High Bridge Trail -- Farmville, VA
Susan and I love the serendipity that accompanies cycling a new trail: a surprising and amazing view of the water around a bend, a section of trail with unexpected quick dips and turns, a little shop on the trail that caters to cyclists, a home that has stacked water cups beside a cooler on their front porch on a hot day, or wildlife scurrying across the trail.
But sometimes the serendipity comes off the
trail. We had gone into the High Bridge trail
having done plenty of research. We knew
the length of the trail, locations of the trailheads, and had looked at a lot (and I mean a LOT) of
photos of the High Bridge. Especially important
since one of us is terrified of heights.
(For the record, the other one of us is terrified of hills, but that’ll
have to wait for another post.) By the
way, looking at pictures of the High Bridge did nothing to lessen the anxiety. But all this is to say, we knew what to expect
from the ride and by and large, it delivered exactly that.
Two hours after we began the ride,
we packed up our bikes and changed clothes in the nearby public restrooms. Not yet ready to eat, we crossed the street
to the bike shop, “The Outdoor Adventure Store” (318 N Main St, Farmville, VA; www.theoutdooradventurestore.com). We spent about 20 minutes talking with the
owner (never did ask his name) and trading stories of trails, adventures, and
life. He was out of the only thing we
needed for our bikes (an upgrade in grips for Susan), so sadly we left without
making a purchase. But if we are ever back in town, we will find something to purchase. We encourage you to #shoplocal there as
well. It’s a neat place and he’s a neat
guy. Who knew there was such a thing as “bike
and barge”?
For lunch we went to Charley’s
Waterfront Café (201 Mill St # B, Farmville, VA 23901; www.charleyswaterfront.com),
a converted tobacco warehouse with plenty of room and charm. We ordered off the kids
menu, which allowed us to save room for carrot cake—which was an excellent
call. Our waitress was delightful and we
were able to spend a relaxing lunch enjoying the scenery and debriefing from
our ride.
Finally, we walked up Main Street to
window shop. And for a while we resisted
the temptations of many of the store fronts, but then the Amish Originals furniture
store was too much to resist. We found a
coffee table on sale, and two other small items at reasonable prices. Again we met friendly folks with great
service.
So the ride itself was enjoyable, but it was the time spent after-ride that really made for an excellent day. It reminds us to be open to new experiences of all sorts—on and off the trail—and that the people you meet can be as much a part of the ride as the trail itself.
The 411 on the Ride:
Date: September 4, 2020
Distance: ~21.8 miles
Elevation gain: 174 ft
Time: ~ 2 hrs
Circuit: out-and-back only
Parking: Depot Street, Farmville, VA (for additional parking see the trail guide
and detailed map link given below)
Extensions: The total trail is 31 miles, with Farmville at
the approximate middle. So biking in
either direction is about a 15 mile ride to the end of the
trail (or a 30 mile round trip) which can then be doubled by going in the other
direction.
Website: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/high-bridge-trail
Trail
guide and detailed map at: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/data/trail-guide-highbridgetrail.pdf
History: https://visitfarmville.com/high-bridge
Farmville does a lot right
for cyclists. There was plenty of
municipal parking in multiple lots, and there were public restrooms at what I
think of as the center of the trail. The
trailheads were clearly marked, and mileage to different landmarks was given
frequently. Even parking meters
advertised Farmville as a cycling town.
We began from the Farmville
entrance and headed east (and then south) towards High Bridge. Looking at maps, it’s a bit tricky
to figure out where the High Bridge itself is, because the 2,440 feet long and
125 feet high bridge does not span a large body of water, but a wooded
valley. For reference, it is 4.5 miles from
Farmville to the bridge, which is just north of Rice (look for an oddly
straight segment).
The
rails-to-trail is wide enough for maybe 3-4 cyclists to bike across and is
crushed limestone. The majority of the
trail is tree-lined and shaded, with a slight grade for the ENTIRE ride
out. We continued after the bridge for a
total of about 9 miles, and it seemed slightly uphill the whole way. In fact, it was. We gained about 144 feet over our outward
trip, with absolutely no break. For the
math geeks, that makes it a constant 0.17o grade. That means no coasting…at all. It also means that on the way back, the downward
grade was so sight, it also felt light coasting was not possible. And let’s be honest, biking 22 miles of a
crushed limestone surface takes a fair bit more energy than 22 miles of a paved
surface. However, what made us turn around wasn’t
so much the fatigue of cycling, as it was the occasional swarms of gnats. Sunglasses are highly recommended for this
trail, and not for the sun -- for the
bugs.
Once
we returned to Farmville, we crossed the road and traveled for perhaps just
under two miles before turning around.
Turns out that Farmville is the low point in the trail, so regardless of
which direction you choose, you are initially biking uphill the whole way out.
By
the mile:
4.5 Bridge
9.1 turn around
13.7 bridge
18.1 Farmville and head west
20.0 turn around
21.8 Farmville
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