At Renforth there is a choice little cove or bay where summer cottages face riverwards along a breezy ridge that follows the course of the stream at this point; while at Rothesay the bungalows are very prettily disposed in the woods by the shore, and on the pleasant slopes above. At both of these places good boating, sailing, and canoeing may be had, as well as motor boating. River bathing is enjoyed by nearly all who summer in these charming spots. While not so cool as seaside places, they are appreciably cooler than town or city, and on that account they have become favorite resorts for St. John people, as well as for others from more distant points.
Above Rothesay the railroad strikes inland a mile or two from the river, but at Jubilee and Nauwigewauk it resumes its river course and holds it until near Hampton, where it is about a mile from the part of the village that fronts on the water. Hampton, however, may be said to run almost from the station to the river, and with the pleasant inn or summer hotel close by the station, the pretty village, the Court-House green, and the splendid view from the hills, together with the many shady walks, this part of the village has many attractions.
Hampton is the head of Kennebecasis River navigation for steamboats; and as all the pleasant resorts just named are either on the river or near it, those who summer in this neighborhood will soon become familiar with the enjoyable scenery of the Kennebecasis. At Hampton-by-the-River, it should be added, there is a comfortable homelike hotel or stopping-place. The surroundings of the whole village are all picturesque, and such as conduce to pleasure in walks, drives and rambles.
An enjoyable water outing may be taken on the river by boarding the steamboat at Hampton and going downstream to St. John. At first a way is threaded through the meadows by a varied channel that makes it necessary to “double” and often head in an opposite direction, to pass some island or follow the devious windings of a stream that makes bends and turns and double-bends in its course. At last the meadows are passed, however, and a typical river course with regular channel is entered. Here high hills and steep ridges line the way. The view at Clifton is very fine, and at Moss Glen and Chapel Grove it is almost equally good. As St. John is neared the steamboat passes into the waters of the larger river and takes its way past the Boar’s Head, and round south to the Indiantown Wharves.
ST. JOHN TO MONCTON
From Hampton a short railroad runs to St. Martin’s and Quaco on the Bay of Fundy shore. St. Martin’s is a favorite excursion point that is readily reached by a short sea journey from St. John. Quaco, almost immediately joining on the south, has a very pretty harbor. Bold cliffs and little stony beaches are prominent features in its attractive scenery.