THE US VERMONT DESTINATIONS “W


e did not vote Trump,” is the first thing that


bartender Archie says as he pours a beer in the von Trapp Brewery. Yes, those von Trapps. Enchanted by Vermont’s alpine beauty, they settled here in 1941. In fact, it’s the first thing


almost everyone says to us. In the gift shop in Stowe – a perfectly pretty New England town with characterful wood-panelled houses and a river running through it – Trump pin dolls are for sale alongside local honey and award-winning cheeses. Perhaps that’s not surprising, since it is the home state of Democrat Bernie Sanders, and


has been reliably blue since the election of Bill Clinton in 1992. The other common thread is the locals’ liking for Vermont’s warmer months. Archie came skiing in 1972 – and never left. “Now I prefer the summer. The weather is perfect.” Audra, the owner of Commodities Natural Market in Stowe, used to rent a ski cabin up here in winter, but a summer visit persuaded her to move. “We ski, hike, swim, ride, skate, camp,” she says. “In Vermont, it’s not about what you do for work but what you do out of work.” There are hundreds of hectares of rolling green pastures and lush


There are hundreds of hectares of pastures and woodland, while billboards are illegal, as they spoil the view


woodland – a veritable feast of Canadian sugar maple. Billboards are illegal, because they spoil the view. “In autumn, the foliage is spectacular. Of course, we can’t say we have the best maple syrup in front of our neighbours from the north. But we do,” says


Archie. Behind him, huge glass windows frame the dramatic ridge of the Worcester Range. Here, you’ll find craft breweries


rather than fast-food chains – Montpelier is famously the only state capital without a McDonald’s – a surprisingly low crime rate, and an environmentally friendly ethos everywhere you go. “There’s no rush, nowhere to go,” adds Archie. “We just bumble along.”


 STOWE: ZIP AND DIVE Driving in Vermont is joyful. The roads dip and curve through bucolic countryside, and there’s barely any traffic. Pull up


11 April 2019travelweekly.co.uk51


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