Enjoy a scenic gravel ride on the Northern Rail Trail from Boscawen, NH. We will be starting from the Jamie Welch Park on Depot Road at 10am and head towards Danbury where we take a break at the Danbury Country Store on Route 4 before returning back to the park. It will be a total of about 58 miles of easy and flat riding. You can also cut it short by simply turning around at any point as there are no turns on this trail.
A good variety of rides ranging from 25 to 70 miles. The long ride will prepare you for our Blazing Saddles Century with its 70 miles running up into Newton, NH back along the Merrimack River and along many familiar roads. Save your legs for the hills.
The ride starts out on a beautiful scenic stretch with good roads. The medium and long options go out and back on Plum Island, and the long option continues through Newburyport and past the Artichoke Reservoirs. The extra-long route goes along the shore in Salisbury and returns through Maudslay State Park to rejoin the long route.
A reversed and slightly modified version of the Newburyport Gravel-16 ride. The route goes through Newburyport and Salisbury before returning to the ride start. Expect a mix of paved roads, easy bike paths, and about 3 miles of wide hardpack trail through Moseley Woods and Maudslay State Park.
On August 3, North Shore Cyclists will be joining CRW for rides on some great backroads of northern MA and southern NH. We start from the Nashoba Valley Ski area at 12:30pm for rides of 25, 32, 39, and 49 miles. After the ride, we can swim in the pond and join fellow riders for drinks and food at the Tiki Bar. If you plan to join us at the Tiki Bar, you need to email the NSC leader at RitaLongCramer@gmail.com before 5 pm on Friday, August 2 to be included in the group reservation for this very popular bar. Alternatively, you can make your own reservation.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have the route please download it again. There has been a change since last year.
We at NSC will be hosting 2 group rides to encourage participation in upcoming charity rides. The first will be on April 26, prior to the End- Alzheimer’s event in June. The second will be held on August 9, prior to the Fall events: Tour de Cure, Cycle for Shelter, and Coast to the Cure. All are welcome to both conditioning rides, especially, if you are new to group cycling.
To join in, meet at the Spurk parking lot, near the playing fields of Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill, shortly before 10:00 AM Saturday for a safety discussion using NSC’s Safety Culture handouts. Then we will do Emmaus’s 15-mile Family ride together. It is mostly flat, beautiful, and has a 10-mile option.
You will be ready to ENJOY a 30--mile ride at the charity event if you can do a few of these 15-milers beforehand !
Non-members of NSC will be asked to sign a waiver, helmet required.
This ride covers some new territory for NSC, using some of the scenic roads of the northwest suburbs of Lexington, Concord, Groton, Westford and Carlisle. There are woodlands and farms as well as significant historic sites. There is a detour to the MIT Haystack Observatory on the long route and both the 50 and 57 go around Lost Lake.
Quiet local roads from Ipswich take us to Manchester by the Sea, continuing counter-clockwise for a very scenic tour of Cape Ann’s rocky coastline. All routes go through beautiful Magnolia bordering the ocean, and continue past Hammond Castle, a replication of an English medieval fortress. The short and medium routes turn back to Ipswich from Gloucester near the famous Man at the Wheel statue.The long and extra long go on to Rockport and back through Annisquam Village.
An easy evening ride thru some of the trails around Topsfield: Bradley Palmer SP, Willowdale, and the Topsfield Linear rail trail. The unpaved terrain is rolling, except for a short climb in at the start of the Bradley Palmer segment, and it includes wooded double track, meadow trail, and rail trail. 35 mm or wider tires are recommended.
Parking available at MASSDOT Park and Ride at Main and Park Sts in Topsfield.
Exeter Municipal Lot near Szechuan Taste
(Google map)
Road ride
The long route gives the rider the best bang for the buck of the NSC Great Bay offerings. The beautiful 39 mile ride goes through picturesque Newfields, around Great Bay, Newmarket, and the lively college town of Durham. Both of these routes go through the scenic farm country of southern New Hampshire. The terrain is rolling hills with old barns, scenic vistas, and lots of quiet roads. Both loops go by historic Kingston NH common.
Ride counter-clockwise along the Cape Ann coastline, through Gloucester, out to the Eastern Point Lighthouse and Atlantic Ave, to Rockport and back through Annisquam Village. The short and medium routes return to the start location in Manchester from Essex. The longest option continues to Ipswich before looping back to Manchester. The coastal shoreline offers many scenic vistas by taking short excursions from the route.
Some challenging hills lead to Chester NH, a historic small town with a good General Store for lunch or a snack. Expect mostly wooded roads, old farms, and out-of-the-way historic districts such as North Danville. Chester's October scarecrow festival adds great local color, with several hundred scarecrows on display throughout the region. The 27 and 54 mile routes both depart from the Amesbury Elementary School. Note that the 27 is a shorter scenic route that does not include Chester. The 40-mile remote start option begins in Newton NH, partway into the long ride, to allow more riders to reach Chester and its scarecrows.
In honor of a former club president with a thing for classic tunes, “Twist and Shout” does its fair share of gyrations! For the cooler weather season, this is a shortened 34 mile take. The majority of the route is along quiet and somewhat hilly country roads, with a good refueling stop at Jones General Store in Kingston (mile 18). Historic homes are a common feature along the way. On Willow Rd in East Kingston we’ll pass one of the oldest farms around - Fieldstone Farm, dating from 1690. Kingston was originally granted to 15 fortunate men by King William and Queen Mary of England in 1694.
Post-ride lunch and libations at Flatbreads or The Barking Dog (Crave isn't open for lunch at this time of year).
The year is over and its time to celebrate. So we'll end as we began--the second bookend--with a ride from Flatbreads in Georgetown thru Topsfield and Boxford and back to Flatbreads for revelries.
