Hancock to Harrisville and Back. 18.0 miles, 1218 feet elevation gain.
Moderate to difficult. A mostly un-trafficked ramble past marshes, lakes and ponds, finishing on one of the prettiest backroads in the Monadnock Region. This is both a great bike ride and a gastronomic tour.
You can start the ride either in Hancock or Harrisville depending on how you want to arrange your pastries, coffee, lunch consumption. Browse the websites for each store to see your breakfast and lunch options to determine your starting point. My preference is to get coffee and maybe a pastry mid-ride, and then eat lunch at the end.
Excellent choices at either cafe. Ride wise, the only flaw is that it's a lollipop ride — meaning that there's a section of the ride that must be repeated unless you take some alternative, rougher rail trail options. Today we'll begin in the center of Hancock, parking to the left of the Post Office in the Norway Pond Beach parking lot or across the street in the ample Town Hall lot.
Check out Fiddleheads for a pre-ride coffee or to figure out what you want for lunch later. Start with a plummet leaving Hancock down the steep hill on Rt. 137 and then look for a quick left turn on Middle Rd.
Enjoy a ramble through wide open farmland. The Farm at Wolf Pine Hollow has vast fields of tulips and a roadside farm stand worth perusal. Then the uphill starts.
Climb a bit, turn off Middle Hancock Rd onto Vatcher Rd, and continue to climb on a three-stepped hill till you get almost to.
