Covered
Bridge Cruise
The Best Bike Rides in New England
Paul Thomas – Edited by
Paul Angiolillo
Swanzey
– Ashuelot – Winchester – Richmond – Swanzey
Everyone loves a covered bridge (except, perhaps, the truck driver whose
rig is too heavy to cross it). Cyclists feel a special attraction to these
architectural monuments to New England’s pioneer days. Covered bridges make
one think of how the landscape looked before cars – before bicycles even –
when horse-drawn coaches and ox carts provided the primary means of
transportation. The tangible bequest of a simpler age, covered bridges,
gives us a comforting sense of continuity with our past.
This 36-mile ride passes through four covered bridges as it parallels the
Ashuelot River running south from Swanzey. The tour follows a triangular
course, each leg of which has its own character. The first leg is flat. The
second, crossing from Winchester to Richmond, features a difficult 2-mile
climb. The third, from Richmond back to Swanzey, is rolling but mostly
downhill. A shorter, 13-mile option skips the climb, but still includes four
of the bridges.
The
first bridge is just a mile north of the ride’s Swanzey starting point. The
next two bridges, both built in the early nineteenth century, cross the
river within several miles of each other. Each bridge is different, varying
according to its surrounding landscape and its builder.
At
8.5 miles, shortly after you cross the last of these three bridges, the loop
turns left onto Old Westport Road. This beautiful, almost forgotten route
runs along a fertile but narrow plain between the river and the Pisgah
Mountains. Dozens of cows populate the pastures here.
Passing through Winchester, follow the river’s elbow west toward the
Connecticut River. Although one can continue straight onto the ride’s second
leg, the finest bridge of all is situated 3 miles downstream. The
Winchester-Ashuelot bridge is neither the state’s longest or its oldest. But
its open, unsheathed sides, its red roof, and its siting across a rocky
stretch of the Ashuelot makes it one of the most beautiful. There is a small
grocery store here, as well as a pleasant spot to sit on the opposite side
of the river.
Follow a dirt road along the riverbank back to Winchester, then climb
eastward out of the Ashuelot River Valley. The climb is long and wearying,
but it follows a smooth road and at the top offers a view toward famous,
solitary Mount Monadnock.
The Basics
Start:
Swanzey, in New Hampshire’s southwestern corner, just below Keene. From the
Boston area follow Rte. 119W to Richmond, then Rte. 32N to Swanzey. From
central Massachusetts and southern New England, follow I-91N through
Brattleboro, turn east on Rte. 9 to Keene, then go south on Routes 12 and 32
to Swanzey. Park in the lot of the Monadnock Regional High School, on Rte.
32 at its intersection with Sawyers Crossing Road.
Length: 12.8
or 35.7 miles
Terrain: A
little bit of everything, including long flat stretches, some dirt road, and
a 2-mile climb.
Food: There
is a small grocery store at the covered bridge in Ashuelot, 17.2 miles into
the ride, along with a place to stop for a rest on the bank of the river.
There are also convenience stores in Winchester, at 15.0 miles, at the main
intersection in Richmond, at 26.2 miles.
Traffic / Safety: Watch for faster-moving
traffic on the second half of the ride, on Routes 119 and 32.
Miles
and Directions:
|
0.0 |
From the parking lot
of the school in Swanzey, ride west on Sawyers Crossing Road toward West
Swanzey and Keene.
|
|
0.2 |
Stay with Sawyers
Crossing Road as it turns right at the fork.
|
|
1.0 |
Pass through first
covered bridge over the Ashuelot River and turn left on the other side.
|
|
1.5 |
Stay left as Ash
Hill Road turns right.
|
|
2.9 |
Left onto Route 10S
toward Winchester. (Don’t let all the barking worry you. That’s the
Monadnock Regional Humane Society across the street.)
|
|
3.4 |
Left at blinking
light. This is the first possible left on Rte. 10.
|
|
3.9 |
Left at T and cross
the 1832 Thompsen Covered Bridge, which crosses the Ashuelot River just
above a small dam.
|
|
4.2 |
Right onto
Homestead Avenue, with a community church on the right.
|
|
5.6 |
Bear right at junction. Although unmarked, the
road to the left is Swanzey Lake Road.
|
|
|
For a short jaunt
totaling 12.8 miles, turn left here and follow Swanzey Lake Road for 3.9
miles back to Rte. 32. Pass Swanzey Lake and the turnoff for Richardson
Park on the left, or turn in there for a swim and continue to Rte. 32.
Turn left on Rte. 32 back to Swanzey.
|
|
6.3 |
Left at stop sign,
toward Winchester.
|
|
7.1 |
Left onto Rte. 10S,
keeping an eye out for traffic. Ride slowly on Rte. 10, as you will be
looking for the first right turn.
|
|
7.4 |
Right onto Coombs
Bridge Road, which turns downhill through a cluster of small roadside
buildings. This is an easy road to miss, but there is a right turn sign
preceding it.
|
|
7.6 |
Cross third covered
bridge and turn left on the other side.
|
|
8.5 |
Sharp left at the
intersection onto Old Westport Road. The roads continuing straight and
turning right are dirt. (These dirt roads lead into Pisgah State park –
a favorite local mountain-biking site.)
|
|
13.0 |
Bear left, staying
by the river, as a dirt road joins in from the right.
|
|
13.5 |
Continue left on Old
Westport Road. Old Spofford Road enters from the right. This junction is
marked by a big red slate-roofed barn on the left.
|
|
13.8 |
Turn left onto an
unmarked road at the intersection and continue downhill until the Elm
Street bridge.
|
|
14.5 |
Right onto the
narrow road immediately in front of the bridge. Do not cross the river
here.
|
|
|
You could continue
straight across the bridge here – if you wanted to shave 4.4 miles off
the trip. Continuing straight, you would cross Rte. 10 in the center of
Winchester, with the town hall on your right, and continue onto Rte.
119E toward Richmond. The miles you wold miss, though, are among the
most scenic of the trip, and the covered bridge at Ashuelot is the
grandest along this route.
|
|
14.7 |
Bear right with the
main road as it turns slightly uphill.
|
|
15.2 |
Ride directly across
Rte. 119, onto Old Ashuelot Road. This back road will drop back down to
the Ashuelot River.
|
|
16.5 |
Left onto Rte. 119W.
|
|
17.2 |
Left across the
beautifully preserved Winchester-Ashuelot bridge as Rte. 119 veers
right. After crossing bridge, bear left at Y intersection. This road is
both paved and dirt.
|
|
20.1 |
Left onto Rte. 10N.
Then continue through the light at the intersection. You should now be
on combined Routes 10 and 119 leading back into Winchester. Caution:
Rte. 119 has a narrow shoulder and traffic moves quickly.
|
|
20.5 |
Right onto Rte. 119
toward Richmond. This road will climb gradually alongside the
appropriately named Roaring Brook. Once the stream and the road diverge,
however, the road begins to climb more steeply. The final mile is the
steepest.
|
|
24.2 |
Reach top of climb,
with a view of Mt. Monadnock straight ahead.
|
|
26.2 |
In Richmond, which
is little more than a crossroads, turn left at the variety store onto
Rte. 32N toward Swanzey. Caution: Rte. 32 is narrow and has no shoulder.
The road features several steep drops for the first 5 miles, then it
flattens out for the final run back into Swanzey.
|
|
35.7 |
Return to the
Monadnock Regional High School at the junction of Rte. 32 and Sawyers
Crossing Road in Swanzey.
|
TAKEN
FROM
The Best Bike Rides in New England, written by Paul Thomas
Published by
The Globe Pequot Press
P.O. Box 833
Old Saybrook, Connecticut 06475
This company has published a number of other biking books. Check out your local
bookstore or contact them for availability.
