Cycling Woodbury and Southern Litchfield County

Bicycling in and around Woodbury, Connecticut offers cyclists a variety of routes but also après-ride options.

For instance, you can shop a few farms stands, swim in a cool river, picnic or have lunch at one of the local eateries. This southern part of Litchfield County offers scenic, quiet country roads sprinkled with historic homes, working farms and some challenging climbs.

Twice this summer with my trusty guide and navigator—hubby Tom—I pedaled past numerous dark green corn fields and cruised down twisty, smoothly paved back roads. We both agree that this area offers the best cycling south of the Berkshires, but with the added bonus of being much closer to home. 

While we’ve ridden in and around Litchfield, Goshen and Cornwall, Woodbury and the surrounding towns are just plain quieter- lower traffic, fewer noisy trucks and exhaust-spewing motorcycles.

A 26-mile ride (see PDF for cue sheet) took us through Woodbury, Washington, Morris and Bethlehem. It included a few climbs, not too steep, some great views and (I’ll repeat) few cars.

While we didn’t encounter many vehicles, there were two kamikaze bee incidents. One flew straight onto my tongue—no body or stinger was found! The second landed in my husband’s helmet vent, stinging him while we were buzzing downhill at 30 MPH. Lesson learned from that mishap—let the bee sting. Don’t battle it, and whatever you do DON’T jam on the front brake. This will only result in an acrobatic, front tire-balancing (YouTube-worthy) endo, bloody palms and other bruises. 

A full-on husband and wife bicycle collision was avoided due to some quick reflexes on my part as I somewhat gently hit the pavement performing my first split since high school gym. (Upon hearing this story a friend suggested auditioning for Cirque du Soleil.) Added to this adrenaline-pumping 60 seconds was a light rain, making for slick roads.

Perhaps the bees mistook our brightly-colored jerseys for the many roadside crimson, orange and yellow day lilies, or maybe my tongue resembled the petal of a purple cone flower or Tom’s helmet a big bunch of Queen Anne’s lace. These summer flowers were in abundance throughout the ride and at one point we passed an entire field of delicate, white Queen Anne’s lace. Colorful summer flowers are numerous in July and only add to a rider’s enjoyment.

Another charming aspect of this ride was pedaling by the many 19th century Greek revival homes, Victorian mansions and farm cottages. After recovering from the bee sting crash, we pedaled on past several working farms, selling vegetables and offering pick-your-own blueberries (which apparently are in season). In fact, as we cruised back into Woodbury’s town center, a Blueberry Festival was wrapping up on the town green—we were sorry to have missed it.

While putting the bikes on the car, we marveled at seeing so few cars and people and wondered if the town—population 9,100-- was away on vacation. But we were so wowed by the area and great cycling roads, we vowed to come back and explore even more, hoping to find longer rides and bigger climbs.

Out of the saddle, sans the spandex, our day continued. We went for a dip in the Nonnewaug River and picnicked at the incredibly peaceful Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust.

During the ride we had stopped at March Farm on Munger Lane in Bethlehem to fill our water bottles. They sell fruits and vegetables as well as homemade soaps, jams, relishes and freshly baked cider donuts. So with river-fresh skin and full tummies, we drove to March Farm and left with a basket of native tomatoes, blueberries, and peach and beach plum jams.

For those riders who don’t feel like packing a lunch, there are many food options. If you want to picnic but without the hassle, stop by for deli sandwiches, salads and all your picnic needs. If you’ve brought a change of clothes, drop by for grass-fed beef burgers, handcut fries and frothy milkshakes. And if you are a sweet fiend like me, stop by for cookies galore, mini pies, tarts and iced coffee. And don’t feel guilty-- you just rode 26 miles through beautiful northwest Connecticut.