Maine has a lot of things going for it as a travel destination. There’s Acadia National Park, where you can climb Mt Cadillac and see the place where the rays of the sun first hit the United States, every morning. There’s sleepy fishing villages along the rugged Atlantic coast, where dour lobstermen haul in their traps in the eerie early morning light. And there’s Land’s End, the furthest point East on Bailey Island. I visited Maine as part of my 7-day road trip through new England and I was very happy to discover this little slice of heaven.
Land’s End has something for everyone, but it’s managed to remain more or less hidden from public view. Apart from the locals and a few intrepid travelers (most of whom extoll its virtues as a destination) very few people know it exists. Which is odd, because its an incredibly scenic drive. The best time to start on the road through Casco bay into Bailey Island is the early morning. Before the island’s few residents are up and driving to work or school. The road is narrow and winds a bit, which means there are chokepoints for traffic and that’s a sure ruiner of moods.
As I drove through the islands on my first trip there, what struck me the most was how firmly rooted in the past the whole place is. Every house, lawn, yard and turn in the road seemed to be pushing me further back in time. We went from modern looking designs to ancient porches and houses that seemed to spring out of the pages of a Stephen King book. There are many stops along the way that one should make. Some of these are for pictures at the various fishing villages, which are nestled in the coves you’ll pass along the road. Other stops need to be made to pick up supplies: fresh picked strawberries and clotted cream at the farmhouses along the way, saltwater candy at Cindy’s Candy Store (it seems like a childish thing to do, but trust me – it’s well worth it!) and the amazing wooden piling bridges that link Bailey Island to the mainland.
