Getting Here

            Lots of details…sounds confusing  but it really isn’t!  “High Season Travel Tips” are at                                                the end.  Always reach out if you have questions or need rides!

Options for getting from Portland airport to Rockland:

Their is a local airport shuttle service: Schooner Bay… 

The bus if schedules match up…cheapest but another 2 1/2-3 hours… Concord Trailways…

Renting a car! Book your car when you book your flights! 

Or, let me know so I can reach out to the rest of the class to see if you can get a ride with someone!

***************************************

Here is the link for the ferry from Nova Scotia to Maine: Arrange for your rental car when you book the Ferry!      https://www.ferries.ca/thecat/

FLYING

You can book a flight to Portland, Bangor, (less traffic, and pretty back roads…about the same driving time!) or check out Cape Air. They fly from an ever-expanding list of locations to Knox County Regional Airport in Owl’s Head (Rockland), a 10 minute cab ride away. Maybe you can take a commuter flight from Boston or someplace closer to you! If you fly Delta, you can book thru Boston directly to Rockland…

Otherwise, rent a car, hire a limo or take a bus from Boston, Portland or Bangor; you can also take a cab or rent a car from Owl’s Head. If you are planning to rent a car in Maine, be sure to reserve early; quantities are limited!! No train service all the way to Rockland yet…been promised for years…

Rockland is under 4 hours driving time from Boston, about 2 hours from Bangor, less than 2 hours from Portland tho sometimes traffic can be heavy coming from the South. (See High Season tips below!)  and 10 minutes from Owl’s Head. Or call us: we occasionally have drivers available for reasonably priced runs to and from the airports or sometimes students coming thru who are happy to offer a ride…

Your GPS will NOT give you the parking and access info! Read on!

For classes in Rockland: The Studio is at 639 Main St Rockland ME 04841. It shares a street level deck with The Apprentice Shop and is across Route One from Home Kitchen Cafe and the driveway to Dunkin’ Donuts’ Drive-In. Our entrance is on the lower level, accessible down the stairs from the deck, possibly from the inside stairs reachable thru the deck level door, or walking up from the parking lot behind the Apprentice Shop There is. parking along both sides of the street, anywhere not marked by 2 Hour Parking signs.

Note…the parking lot to the right of the building as you face it, is Private. Do NOT park there! 

We do not have student parking spaces in the Apprenticeshop parking lot; it’s for dropping off gear or people only, at the bottom of the hill. up to the Studio.  If you cannot manage your gear or yourself on the hill or down the deck stairs to the door, please call me! I will have a Monitor pick up what or whomever needs help! DO NOT drive up to the studio door… We will take care of you!

To access the Lot behind the Apprenticeshop to drop off gear or people:                                                                                                                       From the North: Go thru the lights by MCDonald’s; watch for Claws and US Cellular on your left. Immediately past US Cellular and a steel clad building, there is a driveway (small Apprenticeshop sign).on the left,.Bear right to the end and pull over at the bottom of the hill near the dumpster to unload…call us if you need any kind of help getting up the hill!  Do not drive up the hill. Then drive out of the lot, go left and park on either side of the street wherever there are no 2 Hr Parking signs. You can turn around at Home Kitchen or Dunkin Donuts if need be.

From the West or South, get on Rte 1 North, bear right to go past Dunkin Donuts. Go past the metal clad studio buillding on your right, the decorated Apprenticeshop, a small house, some trees and immediately, turn right down a driveway in front of a larger metal clad building There is a small sign for the Apprenticeshop. Go down the driveway, bear right to the end and park by the dumpster to unload. The studio is at the top of the short hill…You can park there briefly to unload gear and walk it up to the studio. Call for help if needed…do NOT drive up the hill!

To get to the Studio and park on the street: From North and East
Take Rt. 1 South or I-95 to Rt. 1A South to Rt. 1 to Rockland
Stay right on Rt. 1 when it becomes 1-way in Rockland and get into the left lane ASAP. Take your 1st left then left again onto Rte 1 North. The Studio is in the silver metal building on the right, just past Dunkin’ Donuts (on the left.). Parking is on the street. Go down the steps from the deck between the Steel House South (metal building) and the Apprentice Shop’s decorated building. The studio is to the right at the bottom of the stairs.

To get to the Studio and park on the street: From the Augusta area and West
Take Rte 17 into Rockland. Follow Rte 1 South; stay on Rte 1 South when it divides in Rockland. Stay left and take your 1st left then left again onto Rte 1 North; the Studio is in the silver metal building on the right, just past Dunkin’ Donuts. Parking is on the street wherever there are no 2 Hour Parking signs. Go down the steps from the deck between the Steel House South (metal building) and the Apprentice Shop’s decorated building. The studio is to the right at the bottom of the stairs.

To get to the Studio and park on the street: From South and West
Follow Rte One North into and thru downtown Rockland**

The Studio is in the silver metal building on the right, just past Dunkin’ Donuts (on the left.). Parking is on the street wherever there are no 2 Hour Parking signs.. Go down the steps from the deck between the Steel House South (metal building) and the Apprenticeshop’s decorated building. The studio is to the right at the bottom of the stairs.

**Read the High Season Travel Tips in Getting Here on the website for other suggestions to avoid the often heavy traffic when coming in this direction from Portland and further South.

*****************************************************************************************

High Season Travel Tips: 

Like the weather, there are no guarantees about traffic in Maine…however, it is pretty busy here in the Summer so I would guess we’ll have some (traffic that is… weather we always have…it’s just WHAT weather that’s the question!)

If you are driving from South of Maine, you might want to consider rerouting your travel. there are places you can sit on the highway in a “parking lot. Often the Mass Pike to 495 to 95 can be Stop, with very little Go…I avoid it in the summer. ” Wiscasset ME, on Coastal Rte One, ostensibly about 45 minutes below Rockland, backs up for as much as 10 miles and 2 hours at peak times in both directions…not fun…unfortunately, it’s not possible to predict, and once you are in the backup, you are stuck in it…This also applies if you are coming into Camden from the North or trying to get thru Camden to go North on Rte 1…

There are Options!

Coming into Maine from the South: Avoid Hartford…Go West! Go either West on the Mass Pike to 91 N, to 89 North to White River Junction or St Johnsbury VT…and across…or take Rte 9 to 4 across southern VT and  Southern NH to Concord, then up Rte 93 to where you can go go East thru back roads to Augusta, (GPS works well!) and pick up Route 17 to Rockland…or Route 17 to 3 to Belfast. Roads are good, very scenic, no traffic, a little bit longer but a relaxed drive with no sitting in the traffic jams on the main routes…

Another option: Take 91 North to Brattleboro VT, then Rte 9 East to Concord NH…stay on 202 to Alfred ME…take Rte 111 to 95 N (somewhere around Saco/Biddeford…you may have to do a bit of Rte One)  to Portland…then on to Gardiner and Rte 17 to Rockland…or Augusta and Routes 17 to 3 to Belfast.

The Coast is pretty, but I guarantee you will see a lot of it while you’re here! Unless of course, you LIKE traffic!!

If you are coming up 295 above Portland and taking the Coastal Route One Exit toward Brunswick, here is an alternative which will cut out much of the Wiscasset jam up! Only good for heading up the Coast tho…Off 295, just after Bath, in Woolwich, take a left onto 127/128…Keep right onto 127 to Dresden…take a right onto 27 in Dresden, which will bring you into Wiscasset pretty close to the center of town and the bridge (27 becomes Rte One)  Go north (left) on One/27, then over the bridge and on to Rockland…there’s some backtracking this way, but I would rather be moving thru rural scenic countryside, than sitting in in traffic!

If you are coming from the North…you’ll be fine to Belfast, and then till you get into Camden proper…there you may be backed up 1-3 miles just outside town with no getting out of it. There are a couple of scenic ways to avoid this!  If you are coming thru Belfast on Rte One, look for Rte 52 on the right at a traffic light …turn there and follow it to Camden. (Maybe make a stop at the Lincolnville General Store…great place!!) Stay on Rte 52 past the lake, up and down a big hill, past the cemetery to Trim St…go right, then left on Washington. At the Fire Station, go right on Mechanic, left on Park, cross Pearl and turn right, back onto Rte 1 South to Rockland…

Or, when you come from Belfast on Rte One into Lincolnville Beach (tiny beach town with shops, a couple of restaurants and, a beach!) turn right on Rte 173 at the blinking light, follow it up the hill, bearing left at the first intersection and left again at Youngtown Rd (you’ll see the signs for parking for a hiking area) stay on Youngtown Rd bearing slight left at the Stop Sign…this is Route 52 and will take you to the Route One intersection in Camden…narrow and pretty, goes by our big lake! You can avoid downtown Camden by staying on Rte 52 past the lake, up and down a big hill, past the cemetery to Trim St…go right, then left on Washington. At the Fire Station, go right on Mechanic, left on Park, cross Pearl and turn right, back onto Rte 1 South to Rockland…

Traveling South to go home… unless you need to be on Route One…

To Portland, Boston, CT, NJ, RI, PA, NY

Avoid Rte One South out of Rockland..also 495, 90, 84…

Take Rte 17 west to Chelsea, go left and Gardiner, follow signs to Rte 95 South…

Take 95 South to Portsmouth NH

Take Rte 4 West to Concord…and either take 93 South to Boston…

Or…take 93 South to 89 North to 9 West to Keene NH/Brattleboro VT and then take 91 South

Or…stay on 9 thru Bennington and head South below Albany…I think it is 787 or 87 South from there…consider going thru the Delaware Water Gap into PA to avoid Westchester County, NYC and NJ traffic south…

Heading North from  Rockland…you might want to bypass the stop ‘n go traffic thru downtown Camden completely  by taking Old County Road to Rte 17 West, to Meadow St/Simonton Rd until you have to turn; go left past Hosmer Pond to Molyneaux Rd (intersection on the right next to a lot full of “stuff!”) and follow that till you have to turn…go left on 52 and follow that to thru Lincolnville Center back to Belfast, or, get back to Route One in Lincolnville Beach via Youngtown Rd by going straight after the lake, bear right at the intersection keeping the Inn on your left, take a right at the stop sign and bear right at the three-way intersection, then go left onto Rte One North at the blinking light by the Beach.

GPS should work for all this…but now you have a way to verify it!

Do contact me if you need more info!

Lyn