Archive for May, 2010

A great New Hampshire Lakes Region walk near our Squam Lake B&B

May 26th, 2010 by billwebb

This week we had a free afternoon so we decided to take a hike in Sandwich Notch. The Notch is about a 25 minute drive from our Squam Lake inn, down Route 113 meandering beside Squam lake and out to the quintessential New England town of Sandwich, NH. Here we picked up the Sandwich Notch road which is about 14 miles long, open only in the good weather, and best traveled with an SUV. There are numerous trails which can be accessed along the road.

We chose the Guinea Pond trail for a special reason. Last year we hiked this trail and discovered two things. First the trail doesn’t actually take you to Guinea Pond – close, but not to the shoreline. The maintained trail stops short of the pond and the vegetation is too thick after that to find your own way. The second thing we discovered which made the hike really worthwhile were dozens of Lady Slippers. I’m not sure where else in the New Hampshire lakes region you can walk to see so many of these rare wildflowers. We have 50 acres surrounding our bed and breakfast and I’ve never come across one on our property.

We picked a great time for this walk. The Lady Slippers were abundant and there were lots of other wildflowers to enjoy as well. So we’ve made a mental note to do this every year around the 1st of June.

There are wonderful walks and hikes throughout the Lake’s Region, around Squam Lake and in the Squam Range. I think that’s why many people who are searching for New Hampshire lodging decide to stay with us. The area is perfect for those who want to get out and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature.  For those who might not be so ambitious there’s always the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center right here in Holderness within walking distance of our bed and breakfast.  The Kirkwood Gardens are stunning, filled with perennials and well maintained by a crew of volunteers.

A great walk near our Squam Lake B&B

Lady slippers we found on the Guinea Pond Trail in Sandwich Notch

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Meredith NH theater and our Squam Lake Bed and Breakfast, a great combination

May 22nd, 2010 by billwebb

Head to New Hampshire’s lakes region this summer and enjoy great theater. One of our favorites is Summer Theatre in Meredith Village. They do great musicals throughout the season changing the selection every two weeks. Among the shows they will perform this summer are Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago and Camelot. These are professional actors and singers who spend their summer in the lakes region. The quality of their work is outstanding.

Our Squam Lake bed and breakfast is very close to Meredith NH which is at the northern tip of Lake Winnipesaukee. Performances are held at the Interlakes High School auditorium which is fully air conditioned. Meredith is also home to some great restaurants and shopping. So while your primary destination may be Holderness for a quality bed and breakfast experience be prepared to venture to neighboring Meredith for some excellent entertainment.

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Plymouth NH lodging – then and now

May 16th, 2010 by billwebb

Plymouth, NH is our neighboring town and is the commercial anchor for the region.  Plymouth is home to Plymouth State University, Speare Memorial hospital and many retail shops and restaurants. It also has an interesting history.

The native American Abenaki nation originally populated much of the local area and Plymouth was the site of an Abenaki village. The town of Holderness where our bed and breakfast is located and Squam Lake were part of a trading route which followed many of New Hampshire’s lakes and was used by the Abenakis. The town’s first white settlers were from southern New Hampshire, many of them originally from Plymouth, MA. So it’s only natural that they named their new home New Plymouth which later was shortened to its current name.

The famous lawyer Daniel Webster lost his first criminal case in the Plymouth courthouse. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne died in Plymouth while vacationing here with Franklin Pierce (the only U.S. President from New Hampshire.) Poet Robert Frost taught at what is now Plymouth State University. And Babe Ruth used to come to town to visit the Draper and Maynard Sporting Goods Company which supplied the Boston Red Sox with gloves and bats.

Plymouth was also home to the Hotel Pemigewasset located right in the center of town by the railroad station. This hotel and many others in the Squam Lake area represented the best in New Hampshire lodging in the 1800′s and early 1900′s. All have since either closed or been destroyed by fire. Today for those seeking a piece of the historic nh lodging experience there are smaller properties like the Inn On Golden Pond which has its own interesting history.

If you’re traveling to the Plymouth, New Hampshire area and are in need of quality lodging the Inn On Golden Pond is the spot. Our Squam Lake bed and breakfast is open year round and is conveniently located for anyone looking to discover the history and culture of central New Hampshire.

Hotel Pemigewasset in 1922

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Bear, Moose visit our Squam Lake Country Inn/Bed and Breakfast

May 14th, 2010 by billwebb

This past week has been a wild one – one filled with wildlife that is! Our Squam Lake country inn/bed and breakfast sits on 50 acres of wooded land so it’s not unusual for us to see wild animals every once in awhile. But this week within a 2 day period we had a black bear and a moose on the property. Spring is an active time for these animals. The bear have come out of hibernation and are hungry. The moose are reappearing from the deeper woods.

The black bear decided that our trash which is kept inside our woodshed might make a good snack. Luckily I heard him rummaging around before he got into anything and I was able to scare him off. The moose ran through the yard two days later apparently on his way to the lake. He walked right through the garden that Bonnie has been preparing over the past few weeks. Fortunately he didn’t do any damage to the plants.

Spotting wildlife like this is just one of the treats that our guests get when they visit Holderness and the New Hampshire lakes region. Our breakfast room features a large picture window so during our breakfast hour we are always on the lookout for visitors in our back yard. For those who don’t get a glimpse of New Hampshire’s wildlife in our backyard you can visit the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center down the street or take a moose tour in the White Mountains. If you’re looking for lodging in Holderness, Plymouth or Meredith NH and you’d like to get a taste of our great native animal and plant life we hope you’ll give us a careful look.  We offer quality accommodations in a beautiful setting.

Here’s a picture of a moose that wandered through our backyard recently.

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Geocaching around Squam Lake

May 8th, 2010 by billwebb

This past week I attended a Board retreat for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. I’ve been on the Board for about three years. The retreat was held at the Minary Center just down the street right here in Holderness, NH on Squam Lake. At one point in our meeting someone mentioned geocaching, and I must admit that while I had heard the term I really didn’t know much about it. When I got home I did a little reading about it. It’s a pretty amazing new (relatively speaking) sport which gets people of all ages outdoors on what one could describe as an electronic scavenger hunt.

Simply put you use a handheld GPS unit to find hidden caches (items.)  Cache locations are listed on geocaching.com. Once you get the coordinates for cache sites from the website you enter them into your GPS unit and off you go. It’s a great way to get outdoors and enjoy an afternoon of walking or hiking. According to the website there are about 1,000 hidden cache locations within 25 miles of our Squam Lake bed and breakfast!

Of course, like all web based and electronic things this phenomenon is BIG. There are over 1 million geocaches around the world with who knows how many geocachers looking for them. Many states have geocaching organizations. Since we like to hike maybe we’ll use this game as a different twist to get out and enjoy New Hampshire’s lakes region and the White Mountains. My guess is that with Plymouth State University next door to us there are probably geocaches in downtown Plymouth, NH since locations are often in urban settings as well as rural areas.

Maybe we’ll set up a cache site here at the Inn. In addition to folks who are looking for quality lodging in Holderness and the Squam Lake area we’ll get visits from all sorts of geocachers out on an afternoon search! Here’s a little intro to geocaching if you’re new to this world.

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