During January 2019 we returned to New Hampshire's White Mountains - they cover around a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and are part of the Appalachian Mountains. The highest of these mountains is Mount Washington (1,917m/6,288ft), it forms part of a line of summits known as the Presidential Range, that are named after US presidents and other famous Americans. Why exactly the mountains are known as the White Mountains is somewhat of a mystery, it could be that settlers first saw the mountains covered in snow or that the mica-laden granite of the summits looked white to them?

However they became known as the White Mountains, they are a magnet for hikers and snow worshipers. Within easy driving distance of Boston, the slopes and trails can be busy at weekends, but we timed our winter visit the weekend between New Year and Martin Lurther King holiday weekend. By great fortune we also arrived after a good accumulation of snow and the sun shone for us every day! The trails we did had been compacted by cross-country skiers and snowshoes and we were able to wear our snow boots with yaktrax. Our aim was to photograph frozen waterfalls.

Our last visit to this region was in September 2017 and once again we used Lincoln as our base staying with friends, Larry & Paula, in their lovely condo. The following trip report is a summary of our 7 day winter adventure to New England

Our adventure started at London Heathrow Airport with our ‘First’ experience with British Airways’ Concorde Room. We ate and drank our time away in the comfort of the lounge starting with a waiter service meal from the a la carte menu in the Concorde restaurant (in one of its private booths). After some duty free shopping we returned to the lounge where we parked ourselves in one of its cosy seating areas in front of a gas fire place. The service was friendly and constant, as soon as a drink was empty a refill offer was made. We could eat and drink as much as we wanted!

Once on the plane the excellent level of service continued… along with more food and drinks. Below are some photos of the menus from the lounge and on board, and of course, of the food!

The trailhead for Crystal Cascade is behind the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center parking area. Following the Tuckerman Ravine Trail it’s a steady climb of 0.3 miles one way to the cascade.

We had lunch at Yesterdays in Jackson before going to Diana's Baths.

We avoided these falls during our autumn visit because its cascades and pools attract a lot of people! However, in the winter it has a much more tranquil feel and we shared the hike with only a handful of other people. Trail length 0.6 miles one way to the base of the falls and 0.8 miles to the top of the falls.

The flume is beautiful… and free to visit in the winter! No $16 entry fee means there are no amenities open, but the natural gorge draped in winter whites extending 800 feet with walls to a height of 90 feet makes it even more magical.

During the winter you can only access part of the flume as it closes due to deep snow and for ice climbers. You can still access the falls at the top of the flume and the round trip was 3.5 miles.

Despite the warning on their website we had no problem with the four of us getting onto a snow coach up Mount Washington – also being a Monday we used the 2 for 1 offer (note you can only use this if you are a walk up customer).

The weather was perfect for our tour and we had excellent views across the mountains. Surprisingly it was actually warmer at the treeline of the mountain than it was on the valley!

Located at the southern end of Crawford Notch State Park off Route 302, Arethusa Falls, at nearly 200 feet, is the tallest waterfall in New Hampshire.

The hike was a 3 mile round trip and standing where, if not frozen, you would be in the middle of falls was pretty cool!

Located off the Kancamagus Highway near Conway the Champney Falls Trail is a 3.1 mile out & back trail. This was my favourite hike and falls. We did this hike in autumn, the summer had been pretty dry so the falls were ‘disappointing’ but in winter, wow!!

The Freedom Trail leads you around Boston to museums, churches, burying grounds, parks and meeting houses telling the story of the American Revolution.