The final part of the ascent is a rocky scramble. Bearfence Loop Trail is steep but short, and after just over a mile, I’m clinging to a tree root as I pull myself up to the highest point – and from there Shenandoah National Park is spread out before me. The early morning light picks out the rich late summer colours across the Virginia Piedmont plateau and in the distance, chestnut-covered mountains rise above the Shenandoah Valley. Peregrine falcons swoop below, and a light wind ruffles the leaves of the red oak forests.
I’m on my way out of the park after three days of exploring, but I couldn’t resist pulling off the Skyline Drive for one last hike. Because, despite the fact that this trip through Virginia would take me all the way from mountains to coast, that's how I had decided to travel: slow, un-rushed and opting for the scenic route over the highways.
The Skyline Drive feels like it was made for this type of travel. The 105-mile road runs through the Shenandoah National Park north to south, cresting the Blue Ridge Mountains as it winds among untamed wilderness, up past rocky outcrops, vast panoramas of forest-blanketed mountains and gently curving valleys. During early morning drives and horse riding along forest trails, I had watched white-tailed deer wandering across the road, and it’s not uncommon to spot black bears in the undergrowth.
I had picked up my rental car in Washington DC, which is the obvious starting point for this road trip, with the plan to do a loop that would take in sea and sky. From the capital, it is roughly 75 miles to the entrance of the park, with the drive taking less than two hours, passing through wine country scattered with pretty towns, horse barns and rolling green hills. Middleburg is a good choice to stop for lunch and a stroll down the quaint main street lined with boutique stores, local art galleries, antique shops and cafes.
From the mountains, it’s a relatively straight swoop down to the coast (you could cover both peaks and beach in a day), but I took the meandering route, staying on Skyline Drive as long as possible and then spending a couple of hours exploring Charlottesville en route. This liberal university city has a “mall” which is actually a bustling main street with a retro cinema, quirky boutiques, independent bookstores and hipster cafes (try Petite Mariebette for coffee and pastries). Back on the road, I skirted past Richmond, but made a brief pit stop just outside the city for a grilled cheese at SB’s Love Shack, filled with knick-knacks and a fun crowd, before rolling onto Virginia Beach.
The city has that slightly faded seaside charm you find at the likes of Blackpool and Margate in the UK. The boardwalk is lively, with music filling the streets and shore long into the evening, but it feels slightly dated in a rather nostalgic way. Once a thriving vacation spot in the 1920s, Virginia Beach became increasingly rundown in the 50s and 60s, with residents moving away and tourists looking elsewhere, leaving hotels empty and storefronts vacant. But now art and community have breathed new life into the area, with the Creative ViBe district at the heart of this regeneration.
