New Hampshire has only about eighteen miles of coastline, the shortest of any coastal state in the country, and Hampton is where most of it is crowded in summer. Hampton Beach is a long stretch of sand with a boardwalk, arcades, fried-dough stands and the Casino Ballroom, a live music venue that has hosted performers for generations. It is brash, noisy and cheerful, and on a hot July weekend the scene is a river of flip-flops and ice cream.
Away from the beach, Hampton is an old town. Settled in 1638, it is one of the oldest in the state, and the village center a little inland has the quieter feel of a New England town with white churches and old houses. Behind the beach lies a vast salt marsh, part of the Great Marsh of the New Hampshire and Massachusetts coast, a place of tidal creeks, egrets and long grass, and the road along its edge is peaceful at dawn when mist rises off the water.
Riding here is about the coast. Route 1A runs along the shore from Seabrook through Hampton and Rye toward Portsmouth, with glimpses of ocean, rocky points and old summer houses. North of Hampton, the road passes Rye's beaches and Odiorne Point State Park, where an old fort and shore trails give a sense of how the coast once looked. It is a slow road, with low speed limits, heavy summer traffic and frequent pedestrians, so a weekday or early morning is the time. The surface is fine, with the odd patch of sand blown across.
Hampton is big enough for fuel, groceries and food of every sort, with lobster rolls, fried clams and ice cream on the menu. Parking by the beach is metered and busy, so plan to go early. The best months are May, June and September, when the crowds have thinned and the air is clear. In July and August the roads clog and nerves fray. Winter brings storms that sometimes flood the coast road, and the ocean at that time of year is a grey, cold and impressive thing.