A boat journey with blue skies and a gentle swell an hour off the coast to the tiny Monhegan Island. Part lobster fishing community. Part Victorian summer retreat. Now car-free, laid back. A wander across to the other side of the island soon found us on the rocky north shore lined with pine trees and then heading east along a rough path, often neck-high in long grass, but the walk ended at the door of the island's new microbrewery and not far from a waterside lobster shack.

For one of us, the fabulous day was topped off by spotting a local tribute to the one and only Doctor.