Where's nice for a family holiday in New England?

GO READER GO: JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions

Q I am thinking of taking my family on holiday to New England, in the US, next July. We have three small children. Can you recommend a nice area from which to base ourselves with good self-catering accommodation? We would like to be near a beach.

EK, Kildare

Cape Cod, in New England, is a great destination for a beach holiday, with average temperatures in July of about 26 degrees, so it’s not too hot. It is principally a family holiday destination, and there are plenty of self-catering options to rent.

Cape Cod is a peninsula about 90 minutes south of Boston, with 900km of coastline and 115 public beaches. The 15 towns of Cape Cod each have their own charm. Towns to consider are Falmouth, New Seabury, Hyannis and Chatham, in the Barnstable area.

Have a look at these sites for accommodation options: capecodusarealestate.com, cyberrentals.com, vrbo.com and capeandislandrealtors. com. Tourism information is available on capecod chamber.org.

North of Boston your options are the Cape Ann coastal towns of Rockport, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester, only 50km from the city and somewhat less expensive than Cape Cod. There are great Atlantic beaches and a small-town feel to Cape Ann. As it is also popular with artists, it has a lively arts scene.

There is a good variety of accommodation to rent; see atlanticvacationhomes.com and rockyneck accommodations.com. For an example of a cottage to rent, see homeaway.com/149496. Tourism information is available on capeannvacations. com and massvacation.com

Q Could you help me find out about walks in north Co Dublin? We really enjoy reading about the walks in Go, but they are so far away that it is never going to happen for us. We would be very interested in walks in or around north Co Dublin or Co Meath.

AF, Dublin

Apart from walks along the sea and around places like Ardgillan Castle and Newbridge House, there are not a lot of marked walks in north Co Dublin. The best-known would be the cliff walk in Howth.

Co Meath has a good variety of walks for various levels of ability, however. Some of them are looped, too, so you can park the car and arrive back at it. Waymarked walks include Kells Girley Bog Eco Walk, Boyne Ramparts Heritage Walk and Trim Castle River Walk.

You can get a booklet about these walks from East Coast and Midland Tourism (Dublin Road, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, 044-9348761, eastandmidlandsinfo@failte ireland.ie). You can see national looped and waymarked walks on discoverireland.ie/walking.

Q I have in mind a barge trip on the Canal du Midi, in France, with some bicycle trips thrown in for variety and exercise – maybe one week on the barge and one week moving between family-run hotels. Should we fly-drive or take ferry and train options?

TO, Dublin

A trip on the Canal du Midi would certainly be different – and relaxing. I suggest you read Rick Stein’s French Odyssey, the book that accompanied his television series about taking a trip on a barge on the canal. Although principally a cookery book, it also gives insights to his journey.

The Irish company Emerald Star (emeraldstar.ie) is part of a bigger organisation that owns cabin cruisers on the Canal du Midi. It has bases along the canal.

You can begin your journey in any of a number of places. One of the most popular is Homps, near Carcassonne, which means you do not need a car, as you can take a taxi to the base from the airport. The routes from Homps go through Languedoc, with many lovely stops along the way. Emerald Star has some good early-booking discounts.

Another company that you could consider is Minervois Cruisers (minervoiscruisers.com), which rents traditional narrowboats. The company has two bases, one up near Bordeaux and the other near Narbonne.

The cruiser companies can also organise bicycles, too.

Your choice of hotels would then depend on which base you choose to finish your trip. The French tourism website (franceguide.com) can provide some guidance on hotels, and France’s regional-tourism organisations can be very helpful.

Save time for your holiday by taking the fly-drive option. Fares to French cities are very reasonable if you book in advance; you can also book car hire in advance. I have found good rates with arguscarhire.com and holidayautos.com.

E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com