With one of our kids safely dropped off at college and the other toiling away at Wellesley High School, we recently took off to play a little late-summer hooky on the Cape. Our requirements were few: we didn’t want to drive further than 90 minutes from Wellesley; we wanted to bike along a nice, level, paved path; fried clams for lunch would be essential; the weather had to be merely serviceable — temperatures above 65, no rain; and we wanted to end up at a beach where we planned to stroll, not bask.

Don’t cross the bridge

We used Herring Run Recreation area as a jumping-off point for this little adventure. The ample parking area, located just before the Bourne Bridge (830 Scenic Hwy, Bourne, MA 02532), was only a 75-minutes drive from Wellesley Square. From there, the uncrowded Cape Cod Canal Bikeway was just waiting for us to bike to Scusset Beach in Sandwich and back to Herring Run, a seven-mile round trip.

After that, it was lunch at the Seafood Shanty, across the street from the Herring Run recreation area. We ordered at the window and then found a picnic table with a view of the Canal. Their fried clams with the bellies were a briny taste of late-summer heaven.

Families welcome

It was the type of day-trip that would be perfect for families with kids of any age. We saw quite a few families with young kids on bike seats and on those fun bike trailers that attach to an adult bike and allow the kids to pedal, or not. There are plenty of interesting spots to get out and rock scramble, as well as benches to sit on and watch the ships and boats go by, plus there are restrooms at Scusset Beach.

Here are a few pictures of time well spent in an area we don’t get to often enough.