!) so negotiating our way out of Boston was relatively painless.
We’d decided that as we’d arrived early that we would take a leisurely drive up the coast taking in a few tourist spots. First stop was Salem, made famous by the Salem Witch Trials in which there were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of 20 people, most of them women. We headed for the Witch Museum and for the tour which was actually very interesting.
After a quick look around Salem (not much else to see), we headed up the coast to Portsmouth. We arrived around 5.45pm and checked into the motel (Portsmouth Inn). After a quick swim (Tim) and a shower, we walked into Portsmouth where we stopped off for a beer (it might even have been two!) at the English Beer Company pub and them Row24 for food – my first lobster roll (nice but nothing special!)
Day 2:
Before heading up to our next destination (Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park), we walked back down into Portsmouth for a better look around. It was nice but nothing out of the ordinary, just a port really. After packing the car and checking out, we made our way up the coast stopping off at Cape Neddick & the Nubble Lighthouse, Ogunquit Beach, Kennebunkport and Old Orchard Beach (for lunch). The coastline up here was stunning – endless miles of gorgeous sandy beaches…. the lovely weather helped too!
The drive was good and the weather was glorious although we did encounter a very short spell of torrential rain but this soon passed and the sun once again started to shine. We finally arrived at The Colony in Hull’s Cove at 3.45pm. We made the most of the weather by spending the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and in the pool. As we’d had a long drive, we went over the road to The Chart Room for dinner where we had our first seafood chowder (delicious). Back at the bungalow, we started planning our days and making the most of our time in this beautiful area.
Day 3:
Our first proper day and after waking up and seeing a load of deer outside the cottage, we drove to Bar Harbor and to Jeannie’s for breakfast. This place was a Trip Advisor “must-do” and we were lucky not to have to wait.
After tucking into a hearty breakfast (Special Florentine), we familiarised ourselves with Bar Harbor by walking along the Coastal path and visiting the Visitor Centre.
We purchased our NP pass for $25, picked up a hiking map and then headed to the food store for provisions before dropping the car back off at the bungalow.
Our first hike of the holiday was the Ocean Path in the south east and then the Cadillac South ridge trail to Cadillac Mountain before descending via the Cadillac North Ridge Trail. A more detailed description of our hike can be found here. Cadillac Mountain Hike
At around 12 miles over easy terrain (no tough ascents), it wasn’t much of a strenuous day although it had been super warm. Deciding to take it easy and relax in the evening, we had clam chowder, homemade pulled pork sandwiches and beer in the cottage – perfect!
Day 4:
Another day of hiking and exploring but this time on the western side of the island. We took the car and headed over to Southwest Harbor, Seawall, Bass Harbor Head Light before parking up at the pumping station at Long Pond. From here we did Mansell and Bernard Mountains in the morning and Beech Mountain in the afternoon. More details can be found here. Southwest Acadia
Despite the walks being only short (4.4 miles in the morning and 3.7 miles in the afternoon), we’d been leisurely and it taken us all day. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool, with the odd dip to cool down. In the evening we picked up a pizza takeaway and planned the last full day over a few beers.
Day 5:
Sadly, our final full day in Acadia and we only had one last thing to do – The Bubbles. We caught the bus from the visitor centre to Jordan Pond House. From here we hiked up to Penobscot and Sargent Mountains in the morning and The Bubbles in the afternoon. Whilst I headed back tot bus stop at Bubble Pond, Tim hiked up towards Pemetic. See here for more details. Penobscot & The Bubbles
We arrived back at the motel at around 4pm and spent the rest of the day by the pool, packing up for the next day and enjoying our British Airways freebie bubbles on the porch with seafood chowder and leftover pizza. Life is good!
I hadn’t heard of Acadia or Mount Desert Island before I started my New England trip planning and research, and Tim hadn’t heard of it until he actually arrived but what an absolutely beautiful and stunning place it is. Whilst the mountains aren’t very high, some of the hikes can be challenging but once at the top, the views of the island and surrounding islands and Atlantic Ocean are absolutely spectacular. We were also blessed with the most amazing weather and the piercing blue skies against all our photo’s truly set off the stunning scenery. We absolutely loved our time in Acadia but it was now time to move on…..
Keels 
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