Tour #4: Latham House Tavern

Lyme, New Hampshire serves as the start and end point for the Latham House Tavern tour. Even though Latham House doesn’t brew their own beer, they always have an impressive tap list with selections from around New England. Between this tap list and the quick trip into Vermont for a maple creemee, we believe that this ride is still meets the criteria for an outstanding Vermont Bike & Brew tour. 

Shortly after leaving town you’ll have a chance to jump into Post Pond. This can serve as a nice picnic spot for groups starting around lunch time, especially if they pick up their picnic supplies from Stella’s Italian Kitchen. After this early break, you’ll climb into the hills and leave the noisy Route 10 traffic far behind. 

Your descent into Orford, NH is topped off with some views of beautiful little cascades that eventually drain into the Connecticut River. Cross the bridge into Fairlee, Vermont for a maple creemee at Gladstone Creamery and make sure to leave some time to poke around Chapman’s General Store, where they have an incredible assortment of Vermont crafts, textiles, and snacks. Chapman’s, which has been in the same family for generations, has new owners (still the same family!) and is a must-see for anyone passing through this area.

Your return trip to Lyme follows the path of least resistance – and why would you want to go anywhere else? River Road is a cyclist’s paradise, offering good shade coverage, smooth dirt, long river views, a covered bridge, and up-close views of Smarts Mountain if you’re willing to take a little detour.

Upon completing your route, reward yourself with a meal and a cold beer from the taps at the Latham House Tavern or another maple creemee from the Lyme Country Store. You really can’t go wrong with this route!