Around Colonial Williamsburg - Maymont, Richmond

We are settled in a lovely apartment at Powhaton Plantation, Williamsburg for 9 nights. There are so many places to visit from here, and the countryside is gorgeous. The area is very old, dating back to the first English settlers in the early 1600s. There is an old plantation house on-site with restored gardens and a lake which is very photogenic.

On our first trip we crossed the James River on a car ferry and drove to Richmond to visit the Mansion and Gardens of Maymont. Richmond is a very busy city, full of museums.Grand houses and statues line the wide avenues. Maymont is right in the city center but sheltered by the 100 acre parkland. The house was not a mansion by European standards but was built and furnished by railroad magnate James Dooley and his wife Sallie May. Having no children, the house was left to the city upon their deaths, and has remained exactly as it was in 1925. The gilded wall decor, tiffany stained glass windows and Swan-shaped bed were quite unique amidst the ornate furnishings, corner ceiling lights and beautiful fireplaces. Most memorable was the dressing table, made of 2 long twisted tusks from near extinct narwhales. Downstairs was a 1925 kitchen with all the accoutrements of hard domestic work in a Victorian home.

The park and outbuildings were lovely but we enjoyed the gardens the best. The Italian garden had a long arbor of wisteria, and a rose garden above a natural waterfall which cascaded down the rocky shelf. At the bottom was the most beautifully restored Japanese garden surrounding a long lake of koi carp, with typical arched bridges, pagodas, Japanese maples and stepping-stones. There was a fresh view every few steps and it was a joy to spend time there

Martinsburg to Williamsburg

(215 miles, 6 hours)
We booked into Knight’s Inn as a base for a couple of days. What a great chain! One of the cheapest and best equipped suites so far. Explored the lovely towns on the Washington Heritage Trail including Martinsburg, Shepherdstown, Harper’s Ferry and Charlestown. There were many charming towns with terraces of quaint shops with bay windows lining the high street – rather like Modbury in Devon. We drove through vineyards and farms with gentle rolling pastures. It was very peaceful and pretty as we passed large estate homes, often sporting the 5-pointed barn star. These were brought over by the German Amish farmers and pinned on the barns for prosperity and a plentiful harvest. Winchester had several large painted apples with scenes and historic characters on them which were quite special. We walked around St Stephens, which dates back to 1756 and saw the clapboard houses with ornate porches and shuttered windows. There was so much to see and do here that we did not have time for; the Shenandoah Valley National Park, Canaan Valley, the Grand Army Byway, the massive natural bridge of stone and the beautiful old towns full of antique shops. It would be worth a longer visit – next time.

Sunday started with an excellent brunch at the old Strasburg Hotel, which was full of Victorian furniture, paintings and china. Pouring over our maps in Starbucks we decided to abandon the Skyline Drive, as the trees have not changed color yet, and instead, with the assistance of a kind local, chose a route which meandered down little-known roads through almost-English countryside in 77F of sunshine. We enjoyed town names such as Culpepper, Mineral – predictably an early mining town - and the charmingly named Cuckoo.

The last stretch from Richmond to Williamsburg was along the Virginia Byway in the long shadows of the evening sunshine.