T
he North East of the United States is blessed with over a thousand miles of coastline encompassing wide, open sandy beaches, craggy coves and sheltered bays. Historic villages and atmospheric fishing ports are home to the fabled summer hideaways of the rich and famous. Each area has its own unique personality. For New Yorkers, the Hamptons on the Eastern tip of Long Island - famous the world over for its elite set of hamlets and endless beaches - is their go-to summer stomping ground. Further north, in Rhode Island, Newport, with its turn-of-the-last-century summer mansions (quaintly referred to as “cottages”) evokes a bygone era of American aristocracy. Close by, the coastal islands of the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are more summer playgrounds with distinctive characters. And then there is Cape Cod. The Cape extends 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of the American state of Massachusetts. It then veers to the north for another 50 odd miles, giving it a distinctive arm-shaped outline. Boasting more than 400 miles of coastline - bordering protected Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay as well as the wilder Atlantic - Cape Cod is a major summer destination for Bostonians, New Englanders and those from further away. The Cape hosts a diverse set of towns - some elite, others verging on working class. Perhaps the most famous residents of the Cape are the Kennedy’s, whose seaside compound at Hyannis is one of the most storied private residences in the States. But what sets the Cape apart from other American summer destinations is its yearround population, which adds authenticity, calm and balance. And whilst there are traditional picture postcardperfect towns in the Cape, there are also equally beautiful fishing villages, shellfish marinas and small farms. At the very end of the Cape, as east and then as north as one can travel, lies Provincetown. Approaching Ptown (as it is affectionately known) on the 90-minute ferry crossing from Boston, the town in many ways looks like a quintessential New England coastal community. Period grey, brown and red shingle historic homes line the beachhead. Small sailing and fishing boats bob and up and down in the harbour, rising and falling with the tide. Piers and wharves of varying lengths jut out into the bay. And there is a distinct remoteness to the place - a calm sense of being at the end of the earth. ► Sep-Nov 2018 The Cultured Traveller 197