Berkshire Cycling: Washington Skyline Loop 1

31 miles                 Paved  roads

Start: Rt. 8, Washington

Towns: Washington, Becket, Chester, Middlefield, Hinsdale

Skyline Trail in Middlefield

This proved to be the most enjoyable cycling so far this year, mostly riding on Skyline Trail in Chester, Middlefield, Hinsdale. The ride took me across Wade Inn Road, which could be fun, if only the road surface were repaired. It is a mess and my travel was cautious. 

Abandoned mill in Chester

I rode to Skyline Trail via Chester, a town on Route 20 that I don’t often get to. It boasts a fine, small, summer theater company, The Chester Theatre Company, where we’ve seen a handful of excellent one-act plays. 


Chester is at quite a lower altitude than Washington, located on both Rt. 20 and the Westfield River, with the major east-west rail line running through it. You can tell how much lower the town is by the width of the river here; they don’t come this wide at home. It was settled in the 1750s, the railroad arrived in the 1840s, and for a time it had a busy granite industry. The town must have known more prosperous days, with this old, abandoned-looking mill building probably part of them. 

Westfield River in Chester

My ride turned quickly back north, climbing up Reservoir/Middlefield Road to Skyline Trail, a challenging climb.

Historic center of Middlefield

Once up to Middlefield, I turned left onto Skyline Trail, which goes through the village of Middlefield. This road rolls along the top of the ridge and is a lot of fun. You can see the ridge in Washington from the town of Middlefield. And the two towns are similar, both have historic, white-painted wooden town halls that are now closed. Both town halls are now in the old grammar schools, brick buildings that look to date from the 1970s and are now closed. Both modern town halls are good places to stop and fill a water bottle, as neither town has any stores.

Skyline Trail continues to Rt. 8 in Hinsdale, where I turned left to return to Washington.

Roads; Rt 8 South/ Wade Inn east/ Rt. 20 east/ Middle field Rd. (Reservoir Rd.) north/ Skyline Trail / Route 8 south. Click here for this route on Map My Ride, with cue sheet, map and climbing details.



Berkshire Rides List 

Berkshire Cycling: Windsor Loop 1

26 Miles                Paved and dirt roads

Start: Rt. 9, Windsor

Towns: Windsor, Peru, Hinsdale                     

This is an absolutely wonderful ride. Though the photos are only of flat stretches, the rural roads wind up, down and around these rolling hillsides, with very little traffic. It was hilly enough and a good length for the three of us to ride. I often ride solo and so particularly enjoyed the chance to ride with friends.

We started near Route 9 in Windsor, and headed east to East Windsor Road. Turn south and follow it to Pierce Road. After turning right onto Pierce, the road quickly went into Peru and became East Windsor Road. The roads around here do that, changing names when they change towns. There are three Middlefield Roads that I know of, all unconnected, that travel to Middlefield from its neighboring towns.

At the fork in the road we continued to the left onto North Road, which ends at Rt. 143, at the top of the Peru hill. Peru is in fact named after the eponymous country, because it is so high. In the winter is is also so cold. Continue straight across Rt. 143, onto South Road, and follow it to Middlefield Road/Skyline Trail. Turn right and head downhill into Hinsdale. At Creamery Road turn right to its dead-end on Rt. 143. On 143 head back east for a very short ways, then left onto New Windsor Road, left onto Stone House Rd., which turns into Frank Schnopps Road. Right onto Windsor Road, which becomes Main Dalton Road and follow it back to Route 9. Right to the general store.

Take a map! There is no road list here because it is all in the text above. This is a very fun respite from the crowds of central and southern Berkshire County, and even more, from their cars. Also, take whatever water or snacks you might want, as there are no stores on the route. 


Berkshire Rides List 

Berkshire Cycling: Washington–Lenox Loop 1

31miles                   Paved Roads

Start: Rt. 8, parking lot at town park, Washington

Beefalo babies in field

Wanting to watch Friday’s stage of the Tour de France (the riders were in the Pyrenees, traveling through exactly the area I will be in September,) I rode to Lenox to watch on Arcadian Shop’s lovely large-screen television. The route uses Route 8 for a stretch, but it isn't too busy, descends down the always-fun Kirchner Road into Pittsfield, makes its way to Lenox, including a bit of the not-bike-friendly section of Route 7 between Lenox and Pittsfield. That road is better north of Pittsfield and south of Lenox. Riders need to use either Holmes Road or East Street; East is probably better, but neither is good.

West Branch of the Westfield River

I would love to recommend riding anywhere in the county, but the sections of this in Pittsfield (Holmes Road, East Street and Route 7) could all use some attention from their keepers to make them safer for bicycles.

Roads: Rt. 8 north to Kirchner Road. Follow to Williams Street, left onto Holmes Road, left (south) onto Route 7 to Arcadian Shop. Return north to East Street, right on Williams, bear right onto Washington Mountain Road, left on Frost to return to Rt. 8. Click here for this route on Map My Ride with cue sheet, map and climbing details.



Berkshire Rides List 

Berkshire Cycling: Washington to Hinsdale

14.5 Miles                 Paved and Dirt
Towns: Washington and Hinsdale
Parking: Washington Town Park on Rte. 8

Beefalo

Bright, clean plumage, territorial calls, courtship behavior: these make late April and early May a good time to keep your eyes open for birds. And it’s easy because the trees are not yet leafed out. My ride today takes me to Hinsdale, starting on a road I travel most every day. Yesterday, just where I’ve stopped on the cycle today, near the beefalo, I saw a hawk fly down to a branch ... close to the road, maybe 15 or 20 feet off the ground. While I was grabbing for my binoculars in came another one. They jumped around a bit, I thought, hmmm, spring rituals. One left, and came back, left. The other stayed, by now with my binocs on it. Back comes the ... male, it turns out and they made whoopee. Up close and personal in the binoculars. I felt like a voyeur, though. As soon as he left she starts eating what I believe was a gift he left her the first time he arrived, proof he could provide while she had eggs. It was some kind of largeish bird, based on what I could see I'd guess a grouse or some such. The eating lasted way longer than the whoopee. When she was finished she carefully cleaned off her bill, walking the length of the branch while wiping it from side to side on that branch. Amazing what spring brings. 

Today I didn’t see any hawks, but the beefalo were there. They are a modern cross between cattle and buffalo and said to make good eating.

The ride takes me over both paved and dirt roads. Our dirt roads can be challenging in the spring time, I imagine more so for the road crews than for cyclists. They are rutted and full of potholes from the winter and subsequent thaw. All need attention, but the heavy spring rains will destroy any work done, so they wait for the weather to stabilize. I ride slowly, watching the woods.

Wild ramps, aka wild leeks

There is a beautiful small stand of ramps, wild leeks, near a small stream. When I moved here 30 years ago I had read of ramps as an early nutritious spring green found in the southern Appalachians. I’d never seen them. But they are here also, a member of the onion family. Unlike our other early lilies, trout lilies, blue bead lilies, they don’t bloom. You can easily recognize them by smelling a broken piece of leaf. If you do cook them, be forewarned: they taste delicious, but smell atrocious while cooking. By the way, they make a good pickle when treated like dilly beams.  Happily, with the current interest in local foods we can sometimes find both beefalo and ramps in the markets here.

Hinsdale Flats ACEC

I rode past Plunkett Reservoir, which in the summer is home to two, maybe three, kids camps. Now it had several men fishing and boats on the water.  The ride passes through the Hinsdale Flats ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern.) Designated in 1992, it is big: it includes 14,500 acres in the Housatonic and Westfield River watersheds, mostly in Hinsdale and Washington. It protects six rare species, critical wetlands, forestland and historical and cultural sites. The ACEC program is is one of Massachusetts best environmental programs, which does not forbid homes or businesses, but brings a higher level of awareness and care to the natural environment. The Hinsdale Flats offer spectacular birding and habitat, including for people. The moose we occasionally see are surely the largest resident, followed by the black bear. It would be a great place to kayak.

Oh yes, this is a cycling blog. This ride is easy; flat for my part of the Berkshire Hills. A good training ride, which I badly need. After six weeks of antibiotics and respiratory infection, I am in hideous shape, in no shape at all actually, and very frustrated. Usually this ride is the beginning of a longer ride, but it still hurts to breathe deeply and I head back home. This time of year there is not much traffic on Route 8, but when summer arrives with its second home residents and vacationers it gets quite busy. 

Roads: North on Rt. 8; left on Kirchner; right on Plunkett Reservoir Rd., right on Michaels Rd., right on Rt. 8.

Berkshire Rides List