New England's glorious beauty; travel Adam Aspinall enjoys a tour of America's northeasterly states.(Features)

Byline: Adam Aspinall

AS WE drove across New England through the beautiful countryside, something I couldn't quite pin down niggled me.

Was it something do with the endless rolling landscape of lush Autumnal forest?

Was there something about the elegant and effortlessly tidy towns with their clapboard houses and gorgeous gardens?

Or was it the unceasingly warm welcome offered by the well-heeled, well-educated locals?

Try as I might, I couldn't work out what was bothering me. But then it hit me like a football fan at closing time.…