Maine Bike Tour - Four Island Adventure

Maine Bike Tour – Four Island Adventure

Highlights:

• Bike on quiet, country roads amidst Maine's most picturesque coastal scenery

• Sea kayak around Camden Harbor

• Hike through the "elf forest" and craggy bluffs of Monhegan Island

• Take a dip in Lawson's Quarry, on Vinalhaven Island

• Eat seafood fresh out of the sea and enjoy a classic Maine lobster boil

• Visit some of Maine's most famous coastal art galleries

Details:

Terrain: This tour offers primarily gentle, rolling, seashore hills. Considered easy to moderate with places for great photo opportunities.

Weather: The average high temperature at this time of year on the Maine coast is 73° F and the low is 57° F.

Maine Bike Tour – Four Island Adventure

Price: $2495

Included in Price:

• 6 nights accommodation in quality inns and B&Bs

• All breakfasts, Four dinners including a traditional Maine lobster boil, two picnic lunches

• Kayaking in Camden Harbor

• A ride on the Quicksilver, a converted lobster boat, from Islesboro to Vinalhaven

• All Ferry tickets for passengers and bikes

• Hybrid bike to use during the tour

• Experienced guides familiar with the local area

• SAG (Support and Gear) Van to provide baggage relocation, mechanical support, snacks, fresh water, and
"rest rides" as needed

• Cue sheets and maps with daily meetings to review route options and points of interest

Additional Fees:

• Single Supplement $495 (roommates will be sought when requested)

• Bike Rental: $200 for Road Bikes

Maine Bike Tour – Four Island Adventure

Hawthorn Inn: The Hawthorn Inn was a private residence known as the Emma Knight House until it was converted to bed and breakfast in 1984. It is one of the few Queen Anne style houses in the High Street Historic District of Camden Maine. The backyard gate of the Inn will get you to the picturesque harbor’s water edge, a mere 180 steps away.  You can visit their web page by clicking here.

Tidewater Motel: Built on a bridge separating Carver's Harbor from Carver's Pond on Vinalhaven Island, the Tidewater Motel is just inches shy of being in the water. Guests can enjoy breathtaking views and unforgettable sunsets from their private decks that jut out over the water. At night the ebb and flow of the tides will lull you to sleep, and in the morning you’ll wake to the sounds of a working harbor. You can visit their web page by clicking here.

Ocean House Hotel: Overlooking the harbor in Port Clyde, Maine, the Ocean House Hotel was originally built in the1830’s as a rooming house for local fishermen, seamen and dock workers. The hotel is just a short walk away from the Drift-in Beach and the Marshall Point Lighthouse and Museum. From the second-floor common porch, guests can see the islands of Muscongus Bay and enjoy beautiful sunsets. You can visit their web page by clicking here .

Maine Bike Tour – Four Island Adventure

Arrival and Departure: The tour will originate and terminate in Camden, ME. Escapades will assist with hotel arrangements and local transportation both before and after the trip

Day 1: Camden

We will meet at Maine Sport Outfitters at 2 pm for introductions and bike fittings. A shuttle will leave from the Whitehall Inn at 1:45. After we are finished with the bike fittings, guest can take an included optional sea kayak tour of Camden harbor. We will gather in the lobby of the Whitehall Inn for Dinner at 7:15 pm.

Lodging: Whitehall Inn
Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Rockport-Camden Loop

The first day's ride will pass through the beautiful Rockport and Camden harbors. Biking on quiet roads, we then make a loop exploring the lovely homes in the area and the beautiful surrounding countryside.

Mileage Options: 20, 31, 50

Lodging: Whitehall Inn
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Islesboro and Vinalhaven

Today you will explore two of Maine's most exquisite islands. First you will catch the ferry and bike on Islesboro. This lovely, friendly island, 3 miles off Lincolnville Beach has 600 year round residents scattered over a terrain of woods, fields and rocky shoreline. After lunch you will catch the Quick Silver, a converted lobster boat, and cruise to Vinalhaven. We then will bike (or van) across the island to our lodgings for the evening.

Mileage Options: 26, 34, 44

Lodging: Tidewater Motel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: North Haven and Vinalhaven

Our tour will bike on both North Haven and Vinalhaven today North Haven has a winter population of 350 and a summer population of 2,500 people. Lobster fishing and tourism are the main domestic industries. You will bike around the island and visit the small town of North Haven. While in town you can stop at the gallery of one of Maine's most famous contemporary artists, Eric Hopkins. We finish our visit to North Haven after lunch and return in "Brown's Boat" to Vinalhaven. The home of a major granite industry, Vinalhaven is dotted with secluded, small quarries, which make ideal swimming spots. You will bike south across Vinalhaven and can take a dip in one of two rock quarries along the way. It is also known as "The Lobster Capital of the World" and an artist colony. You will end this memorable day with a traditional Maine "lobsta" boil for dinner.

Mileage Options: 26, 34, 42

Lodging: Tidewater Motel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Rockland, Owls Head, Tenants Harbor, Spruce Head and Port Clyde

First thing in the morning we will catch the ferry to Rockland on the mainland. There are opportunities to visit the Farnsworth museum, the collections of three generations of Wyeths and the many galleries and shops in Rockland as well as the Puffin and Owls Head Transport Museums. We will then bike around the Owls Head Peninsula stopping at its famous lighthouse and continuing on down quiet roads to the quaint fishing villages of Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde.

Mileage Options: 19 and 30

Lodging: Ocean House Hotel, Seaside Inn
Meals: Breakfast

Day 6: Monhegan

We catch the boat first thing in the morning for an hour's ride to Monhegan Island. Mohegan is an art colony with spectacular hiking through woodlands and along rocky cliffs with the sound of crashing waves along the shore. You may wish to visit the galleries displaying the works of the many island artists. We will wrap up the day with a wonderful farewell dinner in Port Clyde.

Lodging: Ocean House Hotel, Seaside Inn
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 7: Port Clyde, Rockland and Rockport

We will start our last day with a final breakfast together at our lodgings.  We will then bike through Tenants Harbor, South Thomaston, Rockland and back to Camden.  The tour ends in Camden and we say our farewells as our adventure comes to a close.

Mileage Options: 25, 32

Meals: Breakfast