If you find yourself in the Ocean City area in the peak of summer and want to escape the crowds, head just down the coast to Assateague Island National Seashore - a 37-mile stretch of entirely undeveloped beach and marshland stretching into Virginia. Until 1933 Assateague Island was attached to Ocean City; then a hurricane drove a wedge between them, and it became a separate barrier island, which is progressively being pushed by the elements back towards the mainland. Another storm in 1962 led to the abandonment of construction plans, under which nine thousand residential lots had been set aside, and instead the island was designated a national seashore.

Assateague's main visitor center (daily 9am-5pm; tel 410/641-1441, ) is eight miles from Ocean City, just before the humpback bridge across to the island ($5 park entry per car, valid one week). If you plan to do any walking, pick up the $2.25 booklet detailing the park's three main trails. Of these, the Life of the Marsh Trail guides you along half a mile of boardwalks through low-lying leeward wetlands, while Life of the Dunes , on the thick white sands just back from the beach, is a little longer, and harder going. Most visitors, however, come strictly for the beaches themselves, which feel a world away from Ocean City. Seashore camping facilities on Assateague Island are available year-round (tel 410/641-3030 or 1-888/432-2267; $10-14 per site), but if you want a bit more comfort, the best lodging is to be found near the southern half of the island, across the Virginia border in Chincoteague .

Assateague Island National Seashore

• Assateague Island National Seashore

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