First light to last light: The arc of a perfect summer day in Gloucester
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A trail map to Dogtown stands at the parking lot on Dogtown Road.
David Lyon
While the rest of Gloucester is waking up, walk off the breakfast carbs by hiking the trails in Dogtown. Every town deserves a mysterious, spooky wood, and Dogtown is Gloucester's. Site of the 17th-century settlement, the ghost town sits atop a glacial moraine. Trees and shrubs have overgrown the vast boulder field since this inland village was abandoned about 200 years ago as Gloucester sought its living from the sea. Yet cellar holes and patches of ornamental flowering plants and fruit trees persist as silent witnesses to lives once lived here. The 'Babson Boulder Trail″ is the most popular way to explore Dogtown. Look for massive stones inscribed with inspirational words — 'Truth,″ 'Kindness,″ 'Prosperity,″ and so on. They are the work of Depression-era unemployed stone cutters hired by Gloucester native Roger Babson.
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This contemporary wetu sits next to the 1710 White-Ellery saltbox on the Cape Ann Museum Green campus in Gloucester.
David Lyon
Gloucester may be one of America's oldest European settlements, but the English were hardly the first to live here. At the Cape Ann Museum Green campus, located between Dogtown and the Route 128 traffic circle, a contemporary art wetu
(a traditional Indigenous dwelling) and a stone mush8n
(a stone version of an Indigenous dugout canoe) nod to earlier occupants of the land. The brightly painted wetu
contrasts with the weathered clapboards of the adjacent 1710 White-Ellery saltbox house. Although the downtown location of the museum remains closed for renovation until 2026, CAM Green offers tours of the White-Ellery House and mounts changing exhibitions in its soaring, light-filled gallery building.
Carvings on the "Babson boulders" in Dogtown exhort passersby to admirable actions.
David Lyon
By now you've probably caught on that Gloucester is a pretty special place. So it's no surprise that the glorious light has long drawn artists to town. Starting in the mid-19th century, artists have flocked to Rocky Neck, a small peninsula poking out into Gloucester Harbor. It claims to be 'one of America's oldest working art colonies.″
Rocky Neck in Gloucester is a well-established art colony.
David Lyon
Rocky Neck is a compact spit, easily walked from the municipal parking lot on Rocky Neck Avenue. Check out the former studio of Marsden Hartley at 9 Rocky Neck Ave., now a private home. He spent summers here in the 1930s and often painted the glacial moraine of Dogtown. The former studio of A.W. Buhler at 17 Rocky Neck Ave. is now a gallery. Buhler is best remembered for his painting 'Man at the Wheel,″ the inspiration for Gloucester's iconic Fisherman's Memorial statue. Take a short detour to 2 Clarendon St. to see the house that Edward Hopper painted as 'The Mansard Roof.″ Or just wander the galleries and shops, including the sleek gallery and wine bar called Salted Cod Arthouse, and pop into any open studios. You will see a lot of paintings of boats, harbors, and broader seascapes. Gloucester is, after all, also America's oldest working fishing port.
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Edward Hopper modeled the image in "The Mansard Roof″ on this Rocky Neck home.
David Lyon
Downtown knits together Gloucester's maritime and artistic histories. As you wrap around the head of the inner harbor, you'll pass the site where Hopper painted 'Tall Masts″ in 1912. Hopper was hardly the first artist to be entranced by Gloucester's waterfront. One of your first stops on a walking tour along the harbor will be a three-story Gothic Revival stone house on a high hill above the working port. Looking almost like a waterfront watchtower, it was designed by Fitz Henry Lane, the Gloucester-born artist whose radiant images of glowing sky and restless seas first drew other painters to the seaport. He lived and worked here from 1849 until his death in 1865. Just feet away, Alfred Duca's evocative 1996 bronze statue shows the painter perched on a rock, sketchbook in hand, looking out on the harbor.
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The Fisherman's Memorial, often called ‶Man at the Wheel,″ stands on Western Avenue in Gloucester.
David Lyon
Also on Harbor Loop, just below the Lane House, Maritime Gloucester is a living museum of the city's saltwater history. In the Dory Shop, Geno Mondello continues to build historic Gloucester fishing dories when he's not tending his 200 lobster traps. One of the founders of Maritime Gloucester, Mondello says it takes five to six weeks to build a boat. Just below the shop, the oldest operating marine railway in the country still hauls ships out of the water for repairs, just as it has since 1849. At an adjacent pier, the pinky schooner Ardelle offers daily public sails until October.
The Ardelle offers daily harbor sails from the Maritime Gloucester wharf.
David Lyon
A little farther west along the harbor, Seven Seas Wharf has served the fishing industry for more than 350 years. It's still used to stow and repair nets, fuel up for offshore trips, and unload lobsters and fish. The Gloucester House Restaurant dominates the wharf. Enjoy seafood in the rough from the takeout window of Blue Collar Lobster Company while looking out at the fishing vessels and Cape Pond Ice.
Poignant tributes are cut into the blocks at the base of the Fishermen's Wives Memorial.
David Lyon
Continue west to 18 Western Ave., the building that Hopper painted in watercolors in 1926 as 'Anderson's House″ (owned by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston). The dwelling sits just above the Town Landing at the end of Pavilion Beach. It's a short walk along Western Avenue to the 'Man at the Wheel″ statue based on Buhler's painting. It's the focus of the Fisherman's Memorial, where bronze plaques list the names of those lost at sea. Keep walking across Blynman Bridge (also painted by Hopper) to the more recent statue of the Fishermen's Wives Memorial, which notes the sacrifices of fishermen's wives and families. This side of the bridge is planted with striking flower beds that flourish in the diffuse seaside light.
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The family depicted in the Fishermen's Wives Memorial looks out to sea, waiting.
David Lyon
Be sure to return to Pavilion Beach for sunset. It doesn't face perfectly west, but the setting sun illuminates the wet beach with a shimmering slick of color. Clouds above the city blaze with red and gold. The opposing horizon beyond the Eastern Point Light glows rosy pink. Suddenly, darkness falls. Then you can call it a day.
Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at
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Sunset lights the sky and glistens on the sands of Gloucester's Pavilion Beach.
David Lyon
If you go …
Cape Ann Motor Inn
33 Rockport Road
978-281-2900, capeannmotorinn.com
Double room $295
Cape Ann Coffees
86 Bass Ave.
978-282-1717, capeanncoffees.com
Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-1 p.m.
Baked goods, sandwiches $3.50-$10.75
Mom's Kitchen
29 Commercial Ave.
978-282-4444, facebook.com/JustLikeMomMade0/
Thu.-Tue. 5 a.m.-noon.
Eggs, griddle fare, and sandwiches $4-$13
Salted Cod Arthouse
53 Rocky Neck Ave.
978-282-0917, saltedcodarthouse.com
Open daily 11:30 a.m-10 p.m.
Wine bar menu of small plates, soups, flatbreads, and panini $6-$16
Blue Collar Lobster Company at Gloucester House Restaurant
63 Rogers St.
978-283-1812, thegloucesterhouse.com
Open daily 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Chowder, snacks, and seafood $8-$42, lobster market price
Dogtown
Park at access lot on Dogtown Road off Cherry Lane and follow Dogtown Babson Boulder Trail Map:
Rocky Neck Art Trail map:
CAM Green
13 Poplar St.
978-283-0455, capeannmuseum.org
Open Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free
Maritime Gloucester
23 Harbor Loop
978-281-0470, maritimegloucester.org
Gallery and aquarium open Fri.-Mon. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., adults $15; seniors, military, students, teachers $10
David Lyon can be reached at
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Average cost to get there: £20 Average price for week of accommodation: £1,131 If you don't fancy a trip abroad, there's many holiday destinations right here on our doorstep. Though the cost of accommodation in the Forest of Dean can be pretty steep, getting there and activities, and food there are more affordable. Located in Western Gloucestershire the forest is an ancient woodland filled with plenty of walks for a sunny bank holiday. And if you do one walk make sure it's to Symonds Yat Rock. Average cost to get there: £156 Average price for week of accommodation: £909 Long a favourite with UK holidaymakers, Tenerife remains a go to for affordable trips away. Along with all the classic poolside days and trips to the beach, there's also options to explore pictureeqsue towns, go on hikes and take a tour of a volcano. Average cost to get there: £39.76 Average price for week of accommodation: £574 An iconic UK holiday destination, that still remains one of the cheapest to visit. A weekend spent here must include a trip to the beach, the amusement park especially the Blackpool Tower and plenty of fish and chips. Average cost to get there: £112 Average price for week of accommodation: £825 Madrid is the perfect size for a long weekend. There's plenty of tourist hotspots to hit while staying including the Royal Palace, El Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor, and Museo Nacional del Prado. And when you're done with seeing the sites, make sure to squeeze in some time for the famous churros at Chocolateria San Gines. Madrid's tapas scene also needs to be explored and so make sure to stop at Bodega de la Ardosa. Average cost to get there: £46.31 Average price for week of accommodation: £1,015 Another popular UK destination well worth a visit thanks to the stunning scenery. There's no shortage of outdoor activities from walking, to cycling, to kayaking and paddle boarding, you'll likely need more than a weekend to make the trip worth while. Average cost to get there: £151 Average price for week of accommodation: £935 Lanzarote is the second Canary Island on this list and for good reason, it's a very affordable country to visit for a week or two with the family. An average meal out costs around £8.79 per person and a pint is just £2.09. Goodbye UK prices and hello to long days in the sun and beers on the beach. Average cost to get there: £143 Average price for week of accommodation: £769 Porto is a firm favourite amongst our team for a much needed weekend away of fun, culture and food. Our must dos? Serralves sculpture gardens, dinner at Gruta, a port tasting and a trip to the Dom Luís I Bridge. Read our full guide to Porto here. Average cost to get there: £77 Average price for week of accommodation: £1,811 The Costa Del Sol has long been a popular destination for tourism, and while there are plenty of busy resorts, there's still plenty of under radar locations that are perfect for a few days in the sun. Frigiliana is top of that list thanks to it's historic old Moorish quarter and stunning white houses that make for quite the view. Average cost to get there: £1o0 Average price for week of accommodation: £671 In the second spot for cheapest trips in Europe, is the capital city of Czech Republic, Prague. Many tourists travel there for the cheap nightlife (a pint is only on average £2.01 after all) but you're sleeping on the city if you just go for the parties. Make sure to include stops to visit the Prague Jewish Museum, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and for all the book lovers out there, Strahov Library is a must-see. Average cost to get there: £83 Average price for week of accommodation: £536 And it's official! The top cheapest place for a European break is the city of Budapest in Hungary. A week of accommodation in a three star hotel costs under £550 and travelling around for a one way ticket is less than a pound. When you're there you will be spoilt for choice with things to see and visit including Fisherman's Bastion, Buda Castle, Matthias Church and Gellert Hill. Time to book that trip then? Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK's Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she's interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
