Zip over to New England
If your life is in need of a little excitement, zip over to New England, USA. Ellen Branagh enjoys a fun-filled snowy adventure in the year-round destination.
Skiers will have a blast when they head for the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont in spring, when the air has lost its winter chill and skies are clear and blue.
As my Virgin Atlantic flight headed into Boston, I was on a ‘double first’ – my first trip to the States, and my first experience of the ski slopes, with the exciting prospect of zip lining also on the agenda.
Landing in Boston, we jumped straight in a hire car – a mighty silver SUV of course, nothing less will do in the States – for the drive to Freeport, Maine. This small town, complete with typical white-painted clapboard houses, revolves around its shopping.
It’s the home of outdoor store L.L.Bean and scores of other retail outlets, from Abercrombie and Fitch to North Face and Swiss chocolatier, Lindt. You could spend your holiday budget here, before you’ve actually done anything.
Of course, L.L.Bean isn’t just any old outdoor store. It gives city dwellers the chance to experience the great outdoors, with day and weekend taster trips doing pretty much anything you like, from canoeing to fishing, and camping to shooting.
But there’s far more to New England than shopping and fishing. Both Maine and New Hampshire are hugely popular for winter activities and not far from our base in Bethel, Maine, was Sunday River ski resort, where I took to the slopes for the first time.
Donning bulky boots with skis attached and clutching my poles for dear life, I started my lesson at the Perfect Turn Ski School. Despite odd moments of feeling hugely inadequate as three-year-olds flew past with more grace than I was ever likely to muster, this was the perfect place to learn – far, far away from experienced skiers.
I have to say it does actually work – after an hour-and-a-half I was unsteadily weaving my way down the baby slope doing a great impression of Bambi on ice!
Unfortunately for me and my companions, New England had experienced an uncharacteristically mild winter, so we missed out on some of the other snow-capped activities usually on offer. But when I return, I fully intend to take advantage of the sleigh rides, husky dog sleds, snowmobiles and any other snow-filled fun.
The weather needn’t necessarily curtail your skiing in these parts: runs are kept in tip-top condition with huge machines that pump out snow ready to be beautifully groomed for the hordes of skiers.
Wildcat Ski Resort in next door neighbour New Hampshire is another skiers’ heaven, though admittedly rather alarming for beginners like me, for whom the sight of what seems like thousands of treacherous ski runs pouring down the mountains all around can be a jaw-dropper!
So many skiers gather here: city types up from New York and Boston, others coming south from Canada on holidays, far flung tourists like myself, and locals who might drop by for a morning or afternoon on the slopes.
The mix makes for a fun but purposeful vibe in the day, followed by evenings spent in traditional New England-style hotels where good food and plenty of drink can ease the exhaustion in tired limbs.
In these parts, at least, the American stereotype of fast food and fried chicken hardly holds true. We saw only a handful of McDonalds restaurants during our entire stay, and dined instead on fresh fish, great steaks and fine wines, much of which was sourced locally.
As for breakfasts, the copious consumption of pancakes could be justified with the excuse that we needed them to adequately test out New England’s hallowed maple syrup, of which it is justly proud. Each state regards its own as the best, so it’s only fair to compare them all personally!
Our next challenge was zip lining at Bretton Woods, another ski resort in the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and just a stone’s throw from the famous Mount Washington Hotel.
Looking at first like something straight out of The Shining, this forimdable building hosted the International Monetary Conference in 1944, establishing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and is now a great base to explore the area, ski, hike, and try as many indoor or outdoor activities as you like.
From here, it’s just a five-minute trip, followed by a hop onto a ski-lift to enjoy a few hours of throwing ourselves down nine different zip wires – often zooming over skiers as we made our way down the mountain.
Mostly, zip lining means you go from one platform in a tree to another. But to vary the routine, you sometimes cross from treetop to treetop via rope bridges, suspended 50ft up in the air, or you can abseil James Bond-style down a rope before a short walk to the next zip line.
Driving a few hours from Bretton Woods takes you into the mountains of Vermont. It’s the home of Ben and Jerry’s, some cosy ski resorts and the beautiful town of Stowe.
In fact, Vermont is an all-year-round kind of place: snow-capped mountains in winter, with the trademark ‘fall foliage’ in autumn and bright sunshine for most of the summer.
Whatever your budget, there is something to try and so many excellent places to stay, like the brand new luxurious Stowe Mountain Lodge. All are just minutes from the mountains.
Essentially, a holiday in New England is about exploring the great outdoors, taking in the huge landscape and amazing views, and relaxing in the warmth of the evenings. There are so many places to eat and drink, mostly in small town communities with country charm.
Three states in four days gave me a marvellous introduction to the US – and left me in no doubt that the city of Boston is worthy of much closer attention when I manage to return.
Ellen Branagh was a guest of Discover New England and Virgin Holidays.
Virgin Holidays reservations: 0844 557 3859 and www.virginholidays.co.uk
Discover New England reservations: 0208 237 7977 and www.discovernewengland.co.uk
Written by: By Ellen Branagh
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