Peterborough is a small town with a large literary reputation. In 1907 the composer Edward MacDowell and his wife Marian founded an artists' colony here on their farm, and the MacDowell Colony has hosted writers, composers and painters ever since. Thornton Wilder wrote much of Our Town here, and Peterborough is widely believed to be the model for his fictional Grover's Corners; Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and many others have worked in the woodland studios. The place still has the air of a village where people read and listen.
The town sits on the Nubanusit and Contoocook rivers, with a handsome old mill at the falls, a bridge in the middle of the main street and a river walk that is pleasant on a warm afternoon. The Peterborough Town Library claims to be the first free public library supported by taxes in the world, and the claim, dating from 1833, is taken seriously. The nearby villages of Dublin and Jaffrey offer more of the same: white churches, stone walls and a view of Mount Monadnock rising over the roofs.
For riders, Peterborough is the hub of a ring of good roads. Route 101 and Route 202 cross here, and the lanes in between lead through quiet villages with moderate curves and gentle climbs. The roads around Monadnock are the highlight, with a series of rises and falls and occasional views of the mountain from the south and east, and a slow pace is rewarded. Farm stands, small museums and the odd antique shop provide stops along the way. The surface is mostly good, but frost heaves and gravel patches are common, particularly in spring.
The town has fuel, a supermarket, restaurants and bakeries, and several inns, so it is easy to use as a base or a finish. Rindge and Jaffrey have additional stations if you need them. The best times are spring and autumn, when the light is soft and traffic is thin, and the foliage season in early October is the peak. Summer weekends bring crowds to the mountain, so arrive early if you want a quiet road. Keep an eye out for deer and, near the water, moose.