The Maine attraction

When Victoria Summerley was introduced to the New England B&B tradition, she was happy to shake off her British reserve and join in the chat over a four-course breakfast

I hadn't been in Ogunquit more than five minutes when I saw Dorothy and Toto walking down Main Street towards me. With them were the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, accompanied by the Wicked Witch of the West. Ogunquit, on the coast of Maine, is the kind of place where you feel at home straight away.

It's a pretty little seaside town, only an hour and a half up the interstate from Boston. It boasts all the attractions you would expect to find in such a town: a long, sandy beach, a minuscule lighthouse, an antiques market, lots of shops and cafés, and more restaurants serving gigantic fresh lobsters than you can shake a French fry at.

It's also – and this is more unusual in America – a town that invites you to wander around. In fact, wandering around is well-nigh compulsory. Dorothy and her friends were off to see the wizard (as it turned out) at a singalong showing of The Wizard of Oz in the local village hall. But while Ogunquit may not have a real, live Yellow Brick Road, it does have a Marginal Way, a one-and-a-quarter-mile walk which takes you round the coastline from the centre of town to Perkins Cove.

The Marginal Way was the gift of a local farmer, Josiah Chase, who had used it to herd his cattle to pasture. In the early 1900s, Ogunquit was just beginning to transform itself into a seaside resort and a developer began selling lots on the Wells and Ogunquit beach. The residents were afraid that the beach, which was considered something of a public park, would soon become an exclusive playground for rich visitors. In 1923, the townspeople were given the right to acquire the beach, and they have owned it ever since. Chase bequeathed his land to the same purpose.

Walk the Marginal Way at dawn and see the sun come up over a shimmering ocean. Walk it in the evening to work up an appetite for the aforesaid gigantic lobster. Walk it whenever, but walk it you must. Why? Because if you tell any American who has been to Ogunquit that you've been there too, they always ask you the same question: "Did you walk the Marginal Way?" And you'll feel pretty stupid if you have to answer no.

Believe me, there are plenty of Americans who have been to Ogunquit. It's extremely popular in summer and during fall foliage season, both with families taking their annual vacation and with weekenders. To put it crudely, it can get bloody crowded. If you go late spring or autumn the crowds are thinner and most of the restaurants and shops will still be open.

Ideally, if you're flying into Boston, spend the weekend sightseeing there and travel up to Ogunquit midweek, when the weekenders have gone back to work and the bed-and-breakfast inns are quieter.

Ogunquit was my first introduction to the New England bed-and-breakfast tradition. I wouldn't quite say it was love at first sight (I don't think there are many Brits who could face a tableful of friendly Americans over breakfast for the first time without the faintest of indrawn breaths). But once charmed, I was seduced.

We stayed at the White Rose Inn, run by Pat and Ernie Sadowl. It's on Main Street and about five minutes' walk from the beach and the Marginal Way. There were chickadees in the garden and traditional quilts on the beds.

If you've never stayed at a good American B&B, there are three things you should know. First, they are a world away from Formica tables, notices on the communal bathroom door and the smell of yesterday's cooking. Second, they tend to be run by people who seem to love people, love food and love making places comfortable. Third, because of the previous two reasons, they are not necessarily cheap. You'll see why in a minute.

I've had meals at supposedly good London restaurants that would compare unfavourably with the breakfasts at the White Rose Inn. Four courses (but naturally!), which on our first day began with a choice of orange or cranberry juice, then baked bananas in maple syrup with chopped pecans, then wild rice and cranberry pancakes with sausages and cranberry compote, then toast made from homebaked bread. Feeling hungry?

Day two, we had juice, then poached pears, then a Maine version of eggs Benedict which involved poached eggs on muffins with fresh shrimps and scallops, topped with a white wine and cheese sauce. I didn't bother with the toast that day. I just sat there, replete, listening to the conversation.

Most B&Bs seem to operate a two- sittings routine (you get asked when you arrive whether you prefer breakfast later or earlier) and all those I've stayed in put everyone around one big table. The American guests will instantly introduce themselves and ask you where you're from. English guests who aren't used to this routine will probably feel extremely uncomfortable and mumble something about "'Ngl'nd". (I say English: I can't imagine the Celtic nations being so gauche.)

But so long as you smile politely and pass things when asked, people won't mind. Pat and Ernie, I found, were pretty good at spotting an incipient awkward silence and were ready with an anecdote, a bit of local knowledge or just an offer of more coffee. You can learn a lot from the conversation around the breakfast table. People may recommend the restaurant where they ate the night before, tell you about yesterday's excursion, or which birds they saw down at the beach, or what they found in the antiques market.

The conversation may even get on to more weighty subjects. Our last breakfast at the White Rose turned into a full-scale debate, with two academics discussing the pros and cons of online teaching. Phrases such as "as Machiavelli once said..." and "but surely that's ignoring the importance of interpretative and analytical skills" were being tossed around while the rest of us cheered them on. To our amusement, the husband of one of the protagonists sided with the other. (We had visions of him and his poor wife sitting in stony silence all the way home to Connecticut.)

As for us, we beamed stickily at our hosts and said our farewells. As we settled ourselves in our hire car, I'll swear the damn thing creaked.

Traveller's Guide

Getting there: The writer travelled to Boston with British Airways (0845 77 333 77, www.ba.com). Fares vary with season – a return in May, booked direct, costs £378 – and are usually lower if you book through a discount agent. Holiday Autos (0870 400 0099, www.holiday autos.co.uk) offers a week's car rental from £137.

Staying there: The White Rose Inn, PO Box 2227, 95 Main Street, Ogunquit, Maine (001 207 646 3432, www.whiteroseinn.com). Room rates start at $75 (£46) per night.

Further information: Discover New England is the six-state tourism organisation covering Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Call its information line (0906 55 88 555, calls cost £1 per minute) for a comprehensive pack including the New England Guide for a maximum charge of £2. Or visit www.discovernewengland.org.