DAY 1 UK/Falmouth

We fly to Boston and travel south through Massachusetts to Falmouth, perfectly set on the southern tip of beautiful Cape Cod, where we stay for five nights.

DAY 2 Falmouth, Plimoth Plantation & the Mayflower

Falmouth is perhaps the quintessential Cape Cod village. Our brief introductory tour will show us the town green – used as a military training ground during the Revolution – ringed by fine 18th and 19th-century houses, the harbour and Falmouth Heights overlooking Nantucket Sound. For an entertaining insight into America’s history there’s an optional visit to Plimoth Plantation, a recreation of the Pilgrim Fathers’ 1627 village and the older Wampanoag Indian Settlement. Here costumed actors playing the roles of pilgrims, Indians and sailors recreate 17thcentury life and answer visitors’ questions. At Plymouth Harbor you can step aboard a full-scale replica of the Mayflower, which carried the pilgrims on their arduous 66-day journey across the Atlantic.

DAY 3 Rhode Island

We explore Rhode Island today, which despite being the smallest state in the nation boasts more than 400 miles of coastline and a fifth ofthe entire country’s historic landmarks. Summering in Newport, Rhode Island, popular since pre-Revolution times, became the done thing for 19th-century millionaires and socialites, who tried to outdo each other with the extravagance of their palatial summer ‘cottages’. Some 70 mansions survive, including the Astor family’s Beechwood and Cornelius Vanderbilt’s 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palace, The Breakers, both of which are now museums.

DAY 4 Cape Cod & Whale-Watching

We see more of Cape Cod’s coastline, wonderful beaches, windswept dunes and charming colonial fishing villages as we travel north to Provincetown, a busy fishing port with narrow winding streets of picturesque clapboard houses, shops and galleries. Take a stroll, climb the Pilgrim Memorial tower for a fantastic overview of the entire Cape or, for an experience you’ll always remember, there’s an optional whale-watching cruise (weather permitting). Sailing out from Provincetown to the Stellwagen Bank, it’s rare not to get a close-up view of humpback, minke and finback whales and pods of dolphins breaching the plankton-rich waters.

DAY 5 Martha’s Vineyard

The island of Martha’s Vineyard – haunt of the Kennedys and Clintons – liesjust south of Cape Cod. A short ferry crossing brings us to Vineyard Haven, a busy port since the 18th century. Exploring the island, we’ll see Oak Bluffs, once the site of a Methodist meeting camp and now renowned for its charming Victorian cottages; and elegant Edgartown, a port that grew wealthy on the whaling business. Its colourful houses, many built by rich sea captains, may just be familiar, as the town was the location for the Jaws movies.

DAY 6 Boston & Lincoln

We leave Cape Cod today and travel back to Boston to explore this city of great charm. See the enchanting streets of historic town houses lit by old-fashioned gas lamps, the striking highrises of contemporary Boston and the busy harbour. Follow the way-marked Freedom Trail, linking the sights and buildings that played a key role in the American Revolution, and find a restaurant for a delectable seafood lunch – perhaps the venerable Union Oyster House, in business since 1826. Later we continue north to New Hampshire and Lincoln for a three-night stay.

DAY 7 The White Mountains

Once a perilous wilderness, the beautiful White Mountains and heavily wooded slopes of the White Mountain National Forest have become a year-round playground with summer hiking trails and winter sports. Take in the stunning scenery including Indian Head, a rock formation that once served as a tribal look-out, and Franconia Notch State Park. View the Flume, a dramatic 800-foot-deep granite gorge and (weather permitting) take a thrilling optional ride on the aerial tramway to the summit of Mount Cannon – the panorama is amazing. More scenic splendour awaits at Crawford Notch, from where there’s a magnificent vista of Mount Washington; at 6,288 feet the highest peak in the eastern USA. Back down to earth, it’s time to hit the factory outlet stores of Conway – especially good value as there’s no sales tax in New Hampshire – before we return to Lincoln along the scenic Kancamagus Highway.

DAY 8 Vermont

Relax at Woodwards Inn, enjoying the indoor pool and sauna, or if you’d like to experience another side of New England there’s an optional tour of Vermont, one of America’s prettiest states. We’ll see Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the USA, a charming spot on the Winooski River with its golden-domed state house framed by forested hills, and learn how maple syrup is produced at Morse Farm. Fortified by the local speciality, ‘sugar on snow’ – hot maple syrup drizzled over ice shavings – we’ll visit Rock of Ages, the world’s largest granite quarry, from where the stone for Montpelier’s state capitol building was hewn.

DAYS 9 & 10 Lincoln/UK

En route to Boston airport for our overnight flight we visit Salem, the site where the colony of Massachusetts was first established, yet best known for the infamous witch trials of 1692. Passengers adding on a stay in Boston will be transferred to the hotel – please see the box opposite for details