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Moderate Rides:
1. Plainfield-Cornish Loop
2. Norwich
3. Bayley-Hazen Loop
Buy the book, Adventures in Paradise, for over 30
more rides!
Plainfield-Cornish Loop
Plainfield-Cornish Loop. 20 miles, moderate. Roadbike. Ride clockwise. Alternate start - Main St.,
Windsor, allowing for crossings of the stunning
Cornish-Windsor covered bridge
Numbered cues below refer to MAP. Click here. (PDF)
Quiet all-paved country road loops are hard to find. But
except for a couple of miles on NH Rts. 120 and 12-A, this
ride is the exception. Even more unusual, when riding
clockwise, an elevation gain of four hundred feet is spread
out over almost ten miles – hardly noticeable. The side trip
to the St. Gaudens National Historic site angles straight up,
but the exertion to get there will soon be forgotten. Oh yes,
there’s a rather significant covered bridge along this route
too.
Note: Deserted Old River Rd., paralleling NH Rt. 12-A
to the west, comes highly recommended for pleasant
Sunday afternoon rides and brisk walks. But do not loop
back to Plainfield via 12-A from the north end of it, except
on mid-summer Sunday mornings well before 7:00 – no shoulder,
big hills, fast traffic.
1. Plainfield lost half its population between 1860 and 1920.
A Walking Tour of Plainfield, a brochure available at the
village store, includes a fine map and architectural narrative.
Daniels Rd. offers a shortcut to Stage Rd.
2. Columbus Jordan Rd., a mountain bike route on Class VI
road to noted views at French’s Ledges. Turn right ahead at
town garage on Penniman Rd.
3. Cornish Flat, a classic nineteenth-century crossroads
village, with sawmills, grist mills, tanneries, creameries,
carriage building, harness making, etc.
4. No shoulder along one half mile of NH Rt. 120. Right turn
on Center Rd., easy to miss.
5. St. Gaudens Historical site, half-mile uphill.
6. Scenic Platt Rd. through estate area becomes Thrasher
Rd. in Plainfield. Two walking hills.
7. Squag City bypass to J.D. Salinger’s place. Directions:
Right at covered bridge underpass, then second left at
wholistic manure farm, Snipe Hunt Rd. Can’t miss it – only
house done up in camo.
Copyright: Dick Mackay, 2007
Website Creator: Abraham Clayman
Website maintained by RLG.