Henniker looks like the Currier and Ives print it was made to resemble, and it does so without effort. The town lies on the Contoocook River in the hills of central New Hampshire, with a white-steepled church, a long common and a New England College campus that gives it a pleasant undercurrent of students. The surrounding countryside is a patchwork of old farms, stone walls, covered bridges and small villages, and the lanes between them are among the best in the state for a quiet ride.
The famous prints of Currier and Ives, the nineteenth-century lithographers, sold idealized scenes of rural New England to a nation that was rapidly urbanizing, and the sense of nostalgia clings to this corner of the Granite State. Nearby Hillsborough was the birthplace of Franklin Pierce, the only New Hampshire native to become president, and his homestead is open to visitors. Contoocook, a short ride away, has a covered railway bridge that claims to be the oldest of its type in the country, a handsome wooden span across the river.
The roads here are the point. Route 114 and Route 202 pass through, but the real pleasure lies in the side lanes: narrow, shaded, winding between stone walls and open fields, with the occasional rise that gives a long view across the hills. The surface is variable, with frost heaves that can jolt a lowered bike, so keep your speed moderate and watch for gravel. In autumn, the whole area lights up with color, and farm stands sell cider, squash and apples.
Henniker has a small supply of services, including a station or two, a market and a few places to eat, but Hopkinton and Concord, the state capital, are better stocked if you need something specific. Pat's Peak, a small ski area, is on the edge of town and draws families in winter. The best riding seasons are late spring, with new leaf and clear skies, and October. Midweek is nearly empty, and even on weekends the traffic is modest. Keep an eye out for deer, wild turkeys and farm vehicles, which are all common on these lanes.