The island of MARTHA'S VINEYARD , just seven miles south of Cape Cod and twenty-four miles long by ten wide, may or may not have been named for Bartholomew Gosnold's daughter Martha (some ancient maps call it Martin's Vineyard). The "Vineyard" part, however, was for its "incredible store of vines"; considerably more fertile than bleak little Nantucket, it has never been quite so dependent on the sea to make a living. Now more than ever, tourism is at the root of the island's economy, boosted by the gaggle of celebrities, not least the Clintons, who show up year after year. The popularity of the island with the rich, famous, and/or well-connected has driven up housing prices and lowered availability to extremes. The many second-homeowners who spend the summer here get a better deal than mere day-trippers, though - some of the best beaches are off-limits to nonresidents.

Ferries to the island arrive either at Oak Bluffs , where genteel Victorian terraced cottages look down on the harbor and a colorful century-old fairground carousel sits near the jetty, or at the more upmarket Vineyard Haven. Edgartown , over to the east, is the oldest settlement on the island, and has been extravagantly dolled up for visitors (you may recognize it as the location for the Jaws films). A little ferry shuttles back and forth from Edgartown to adjacent Chappaquiddick Island (the bridge that Senator Edward Kennedy made infamous is on the far side).

The three principal island communities are connected by a regular bus service and offer full facilities and shops of every kind. They're quite mellow places to pass a summer's day, but a little exploring can yield some pleasant surprises, such as quiet beaches and bird-filled lagoons. Bringing a car over is expensive and pointless, as the island is jam-packed with cars throughout the summer and you can easily get around by bike ; rent one at the rental places lined up by the ferry landing. The best bike ride is along the State Beach Park between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, with the dunes to one side and marshy Sengekontacket Pond to the other; purpose-built cycle routes continue to the youth hostel at West Tisbury.

Trips around the west side of the island ("p-island") can be disappointing, with not a peep of the ocean beyond the private estates; however, you do eventually come to the lighthouse at Gay Head Cliffs , where the multicolored clay was once the main source of paint for the island's houses - anyone caught removing any clay faces a sizeable fine. The cliffs are not vast, and they're crumbling away so fast that it's not safe to get too close to them. From Gay Head public beach below, however, you can get some great views of this spectacular mass. Gay Head was once famous for its Wampanoag harpooneers, such as Tashtego in Moby Dick .

Martha's Vineyard

• Martha's Vineyard
• Ferries to Martha's Vineyard
• Eating and drinking

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