Amish Country: 22-26 September

We’re heading north towards New York. Our halfway pause is here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This is an area settled by the Amish religious sect in the early 18th century to escape persecution in Europe. Their belief is broadly Lutheran and they keep modern society at arms length by living a lifestyle of yesteryear, so no motorised equipment or electronic gismos. The majority are farmers and work only with hands and horsepower. They travel around by buggy, as per photo below, even on main roads used by juggernauts (and rv’s!). Scary stuff.

They also use bikes- or is it a bike? Where’s the saddle and the pedals? Can’t get too close to take photos as it’s against their beliefs- photos of people are deemed to be worshipping graven images. Must let them know that my snaps aren’t really of worshipping quality.

Later, I see one of these “bikes” parked up against a fence, and find it’s actually an adult scooter. They seem to travel as fast as bikes.

The Amish also work in and run a few shops, although these are mostly operated by their parallel, but less strict, brethren, the Mennonites. Both of these sects are famous for their beautiful quilting and this is mainly what the shops sell, together with other traditional craft products. The next photo shows such a shop, with literally hundreds of exquisite quilts on offer, every one different. Not cheap, but considering the craftsmanship, they are good value at an average of around £600 each.

Now what could blight these idyllic religious settlements? Are we looking at the evidence below of such a virus- an explosion of houses of ill-repute in the area? So many of them, in fact, that a publication is necessary to keep potential clients abreast of the many and various options available.

Don't panic. It’s actually the newspaper of a nearby small town of that name: a pretty little Amish settlement a few miles from our campsite, and which we visited. It is full of quaint shops, as per example in the next picture, and, of course, also full of tourists snapping the signs.

It’s been called Intercourse since 1814, before which it was known as Cross Keys after the village inn of that name. One theory is that the new name reflected the fact that the village was at a crossroads. All very innocent stuff, but you’ve still got to be careful. You wouldn’t propose a trip there in the same way as you might a trip to, say, Washington, where you might enthusiastically suggest, ”Darling, let’s do Washington tomorrow!”