Brewster lies on the northern shore of Cape Cod, along the Cape Cod Bay side, where the tide goes out so far that the flats stretch for a mile or more, leaving a vast expanse of wet, rippled sand dotted with seabirds and people digging for clams. At low tide, you can walk a long way out toward the water, and at high tide, the bay fills quickly, so the locals check the tables. The town is quiet, wooded and relaxed, and the main road through it, Route 6A, is one of the loveliest in the region.
Route 6A, the Old King's Highway, follows the old track along the bay side of the Cape, and it is preserved as a historic district, with a ban on billboards and strict rules on new buildings. The road is lined with antique shops, galleries, old inns and white clapboard houses, with sea captains' mansions among them. In the nineteenth century, Brewster was home to dozens of sea captains, who sailed the world and brought back goods and fortune. The town's old general store has been selling penny candy and groceries for more than a century.
Inland, the landscape is a product of the glaciers. Nickerson State Park, a large area of pine forest and freshwater ponds, sits among kettle holes, depressions left when great blocks of ice melted and left deep ponds, and it has camping, swimming and miles of bike trails. The Cape Cod Rail Trail, a paved path along an old railway, passes through the park. At Stony Brook, in spring, you can watch herring swimming up a series of steps beside a restored mill, a spectacle that draws crowds in April and May.
For riders, the Cape is slow but charming, with 6A a gentle road that bends past old houses and marshes, though traffic in summer can be heavy and the speed limit low. Early morning is the best time. Harwich, about eight kilometres away, and Orleans have fuel stations and shops, and Brewster itself has a few restaurants and cafes serving chowder, fried clams and ice cream. Sea breezes keep the temperature moderate, and fog can roll in. Autumn is excellent, with warm days, cool nights and empty roads.