Cape Cod and the nearby islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard occupy a mythic place in American life. The whalers of the 19th century defined the area's ruggedness and independent spirit; the visits of the Kennedy clan - who still own a "compound" in Hyannis on the Cape - and the Clintons gave it cachet. As you cross Cape Cod canal and enter the narrow peninsula that is the Cape, you feel as if you are entering a different country. Sea, sand and self-sufficiency rule.
This may be America at play, but they play pretty hard. The Cape and the islands abound with adventure pursuits - hiking, cycling, kayaking, mopeding. This is deskbound, corporate America getting the sand between its toes. Up to a point anyway: many visitors still insist on driving their sports utility vehicles on to the beach and parking next to the sea. It is to be hoped that the odd one gets washed away.
The beaches are huge, numerous and very appealing, but there are several caveats. Swimming can be dangerous on some because of the size of the swell and the currents (some are better for surfing than swimming). The beaches on Cape Cod Bay tend to be less dangerous than those abutting the Atlantic, but in all cases swimmers have to check the conditions. This being America, private beaches are numerous, but those open to the public are plentiful, too, though you may need to get a permit from the nearest town.
Despite the irritating habit of using the beaches as parking lots, the Cape and the islands are really an idea of a better, cleaner, more rugged America. The area grew on the back of whaling and that pioneer spirit still prevails. Nantucket especially, the port from which the Pequod sets off in Moby-Dick, is perfectly preserved: beautifully kept houses which used to belong to whaling captains and are now owned by the seriously rich.
The bitter joke on Nantucket is that all the millionaires have been driven out. By the billionaires. It is a tiny island (just 50 square miles) with tight building regulations (though not tight enough for the liking of those who want to preserve its natural beauty and 19th-century heritage). The result is astronomical house prices - and high prices for visitors, too. The upside is that a third of the island has been deemed an area of outstanding natural beauty and cannot be built on, no matter how big the developer's cheque.
In some of the B&Bs, there is no TV. That is no accident. The islands especially, but the Cape, too, wear their rejection of corporate America as a badge of honour - no big fast-food outlets, no chain-stores, limits on cars (very expensive to ferry to the islands), restrictions on shop facias to ensure uniformity.
I took an early-morning walk in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, a lovely town full of colonial-style clapboard houses that get a new coat of paint every year to show them off in summer, and was surprised to see a plastic bag blowing down Main Street. It had only taken 48 hours to get into a mindset where life proceeds slowly but perfectly.
The year-rounders are weather-beaten individualists. The pony-tailed young men running the bike firms (the islands, flat and with few cars, are great for cycling); the wiry naturalist who takes us for a hike on Nantucket; the former Wall Street high-fliers now running an exquisite and intimate B&B in Edgartown - all are in flight from the commercialism of their own country. They are doing things their way, and what draws the hordes of summer residents and annual visitors back is the chance to share that rejection, to have it both ways.
It is interesting to watch the weekenders coming off the high-speed ferry from Hyannis when it arrives in Nantucket. Well-dressed women and fleshy men with dogs: the island is a playground for the well-heeled, quietly pleased with their own good fortune.
Martha's Vineyard - there is, incidentally, no vineyard and no one knows for certain who Martha was - is twice the size of Nantucket and a bit less expensive despite the Clintonian imprimatur. The island has a homelier feel than its more exclusive neighbour: it seems that millionaires are still tolerated here. (But don't go if you want to smoke - it is banned in all public places on the island. And if you like a drink, stay in Edgartown or Oak Bluffs; the rest of the island is "dry".)
The Cape is cheaper and less stuffy than the islands. On Nantucket and the Vineyard, it would not be a good idea to go down to breakfast in your beach shorts. Martha may be optional, but a decent pair of trousers aren't. The Cape is easy-going by comparison, with less expensive B&Bs and lots of campsites. This would be the place for a beach holiday, though it would be a long way to go for the sort of piney, duney locations you could find on, say, the Atlantic coast of France. To make the long-haul journey worthwhile, it might be more sensible to combine a week on the Cape and a few days on the islands with a weekend in Boston and a tour of New England.
We stayed in Eastham, close to the Cape Cod National Seashore, a magnificent 40-mile stretch of coastline full of fabulous beaches, walks and cycle tracks. But an even better base might be Provincetown (usually referred to as P-town) on the northern tip of the peninsula, which has very good bars and restaurants, a selection of truly weird shops, a pleasingly relaxed approach to life, great beaches and lots of whales just offshore. Provincetown is also the centre of gay life on the Cape: it attracts many gay visitors and some B&Bs in the town are gay only.
We went out on a whale boat and saw two fin-backed whales and dozens of dolphins. The whales were smaller than I had expected (I sound like a Texan here), but their speed of movement was thrilling. As they glide through the sea, with the dolphins leaping out of the water beside them, they leave a"footprint" showing their path. They have no difficulty outpacing the boat and in a matter of seconds are half a mile away, though they then thoughtfully circle and allow us to catch up. From May on, large number of sightings, especially of hump-backed whales, are virtually guaranteed. P-town is, in every sense, a place to have a whale of a time.
Getting there: Continental Airlines (0800 776464, www.continental.com) has flights from London, Manchester and Birmingham to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket via Newark until September 30 for £339 plus £58.50 tax, and year-round flights to Boston from £217 plus £58.50 tax with onward Cape Air flights to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard (total cost £358 plus £58.50 tax). Or you can fly to Boston, drive to the Cape (90 minutes) and take a ferry to the islands. The ferry from Woods Hole on the Cape to Martha's Vineyard takes less than an hour and costs $5.50pp one way. The fast boat from Hyannis on the Cape to Nantucket takes an hour and costs $23pp one way; the slower ferry 2 hours and $13pp one way. The Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket ferry only runs from mid-June to mid-September; it takes 2 hours and costs $13.50pp one way. Cars can be rented on Cape Cod at standard rates, but ferrying them to the islands is expensive ($104 for the round trip to Martha's Vineyard inc passengers) and $320 to the car-hating Nantucket. www.smartguide.org offers advice on driving in the area, and (its preference) on other modes of transport.
Staying there: It is possible to book individual B&Bs or rent a house, but costs can be prohibitive. America As You Like It (020-8742 8299, www.americaasyoulikeit.com) offers tailored packages with discounts on the B&Bs' standard rates. For example, four nights on Martha's Vineyard, four nights on Nantucket and four nights on the Cape will cost £983.50pp, including flights and car hire. America As You Like It also covers Boston and New England.
Further information from: New England Office of Travel and Tourism (0906 5588555, £1 per minute) or www.massvacation.com
