About our family's cottage

Be careful, because when you turn off the Boston Post Road at the Schoolhouse Deli and head down Neck Road for a couple miles past the nice homes, historic farmhouses, and the Mercy Center, you'll end up at the end of the road…and in a different world.

Circle Beach

Circle Beach is a small quiet little cove at the end of Neck Road bounded by 100+ acres of preserved marshland to the east and north, Guilford harbor to the west, and the expanse of Long Island Sound to the south.

By the time you reach it, you really have left civilization and entered a unique place.

In 1948, our grandparents were looking for a weekend retreat from their hectic business lives, a place where they could spend time with their young grandchildren. By the time they reached the end of Neck Road, they had fallen in love with Circle Beach and this small wood fishing cottage. Grandma had found a place that reminded her of her childhood home on the west coast of France and Grandpa had found a place to pursue his passion for fishing. They had found heaven!

Many things have changed since then. The family has grown to include great-great-grandchildren, we raised up the cottage twice, and we installed not only running hot water, but also an indoor shower (yes!), a modern kitchen, cable TV and high-speed Internet access. Grandpa and Grandma may not approve of these "luxuries," but the novelty of cold outdoor showers wore off many decades ago!

We did, however, keep the low-keyed unpretentious atmosphere that our grandparents treasured so much—and also the natural solid pinewood walls, the wood plank dining table that our uncle Bib built 70 years ago, and a shell collection that's been expanding on the living room's ledges for half a century.

After all, it's still our family's retreat, a place where we come together from many parts of the world and share a little bit of time together every year. No matter where we all live, the cottage is truly our home where our souls live all year long.

We make our family cottage available to others for a few weeks in the summer when family members aren't using it. We hope you'll enjoy our family's treasure and the quiet solitude that surrounds you as you take that long leisurely walk down to the end of the road.

Enjoy!

— Miranda, Bevi, & Jacqui for the Chagnon Family