I rode it one way to Richmond, and then back again, the next day, to Williamsburg.
I wish I had something better to say about the experience!
Let's do it this way...
Williamsburg
The city of Williamsburg is quite lovely, and was pretty darn receptive to cycling. I found a bike lane on Richmond Street, and a bike lane / wide shoulder on Jamestown Road, which leads you down to the start of the Virginia Capital Trail. Jamestown Road is one of the two main ways to get to Jamestown (where the VCT actually starts... it does NOT start in downtown Williamsburg), and Jamestown is the one I'd recommend a person use to get down to the trail.
Colonial Williamsburg, and Jamestown down on the river, are popular tourist spots. The old town of Williamsburg largely preserved as it existed in the 1700s.
This (below) is a view of the James River, from the Colonial Parkway.
Is boring.
I'm really sorry. I hate to be critical. But it's boring.
The trail is 50+ miles of pavement, running alongside highway 5. Mostly forest on both sides, but sometimes fields of wheat.
Now, if you view the interactive map online, and click on the various "attractions", you might find a few things that interest you. But, you might not. And not all of those attractions are even open to the public at any given time. AND... they're not alongside the trail. If you want to see them, it's a detour. AND... another beef I have... is that there's no physical / printed map or guidebook to the VCT. At least not according to the bike shop I stopped in at, in Williamsburg, to try and find one. So cycling along the trail you're riding blind, not knowing what you're passing.
The VCT... I hate to complain about 50 miles of paved trail... but I don't know what I'd use it for, if I lived down there. It isn't fun to ride.. so I wouldn't spend weekend mornings on that trail. It's not super convenient for fast road bike rides, though I did see some people doing that on the trail. So, I don't know. Better to have it than not have it, but I got the impression it was most heavily used by people riding from Richmond. about 10 miles east (to this little parkette where the big bike is, below), and then back into Richmond again - neglecting the other 40 miles of trail towards Williamsburg.
Richmond
Finally! People! Life! Stuff!
Good God... it was such a relief to get into Richmond and see people again. Richmond is pretty cool, especially since I ride on Zwift, and one of the Zwift courses is Richmond (due to the World Championship which happened in Richmond in 2015). So, some of the streets of the city were "known" to me from my virtual experience of riding them on Zwift.
This big bike (picture above) is about 10 miles east of Richmond.
Street art along the Canal walk in Richmond.
The Canal Walk is really fascinating. I found myself wishing I didn't have my bike with me so I could just wander along more slowly and enjoy everything without pushing a bike and wearing hard to walk-in-footwear! I also wish I'd had a Richmond travel book in my hands, so I knew more about the civil war history I was passing by, and which a few of the bridges are historical reminders of.
The VCT running under old trestle tracks heading into Richmond.
I was in Virginia due to a conference, and my eyes really opened wide at discovering the existence of a long dedicated cycling trail between Williamsburg and Virginia. So, my 'cross bike (equipped with rack and panniers) came in the car with me, and I was hoping for some lolly-gagging along... stopping here and there for coffee, ice-cream or beer, as seemed appropriate. But... with nothing to see or do... I just kept pedaling.
Maybe that's what the VCT was for me... just some exercise, in between the history of Richmond on one side, and Williamsburg on the other. That's not the end of the world, but I was honestly hoping for more.
