Sunday, September 26, 2010

Battie Delights...

Our recent tour around New England was one of our best holidays for years. While we enjoyed the whole thing, there were a few elements that really 'made' the holiday. Our stay in Maine, at the Mount Battie motel near Camden, was one of those.

Mount Battie Motel

From 2010-08-30

First of all, there is the Mount Battie Motel itself, run by the wonderful Christine and Ed. There is no question that they gave us the warmest welcome of all of the places we stayed in New England, and I am having trouble thinking of a hotel or motel anywhere else that comes close in this regard. They went out of their way to help us find some good things to do during our short stay in the region, of which they are clearly and justifiably proud. It is clear that Ed and Christine have made themselves firmly part of the local community - on our very first night Ed picked up the phone to book us a table at a local restaurant, saying 'Hi, it's Ed...'. The good things don't stop with the welcome; breakfast is a delicious and ample buffet of excellent home baking. We ate our breakfast each morning outdoors, on the verandah overlooking the sea. The accommodation is spacious and comfortable, and there is an admirable attention to detail everywhere - such as the plants and flowers all kept pristine. Do I recommend it? I certainly do.

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

From 2010-08-28

On the first day - we were a bit frazzled from solid city tourism in Boston, so chilled on the little local beach for a while, then had a potter to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. We came across the local swimming club on our walk along the breakwater, doing a long distance race.

Mount Megunticook

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With just a couple of days -we had great walk up and around Mount Megunticook in the Camden Hills state park - a solid hill walk (about 6 miles, and ~1200 feet of ascent) a wooded trail leading up to a smooth granite ledge, with some amazing views over the Penobscot Bay.

From New England August 2010