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Local Trails
This page is for people who live in
Rappahannock or surrounding counties. These are short trails for those who want
to get some exercise or a short ride for whatever reason. Four trail are
presented here, although there are many more. All these trail are on county
roads (CR) that are also used by motorized traffic, but they are lightly
traveled and cars do not affect the enjoyment of the ride and the scenery. Let us add to
those four trails and send us your suggestions, keeping in mind that they must
be in the area of Rappahannock and surrounding counties.
First, a few words about county roads. They are asphalt paved or gravel
roads. If they are numbered (and most are) the numbering is on a local basis. So
you may have a CR 604 in Rappahannock County and only a few miles away, in
another county, you may
have another CR 604 that has nothing to do with the one you rode earlier. There
are generally no public facilities along county roads. You cannot count on
finding a public telephone and your cell phone may not work. So, if you bike
alone you need to bring some repair tools. At least, you must have tools to
patch a tire (and know how to do it; see Tube Patch),
including a pump. Remember, an hour biking = 3-4 hours walking. If you bike
with friends, you can wait by the road side while your friends get the car to
pick up you and your crippled bike. Finally, a word of warning. If you bike a
county road, beware of excess speed when going downhill. There are plenty of
possibilities to fall: holes, branches or other objects in or on the pavement, crossing
squirels, unexpected turns and, of course, other traffic. Exercise extra caution
on gravel roads, because your bike's braking power is diminished and slipping is
easier.
 | A favorite trail is the Old Hollow/Swindler Hollow Trail,
which is 7.7 miles long. Start at the intersection of county road 612
(Old Hollow Road) and Route 211 near Sperryville. After 1.3 miles, where CR 612 turns
left, continue straight on county road 600 (Swindler Hollow Road). Meanwhile,
don't forget to enjoy the scenery especially of the Piney River that you
cross a few times. When the asphalt pavement changes to gravel you come
after some 0.6 miles to a point where there is a house (with a sweet
barking dog) on the left. You are now at mile 3.2 from your starting point. Turn sharply left on
CR 653 and continue as far as you can. You will soon stop, because there is a steep
hill ahead of you. Now, realize that you have been going into a hollow so
the road has been going up. Gently, but going up. Now this hill is steep,
but it is short. At most 1/4 of a mile. If you tried to bike it, your bike would probably not have
the required traction. So, walk. When you
have conquered the hill, continue until you reach your old friend CR 612. There turn left and the way back to your starting point will be
evident. From the top of the steep hill, it is all the way down, except for
two short hills that are no problem with the speed you will have. Top it all
off with a bite and a coffee at the bakery on Main Street in Sperryville.
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The Novum/Brightwood Trail is a circular trail of 18.5 miles, including a
short side trip. You can start from anywhere on the
circuit, but we suggest that you start at the intersection of CRs 609 and
607 in in Madison County (just over the Culpeper County line).
To go there, take Route 29 South from Culpeper and go for about 8-10 miles
to CR 609 (Hoover Road) and turn right. Go for another 6 miles or so to the
intersection with CR 607 and park your car. There is ample parking space on
CR 607.
You can bike the trail clockwise or counterclockwise. The itinerary
that follows is for the counterclockwise route, because in that case you
have completed most of the trail by the time you come to the Brightwood
General Store and a refreshment opportunity.
- Take CR 607 North (that is the section to the right when you arrived
from Route 29) for 2.1 miles.
- Turn left on CR 606 and go for 2.4 miles. This leads you through the
hamlet of Novum. Some Novum residents say disparagingly that
Novum spelled backwards sounds like "move on", but this is
completely undeserved. Actually, this ride will lead you through some of the
nicest landscapes.
- Turn left on CR 604 for 2.3 miles. After 1.4 miles you will cross
Hoover Road again, but continue on CR 604.
- Turn left on CR 640 for 1.8 miles. The trees on the side of the road
will show you that this is an old trail as many others in the area. On the
way you will pass CR 639, but stay on CR 640.
- Turn right on CR 704 (Great Oak Road) for 3.3 miles.
- Turn right again on CR 607 (Ridgeview Road). Be careful to stay on
CR 607 and after 1.6 miles you will reach the Brightwood General Store,
where they serve drinks, sandwiches, eggs and fried goods. They are closed
on Mondays and Tuesdays. You have now biked 11.5 miles.
- The return to your car should be easy. Return on CR 607 in the
direction you came from. Make certain to stick to CR 607; It is easy to
deviate from it. At each intersection, check that you are still on the right
track. After 5.7 miles you will reach Hoover Road and the place where you
parked your car.
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The Gid Brown Hollow Trail starts
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The Rush River Trail
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The Fletcher's Mill Road Trail
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The Banco Trail |
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