Charming Cottage On Great Pond Private Sandy Beach

Description from the owner

Experience the Cape as it used to be. Here is a rare opportunity to stay in the heart of The National Seashore on the most beautiful of Wellfleet's pristine kettle ponds. "Summerside" is one of only three cottages available for rental directly on Great Pond. Originally built in the 1920s as a Girl Scout camp, Summerside has been renovated and expanded through the years by its owners. A large screened-in porch overlooking the pond runs the entire length of the cottage. The light-filled master bedroom has glass sliders on two sides leading to a private deck that faces the morning sunrise (a favorite place for breakfast, reading, sunbathing or j...ust relaxing). The large screened porch is the perfect spot to have an afternoon nap or a glass of wine in the evening and watch flocks of swallows darting above the sunset reflected on the pond's surface. It feels like that magical place where sky and water touch. For those who love to swim, Summerside is a paradise. A new wooden stairway leads directly to the cottage's private sandy swimming beach: ideal for swimming, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. A short walk along sandy roads through the Cape woods leads to one of Wellfleet's great "secret" swimming ponds. All of the benefits of Wellfleet (fine dining, fascinating art galleries, unique shops for clothing and jewelry, Bayside sunsets, clamming, miniature golf, iconic drive-in and flea market, nature walks, bike trails and ocean swimming) are within 10 minutes by car or bicycle from Summerside yet the cottage remains a quiet place of rest and renewal. After a busy day of ocean swimming or biking or gallery-hopping, it's always special to return to the serenity of Summerside. The new open plan cottage kitchen is perfect for both gourmet cooks and those who don't want to do more than heat up a pie from Wellfleet Pizza. Hang your bathing suit on the line, grab a towel and head for the new outdoor Scandinavian shower, with its abundant hot water, to take the chill off after a day at the beach. When the sun sets, sit out on the deck and watch the stars fill the night sky. All that can be heard is voices across the pond and the sound of crickets and frogs.

In an article in the NY Times 2003, Constance Rosenblum wrote “When you think of the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet, the kettle ponds, as they are known, are not the first thing that comes to mind. Far more iconic are the crashing ocean beaches, or the bay beaches, with their drop-dead gorgeous sunsets. But for swimming in little seas of tranquility, sometimes with so few people around that the water seems yours alone, the string of freshwater ponds in this part of the Cape has no equal.... For a small child, they are great: Unruffled, never chilly, shallow at the edges and fringed by beach, the ponds offer all the ease and safety of enormously large and beautiful bathtubs. For an adult, they are equally appealing, especially the smaller, more secluded ones: you can swim round and round like a lazy otter, with only the occasional lily pad to interrupt your journey.'

About 13,000 or 15,000 years ago, huge blocks of ice left over after the glacier retreated began melting, leaving holes known as kettles that ultimately filled with water. It is a wonder that these clean, clear fresh water ponds can exist surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the bay.

Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to enjoy this unique cottage,

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Additional Location Information

This quaint cottage is located about a 1/2 down a well maintained sand road on a knoll above pristine Great Pond which is one of 20 ponds in the National Sea Shore. It is about 1 mile from the ocean, the bay, and  picturesque Wellfleet.
The 3rd Annual Wellfleet Harborfest & Nautical Flea Market will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2013 from 9am until 4pm, rain or shine. This one day event will kick-off the summer season and showcase all that Wellfleet has to offer as a waterfront community!
Harborfest coincides with Wellfleet Restaurant Week, May 29 – June 5. Stay tuned for the delectable programs to be included in the event and enjoy the Taste of Wellfleet all week long!

Location Type Away from it all, Lake, Waterfront

Rental fees

What Past Guests Are Saying

• Fans of Wellfleet
  New York, NY

  It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!

  Left on 03/12/2013 for a stay in August 2012
  
  

  We live most of the year in a big, busy city and spend much of that time pining for Wellfleet. We have rented various homes in Wellfleet almost every year from 1987 to last year, and so we speak from experience with a variety of homes and locales. Overall, this is the most peaceful, quiet and natural place that we have ever rented. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding: We discovered this place five years ago, have come back every summer since, and hope to return as long as we are able. The cabin is set deep in the woods of the National Seashore at the edge of a beautiful kettle pond that we swim in, sail in and gaze at from the enclosed porch, the open deck, and even from the lovely, quiet bedroom. We love to hike around this pond and several others nearby and we bike to the ocean in one direction and to the village in the other. The owners are lovely people and we look forward to dealing with them each year and they do everything they can to make sure we have a pleasant stay. Even on those days where we are at Herring Cove or some other beach all day, we look forward to returning to the cabin, taking a sunset swim, an outdoor shower and firing up the barbecue. It doesn't get much better than this.

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• cape fan
  pepperell, ma

  The Best of Both Worlds

  Left on 03/03/2013 for a stay in September 2012
  
  

  In a time of noise pollution, crowding, traffic and stress, Summerside remains as a reminder of the Cape as it was years ago. It's one of the most magical places I have ever experienced in my more than 40 years of renting in the Wellfleet/Truro area. It's hard to believe, when you are staying at Summerside, that the bustle of the Cape is just a short drive away. It's great to have access to all that Wellfleet and the Lower Cape have to offer and to return every evening to this place of privacy, quiet and immersion in the world of nature: sky, pine trees, the expanse of Great Pond and the sound of the ocean nearby. I have been renting Summerside for ten years or so. I find, every year, I'm more and more drawn to sit on the deck, swim in the pond, read and simply absorb the gift of this place..It's like owning your own little piece of paradise without the bother. Summerside is a perfect place for writers, artists, families who want to introduce their children to the wonders of Nature, couples who want a perfect "base camp" for adventuring or a quiet place to re-connect with one another. I can't recommend it highly enough. The owners are wonderful to rent from.
  
  

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families

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