Monhegan Island
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008The other weekend I went out to Monhegan island for a day with Beth. It was an hour boat ride out to the island, on a very foggy, choppy day. Because of the fog, there wasn’t much to see on the ride out. Once we arrived in the island, however, the fog was not as noticeable, and made much of the scenery quite spectacular. After leaving the boat, we walked into the village, where we found a cafe to have a cup of tea, and check the map to decide where we wanted to go. Since the return boat would be leaving in 5 hours, having a reasonably good plan for what we wanted to do in that time was essential.
Monhegan village is a very unique place. The largest buildings in the village are the two hotels, and there are several B&Bs and rental cottages as well. There are also a few places to eat and several art galleries. The homes of the year-round residents, all 70 people, and private summer homes make up the majority of buildings in and round the village. Besides that, there’s one of everything: One store, one school, one church, one fire truck, a small public library, and a lighthouse. The island is also entirely privately owned, so, with the exception of the town dock, there are no public amenities like restrooms or parks. There are plenty of trails that circle the island and provide access to the uninhabited parts of the island, leading to points of interest. There are also a couple miles of narrow dirt road that run through the village, and park benches by the lighthouse. There are no cars on the island, but the locals and island business use old trucks to haul traps, equipment, and gear from one place to another.
After tea, we headed out of the village for the trails that lead through Cathedral Woods to the ocean-facing side of the island. Tens of thousands of years of ocean waves have carved steep cliffs into this side of the island. The walk is not terribly difficult, and the views are well worth the time and effort it takes to get to the far side of the island. The trails are not well marked, so we got off track a couple times, but in general it’s not easy to get lost on an island. The shore trail eventually looped back to the village, where we walked up to the lighthouse and did a little more exploring around the village. There was enough time to head down to Lobster Cove as well, where there are rusted remains of an old tug-boat washed up on shore.
On our way back to the village from Lobster Cove, the fog started to clear and the sun came out. This was nice; it went from being damp and cool and warm and sunny in a matter of minutes. We grabbed a beer from the dock-side market, and sat in the grass in front of the Island Inn, watching the ferry unload. Finally it was time to climb aboard and head back to the mainland. As the boat pulled away from the island, it entered dense fog once again, and the harbor and village houses slowly disappeared into the mist.
This is a trip I would recommend to anyone, as the island is small enough to explore in a day and has plenty of things to see. If it’s not foggy, the ride to and from the island is very scenic. A round trip boat ride costs $30 per person from Port Clyde, though other boat services leave from Boothbay Harbor and Round Pond during the tourist season. Once out there, your only way to get around is on foot, which considering the island is only 1.7 miles end-to-end, is not an unreasonable proposition for most people. Purchasing a map of the island (reasonably priced at $1) when you pick up your boat ticket is essential if this is your first time to the island and you’re not staying the night.
Highlights:
- The steep, rocky cliffs on the South-East (ocean-facing) side of the island.
- Monhegan Village.
- The tug-boat wreck near lobster cove.
- Having a beer on the ferry ride home.
Some of my better photographs are below, but more are available to the public on my flickr:
Monhegn Island Photo Set
