Kent is a quiet Connecticut town on the Housatonic River, near the New York line, and it has an air of unhurried good taste that comes from being just far enough from the city to remain calm. A white-steepled main street, a private boarding school, small galleries, antique shops and a handful of good places for coffee give the centre its look, and beyond the houses the hills of the Litchfield county close in with woods and stone walls. The Appalachian Trail passes through, one of the few places where it follows a village street, and hikers stroll in with heavy packs to buy lunch.
The great stop nearby is Kent Falls State Park, where a stream drops about sixty metres in a series of cascades down a steep slope, and a short path leads beside it from the car park to the upper pool. In spring, when the snowmelt is high, the roar can be heard from the road. A few miles south, Bull's Bridge is one of the last covered bridges still open to traffic in Connecticut, spanning a rocky gorge of the Housatonic, and local tradition says George Washington crossed here with his horses during the Revolution. A dramatic stretch of the river runs through the gorge, and even a short pause on the bridge feels like stepping back in time.
The roads around Kent are among the most pleasant in the Northeast. Route 7 runs along the river valley, with the water at your elbow and wooded hills on either side, curving gently through farmland and tiny villages. West and east, the hills rise with tight, narrow lanes, which wind past old barns, horse paddocks, small lakes and rocky outcrops. In the autumn, the maples glow, and the roads fill with visitors, so aim for a weekday. In summer, shade makes the climb comfortable.
Fuel can be found in town and in New Milford to the south, though not on the smaller lanes. The cafés and delis serve good sandwiches, pastries and coffee, and the countryside is dotted with farm stands selling apples, honey and cider. Deer are a constant danger at dusk, and in winter the shaded bends hold ice, so ride carefully.