Vermont in all its Fall glory

Today's visitor to New England could be forgiven for believing the region was named to reflect its strikingly familiar landscape, with a plethora of English place names, village greens and churches, and lighthouse-dotted shorelines.

In fact, merchant adventurer John Smith chose the name four centuries ago, long before Cheshire, Connecticut, Manchester, New Hampshire, Sheffield, Massachusetts and Woodstock, Vermont were established by hardy settlers. Much has changed since the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, just south of Boston, but the name New England remains as appropriate as ever.

There are tea shops and fancy restaurants, old inns looking as if they had fallen from the pages of an illustrated edition of Pickwick Papers, rolling hills, black and white dairy cows, theatres and art galleries in every small town.

The resonance of the past - a very English version of a colonial past - is everywhere. But for everything that's familiar there's difference too, which makes a visit all the more rewarding. Here, the four seasons are very clearly delineated. Spring after a bitter and prolonged winter transforms the landscape. Summers are hot and welcome large numbers of visitors from Europe and the well-heeled from the metropolitan east coast of the US.

The justifiably famous Fall is autumn as it exists only in a Beatrix Potter watercolour; as it tracks north to south, the display of changing foliage lasts for weeks, with achingly intense colours and hues.

The sensible way to explore New England is under your own steam - particularly when the strength of the pound makes vehicle hire and fuel such excellent value. In summer, roads can be busy, especially those leading to the popular destinations such as Cape Cod, but between May and July, and again in September and October, they are blissfully quiet by UK standards.

A word of advice though, don't bite off more than you can chew. Distances are significant and the last thing you need is to be spending each day driving between stops when there's so much exploring to be done.

Logical points of entry to the region are Boston or New York, so take your pick dependent upon which of the six New England states you wish to concentrate on.

Classic New England lighthouse

My journey began in Boston - the airport is very close to the city centre - and took me first to Cape Cod, about an hour's drive away. Then westwards across tidy Rhode Island and into Connecticut before following the Connecticut River Valley northwards into Massachusetts and north again into Vermont.

Once back in Boston, I drove north east into Maine via Kennebunkport. The area is criss-crossed by Interstates (our motorways), some subject to tolls. These are great to cover large distances - and usually much quieter than the UK's motorways - but remember the American rules of the road which allow overtaking on the inside! Leave the Interstate whenever possible to get a better feel for the scenery and the many small towns.

Sprawling Massachusetts has many historic sites: Boston itself and, of course, Cape Cod. New Hampshire and neighbouring Vermont are wilder, heavily wooded, and appeal to the lover of nature and the outdoors.

Tiny Rhode Island has interesting historic towns, while Connecticut boasts a wonderful coastline and characterful villages along the Connecticut River Valley. All these are stunning in the Fall when there are still enough visitors to keep the shops, restaurants and attractions open.

My favourite though, would be Maine, covered in pine forest with numerous lakes and rivers. Its deeply-indented coastline, dotted with islands and the occasional lonely lighthouse, is a playground for naturalists, walkers and canoeists.

Accommodation for the motorist is plentiful and varied. Highly recommended because of their great character and excellent value, is the network of inns and bed and breakfast establishments dotted across the region.

Some, such as the Harraseeket Inn, in Freeport, Maine, embrace the "green" culture so much in vogue these days. The award-winning inn is in the centre of Freeport, a bargain shopper's paradise dominated by the main store for outdoor wear, giant LL Bean (open 24/7) but also housing factory outlets for North Face, Patagonia, Reebok, Ralph Lauren and many others.

The immediate area has stunning coastal and forest scenery where you can take canoe trips on local waterways, wildlife viewing tours, fishing trips for the prized striped bass, and much more.

Further afield the coastline becomes even more spectacular - "Moose Crossing" signs abound, so watch out.

In central New England the visitor is spoilt for choice. Every winding country road (get off the Interstate system wherever possible) seems to have a picture postcard village at 10-mile intervals. Clapboard houses with picket fences, white steepled churches, covered bridges and quaint former coaching inns abound.

Well worth a visit is Stockbridge in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. This overgrown village is a centre for arts and crafts, its main street dominated by the historic Red Lion Inn. Restored to its 18th century glory - and stacked full of antiques and paintings - it's Olde England in New England.

Just up the road is Hancock Shaker Village. With its home farm and extensive collection of old buildings, it's a step back in time and very family-friendly.

Stockbridge itself boasts the Norman Rockwell Museum, housing a fine collection of work by that archetypal American hometown painter.

Art of a more controversial kind can be seen at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in the gritty former industrial town of North Adams, where a former textile mill has been turned into an amazing gallery space.

Take your time to explore New England and to relish its constant ability to surprise and enchant.

TRAVEL FACTS

John Spencer was a guest of New England Inns and Resorts Association, which includes more than 300 places to stay in the region - visit InnsandResortsofNewEngland.com For Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine, stayfreeport.com; Stage Neck Inn, York Harbor, Maine, StageNeck.com; Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, Massachusetts redlioninn.com; The Porches Inn, Massachusetts, porches.com Return flights into Boston by Icelandair with optional overnight stopovers in Iceland, start at £249 per person; 0800 988 9989 and icelandair.co.uk

11:30am Wednesday 25th June 2008

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