Choose from two late summer dates:
Sea, sand, sun-dappled scrub pine forests, and ferry rides fill our days on the Cape and its nearby islands. We cover the length of the Cape, the Bay side, the ocean side, visit the ports in Hyannis, Provincetown and Falmouth and take the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. Our visit there includes time to bike some of the island’s trails, enjoy its beaches, or visit the Gingerbread Houses in Oak Bluffs.
On the Cape we bike the Cape Cod Rail Trail between West Yarmouth and Wellfleet, exploring the Cape Cod National Seashore. The next day we wind through quaint Wellfleet and Truro, lunch at the Truro Vineyard and then do some optional road riding to reach the tip of the Cape at Provincetown. While in P’town many riders elect an optional Dunes ride to marvel at the extensive "Province Lands" dunes on the ocean side of the area. A climb to the top of the Pilgrim Monument puts all of P’town, Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean at your feet. Back at the western end of the Cape we ride the canal bikeway along the Cape Cod Canal, which connects Massachusetts Bay on the east with Buzzards Bay on the west. We combine the Canal trail with a ride on the Shining Sea Bikeway that takes us along the west shore of Buzzards Bay through Falmouth to the village of Woods Hole, home to the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Our lodging on this trip includes a variety of inns and motels. Our locations in Provincetown and Hyannis put us right in the heart of the action. There are diners and pubs and fine dining restaurants sprinkled throughout our travels.
There is something special about this seaside New England landscape with its harbors and windswept woods. The gray shingled houses and the bright white clapboard ones are complimented by the intense colored flowers that only happen in these northern climes. It’s the perfect place to be when time is on the outside edges of the summer months.
Approximately 100 miles of cycling in 6 days.
Tour Leaders: Owner and Massachusetts native Ned Raynolds will lead this tour, along with his very good friend (and also Massachusetts native) Mike Hicks.
Itinerary
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Day 1 - Sunday
We'll meet at 5:00 pm at our hotel, the Hampton Inn West Yarmouth, to introduce ourselves and discuss what the week of cycling and sightseeing will look like. Then we'll hop in the van to go to dinner at restaurant near Hyannis Harbor.
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Day 2 - Monday
30 miles – We'll bike the Cape Cod Rail trail and stop for lunch and some exploring in Orleans, a very charming town bisected by the trail. After getting back on our bikes we'll soon arrive at the National Park Service Headquarters of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and whomever wants to can take the bike path extension right to Coast Guard Beach. Then we'll head on up the trail to our accomodations for the night, the Southfleet Motor Inn in South Wellfleet. After relaxing and showering, we'll enjoy a sunset dinner at The Pearl overlooking Wellfleet Harbor.
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Day 3 - Tuesday
We'll continue up the last stretch of the Cape Cod Rail Trail to its terminus, then head out to the ocean bluffs along quiet country roads. After enjoying views of the Atlantic from the unspoiled town beaches, we'll wind our way back west and into Wellfleet Town Center, where we'll stop for bit. Then we'll continue along more quiet country roads along salt marshes to Truro Center, before arriving at Truro Vineyards for lunch and some wine tasting, if you wish. After lunch folks can continue riding north to Provincetown along Rt. 6A, which features some moderate hills early on and fairly light traffic). We'll check into our waterfront accommodations to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening in Provincetown.
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Day 4 - Wednesday
On your own / activity day in Provincetown. Tour leaders will lead an optional morning ride to the dunes of Province Lands, where a 5.45-mile loop trail loops around the Province Lands, passing through pine forests, sandy dunes, and low-lying cranberry bogs with spurs to both Herring Cove and Race Point beaches. Riders will finish by coming back into Provincetown from the west end along Commercial St.
For the remainder of the day, a whale watching tour to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is just one of many options; ascending the 252 ft, 116 step Pilgrim Monument, browsing art galleries and people watching, or a sunset sail on the bay are others. The day is yours! -
Day 5 - Thursday
Up to 31 miles – We van the length of the Cape, from Provincetown to Sandwich to bike the Bourne Canal Bike Path. After lunch at a local seafood restaurant, there is a bit of road riding and then we finish the day on the Shining Sea Bikeway, then on to our night’s lodging in Falmouth. Tonight we'll enjoy a pizza party together in our relaxed Inn.
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Day 6 - Friday
All-day adventure to Martha's Vineyard. You'll bring your bike as we ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. Later in the day we will ferry back to Falmouth for our last night together. This iconic island is one of the most scenic places we visit on any tour!
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Day 7 - Saturday
After breakfast in Falmouth we will drive back to our opening hotel. We do not have any planned activities for this day. It's been a great tour of Cape Cod!
Included
- Overnight accommodations for SIX (6) nights
- Area-knowledgable and cycling expert tour guides
- 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners
- Gratuities for Meals & Accomodations
- In-ride drinks & snacks
- Van support
- Route navigation via free use of Ride With GPS
- Round trip ferry to Martha’s Vineyard
Not Included
- Airfare/transportation to and from Hyannis
- Alcohol with meals
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry
- Gratuities for guides
- Travel Insurance (please purchase!)
- Bike rental
Difficulty Level: Intermediate-Plus
Due to road riding into Provincetown and again into Falmouth, this tour's difficulty rating is Intermediate-Plus.
This tour’s trails are all paved, and are suitable for all bicycles.
Suggested bicycle: Touring bikes, road bikes, hybrids
Suggested tire size for this tour: 25mm – 37mm
Pricing
$2,850 per person (based on double occupancy)
$775 – Single Supplement (extra price to have your own room)
$150 – Bike Rental (helmet and bike bag included)
50% of the total is a required deposit, due upon registration
You'll be invoiced for the the balance due 90 days from the Tour start date
Balance is due 60 days prior to departure date.
Trip Insurance and Cancellation Policy
Please review Senior Cycling's Cancellation Policy here.
Please purchase Trip Insurance. Especially at our age, even though no one expects or wants it, health issues arise and accidents happen. At Travelinsurance.com you can get quotes for coverage from several different providers and get all your questions answered about different levels of coverage, such as "Cancel For Any Reason (COFR)" polices and Pre-Existing Condition waivers. Allianz Travel Insurance and TravelGuard by AIG are also well-known companies with reasonable rates. Please check it out and protect your travel investment.
Your Travel Plans
For this tour we meet riders at 5:00 pm on Sunday evening at our opening hotel, the Hampton Inn West Yarmouth (on the Hyannis line). The trip ends on Saturday. We plan to be back at the hotel by 1:00 PM.
If you are traveling by air you fly into and out of Boston’s Logan Airport and take the bus to Hyannis. They have a regular schedule between the airport and Hyannis for the two hour ride. The bus delivers you to the Transportation Center in Hyannis which is about a mile from the hotel. There are taxis available, or a quick Uber/Lyft ride). We return you to the hotel at the end of the trip.
If you are driving, you drive to the hotel. We return you there at the close of the trip. You may leave your car in their spacious parking lot for free during the Tour.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding Registration and Credit Card fees: Senior Cycling is adopting WeTravel as our payment platform in order to enable us and our customers to avoid the cost of credit card processing fees, which can amount to $100 or more on just the single rider cost of a trip. When you get to "Payment Method", if you choose "U.S. Checking Account", you'll avoid the 3% credit card processing fee.
