Suggest an overnight bike trip

This topic has 10 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 5 months ago by Smitty2k1.

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February 14, 2022 at 1:26 pm #922600

lordofthemark
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I’d like to do a bike overnight, riding from home (in NW ALX, 2 miles from Shirlington)

I don’t ride very fast, and do not want to arrive totally exhausted, and want to make it home without being too exhausted (I mean I want to make it home) . I have never done an overnight bike trip, and my longest ride in one day was a century, which I did once, several years ago.

The logical place would be Harper’s Ferry, but I think I would prefer to do this on my road bike, not the hybrid with somewhat wider tires, and I don’t think I want to take the road bike up the C&O. But that gives you an idea of the distance I would be contemplating.

I could do Purcellville but not much lodging there? There used to be a hostel in Round Hill I think but I can find no signs of it on line, and Im not sure I would want to stay in a hostel till cases are lower.

Heading south or southeast, the roads get kind of intimidating before you get very far from here. I mean its one thing to have 10 miles of the trip be on roads with no infra, and have say a half mile be on nasty ones. But if 40 miles is on roads with no infra, and 10 miles are on nasty ones, that’s not a fun trip.

Maybe Baltimore? Of course I have been there a lot (I lived there for 6 years) but have never biked northeast beyond College Park, so at least the ride there would be novel.

If no better idea comes up, I will do Harpers Ferry on the hybrid.

Your ideas are appreciated.
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February 14, 2022 at 6:14 pm #1119159

CaseyKane50
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Ken,

If you are willing to drive or ride the train, you might consider the Virginia Capitol Trail. You could begin your trip in Richmond, overnight in Yorktown and ride back to Richmond the next. Stay an extra day in Richmond and take in ride opportunities in the city.

Along the trail

Bridge crossing the James River into downtown Richmond.

Street art in Richmond

February 14, 2022 at 6:52 pm #1119155

lordofthemark
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@CaseyKane50 216382 wrote:

Ken,

If you are willing to drive or ride the train, you might consider the Virginia Capitol Trail. You could begin your trip in Richmond, overnight in Yorktown and ride back to Richmond the next. Stay an extra day in Richmond and take in ride opportunities in the city.

Along the trail

Bridge crossing the James River into downtown Richmond.

Street art in Richmond

Thanks, I am sure that’s a great ride. I have walked some of the part in the City of Richmond.

But I don’t want to deal with getting and using a rack for our car, or trying to deal with fitting the bike inside the car. And while I am eager to ride Amtrak again, I would have to negotiate that with family, so that’s going to be somewhat later, I think. Another option is driving somewhere and renting a bike I suppose.

For now I want to see where I can ride from here. The choices I can see are either Baltimore or Harpers Ferry (even if the latter means riding the hybrid). Just wondering if there is something I have overlooked.

February 14, 2022 at 11:05 pm #1119328

KWL
Participant

Ken – Bear’s Den Hostel near Snickers Gap is a good place to stay. You could ride to the end of the W&OD and then along some two lane country roads to get there. We made this the first leg of our Alexandria – Skyline Drive – Staunton ride with a return to Alexandria on Amtrak. Bears Den offers camping space as well as a separate cottage. I agree I wouldn’t want to do any communal lodging right now.

The Other Ken.

February 15, 2022 at 12:15 am #1119336

karenbikes2@gmail.com
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@KWL 216397 wrote:

Ken – Bear’s Den Hostel near Snickers Gap is a good place to stay. You could ride to the end of the W&OD and then along some two lane country roads to get there. We made this the first leg of our Alexandria – Skyline Drive – Staunton ride with a return to Alexandria on Amtrak. Bears Den offers camping space as well as a separate cottage. I agree I wouldn’t want to do any communal lodging right now.

The Other Ken.

Great idea, The Other Ken. KWL, happy to help with routing from the end of the W&OD to Bears Den. I do a lot of riding out there.

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February 15, 2022 at 2:34 pm #1119369

Sunyata
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If you were willing to camp, I would have lots of suggestions for you. Otherwise, there are several bed and breakfast options in Loudoun County on some quiet country roads (most of which are gravel, but could be ridden on a road bike with wider tires). Unfortunately, I do not have many paved options either.

February 15, 2022 at 3:12 pm #1119371

komorebi
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What about Annapolis? It’s a decent ride and a nice destination. Plus, if you can get familial permission to take the MARC train, there’s the option of riding the B&A and BWI trails to BWI, then taking the MARC back to Union Station.

February 15, 2022 at 4:19 pm #1119374

lordofthemark
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@KWL 216397 wrote:

Ken – Bear’s Den Hostel near Snickers Gap is a good place to stay. You could ride to the end of the W&OD and then along some two lane country roads to get there. We made this the first leg of our Alexandria – Skyline Drive – Staunton ride with a return to Alexandria on Amtrak. Bears Den offers camping space as well as a separate cottage. I agree I wouldn’t want to do any communal lodging right now.

The Other Ken.

Thanks. Bear’s Den is what I meant, I somehow thought it was in Round Hill. I guess this could work. I won’t be camping and I don’t think I want to rent a whole cottage to stay by myself (this would be a sort of get away from it all trip) but I think they have smaller private rooms? Only question would be if there is a place to eat near enough? Or I suppose I could eat in Purcellville before going to the hostel (I don’t expect to carry much food).

Other question is the elevatation from Purcellville to Bear’s Den. I will be tired by then, and I don’t want to go painfully slowly on roads with any traffic.

February 15, 2022 at 4:20 pm #1119375

lordofthemark
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@Sunyata 216434 wrote:

If you were willing to camp, I would have lots of suggestions for you. Otherwise, there are several bed and breakfast options in Loudoun County on some quiet country roads (most of which are gravel, but could be ridden on a road bike with wider tires). Unfortunately, I do not have many paved options either.

Thanks. I’m going to save B&Bs for a trip with QOTM. I was thinking something more spartan, like a motel. I’d rather not try riding gravel on my road bike.

February 15, 2022 at 4:22 pm #1119376

lordofthemark
Participant

@komorebi 216436 wrote:

What about Annapolis? It’s a decent ride and a nice destination. Plus, if you can get familial permission to take the MARC train, there’s the option of riding the B&A and BWI trails to BWI, then taking the MARC back to Union Station.

yes, annapolis might be an alternative to Baltimore.

I was thinking if I can ride out, I can ride back. So I can skip MARC for now (though I would like to do it at some point).

February 24, 2022 at 8:48 pm #1120023

Smitty2k1
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@Sunyata 216434 wrote:

If you were willing to camp, I would have lots of suggestions for you. Otherwise, there are several bed and breakfast options in Loudoun County on some quiet country roads (most of which are gravel, but could be ridden on a road bike with wider tires). Unfortunately, I do not have many paved options either.

I would very much enjoy your camping suggestions, provided they are not just out the C&O and back (not that there is anything wrong with that, just that I already know!)

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