Derry Rail Trail - July 1, 2017

A beautiful Saturday kicking off the holiday weekend seemed like the perfect time to head out on a hike in the mountains of NH - until we merged onto 93 North.  We had been on the road for 30 minutes and had only made it to Exit 4 in Derry, home of the Derry Rail Trail as well as a selection of breweries.  Seemed like a no brainer to get out of the traffic and get on with our walk there.  We gave up elevation for a nice flat paved trail with plenty of mileage ahead.

View map

Wildlife encountered: Turtle, chipmunks, squirrels, a mole, and a beaver dam. No snakes!

Shy turtle

Memorial benches along the way

We took a little photo break as we crossed over to the Windham Rail Trail, which we continued on in order to hit 2.5 miles (for a 5 mile round trip).

Read a little more about the history http://www.windhamrailtrail.org/windham-depot--the-c16.html

Finishing up the walk, we were passed by many bikers, a few runners, and a handful of dog walkers. Now it was reward time. We chose from an assortment of breweries - there are five in the surrounding area.  We chose the two that were only about a mile from where we parked.  Next time we can park there and walk to the trail head.

Hip atmosphere and vibe at the Rockingham Brewery. While we were there they ran out of Blond Melon, and there was a collective groan among the regulars.

#6 was my favorite - La Bonne Fortune

Our second stop was Kelsen Brewery, right around the corner. This pub had a nice outdoor patio, with plenty of room for their patrons to spread out.  They also offered grilled cheese as one of their snack foods.

We resisted the grilled cheese, because we were just so close to Clam Haven, home of the best fried scallops in NH. If only I had room for an ice cream!