Litchfield Hills Road

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Kent

   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.

   Read the complete Kent write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kent is where the day begins. Next is Cornwall Bridge.

2. 2. Cornwall Bridge

   The Housatonic River runs south out of the Berkshires through the north-west corner of Connecticut, and at Cornwall Bridge it is at its prettiest. The river here is a wide, quick, clear stream running over rocks and under old sycamores, with the hills of the Litchfield range rising steeply on either side. US Route 7 follows it along the valley floor, and the stretch from Falls Village to Kent is one of the most scenic roads in southern New England. Fly fishermen in waders stand in the shallows at the state park nearby, and the Appalachian Trail passes close to the river.

   Read the complete Cornwall Bridge write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Cornwall Bridge comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sharon.

3. 3. Sharon

   Sharon sits on the state line, with New York's Dutchess County just over the hill, and the village green is a very large one, a wide sweep of lawn flanked by white eighteenth-century houses, an old church and a small town hall. It was founded in the 1730s, a farming and ironmaking town in the north-west hills, and it looks it, with stone walls running across fields and old maples shading the street. The setting is part of what makes it a favourite with weekenders from New York, who have filled it with antique shops and country inns.

   Read the complete Sharon write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 30 km into the recorded legs you reach Sharon. Next is Lakeville.

4. 4. Lakeville

   Lakeville belongs to the town of Salisbury, in the far north-west corner of Connecticut, and it takes its name from the two lakes beside it, Wononscopomuc and Wononpakook. The first is a deep, clear glacial lake, the deepest natural lake in the state, and the second is a smaller, quieter neighbour. The village has a short main street, an old inn, a library and a handful of shops, set among the first ridges of the Berkshire hills.

   Read the complete Lakeville write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Lakeville, late in the day. Next is Norfolk.

5. 5. Norfolk

   Planning note

   Finish at Norfolk. That is the ride.