Marlinton & Pocahontas County
We arrived in Marlinton, Pocahontas County, via the Highland Scenic Highway. This was a beautiful road – we stopped at various overlooks and walked a couple of trails, for example Cranberry Glades, shown below, yet saw hardly a soul despite the huge parking lots seeming to expect more visitors. This was a theme throughout our stay in West Virginia – it really should be better known, it’s so pretty, but I gather it’s more of a weekend destination, and some areas get more trade in the Fall and skiing seasons.
We had actually visited Marlinton before. On our 2008 trip we stopped for lunch in the Dirt Bean Café and went to the Visitor Information Office, but this time neither venue was where we expected so we took a while to re-orient ourselves. It turns out that Visitor Info had moved, and there had been a fire at Dirt Bean – but its owner was working at the B&B we stayed at, Locust Hill, while she waited to re-open. I think she and Dave, the B&B owner, were surprised that we had not only chosen to visit West Virginia, but to do it twice. Again, this was a theme of our whole visit – “you mean you’ve come all the way from Scotland to here!” One guy said that if he ever got out of West Virginia he would never come back. Maybe it’s different if you live there, but we thought it was wonderful.
Anyway, back to Marlinton. Locust Hill was excellent. At the weekend, it also operates as a pub / restaurant, so another time I would try to stay Friday to Monday so that we could eat there every night. Dave is a good cook! We arrived on a Thursday so had to eat out and the rest of the town doesn’t have much choice.
On our first full day we visited Cass Scenic Railroad to take a steam train on the old logging line to Bald Knob, a 4.5 hour journey of 11 miles each way and about 2000 feet change in elevation. Half way up, there was a stop to view Whittaker Camp, a recreated 1940s logging camp – in the gallery below you can see the kitchen / dining car and surveyor’s shanty with its walls lined in cardboard for insulation. The caboose, along with another two on the mountain, could be hired out for an overnight stay – definitely a cut above the shanties, but still rather too Spartan for my taste. The brakeman (or woman in our case) in each car had a hard job on the way down, constantly leaning out over the track to check the wheels weren’t locking, then adjusting the brakes if they were. It was interesting, if hair-raising, to watch.
On our other full day, we visited three State Parks, linking together trails to hike a total of nine miles or so. The most interesting was Droop Mountain Battlefield, a combination of hiking trails with Civil War history which I always find haunting. In Watoga, the biggest park in WV, we followed the Ann Bailey Trail. I was amused, though possibly shouldn’t have been, at the headstone to Forest Workman which I first took to be a generic monument, but he was a real person. Hmm, not a great choice of name by his parents! The spectacular fungi were out in force in both parks – the pale yellow one was hard and solid to the touch. Weird! The final park, not pictured, was Beartown which consisted of a board walk amongst unusual rock formations and massive boulders making it hard to get a photograph to do it justice.
On our way out of Pocahontas County we visited the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank. As soon as our guide opened her mouth I knew where she was from – Durham, very close to where I grew up in North East England. She was one of only four “Brits” I can remember meeting in West Virginia – and all were settled and working there. I guess this post sums up our experience of a State which is not a big tourist destination, especially for non-Americans, with lovely people who are a bit self-deprecating about its attractions. Maybe I shouldn’t have written about it at all in case you all go and make it too busy next time we decide to visit!
We had one more destination in West Virginia, and headed north to Davis.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Beautiful pictures as always. Definitely have to visit West Virginia one of these years. That train ride sounds scary. I’ve turned into such a wimp as I’ve aged.
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It was a very gentle ride – slow and stately.
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Great pictures and so beautiful! I kept hearing John Denver in my head. The man’s name is funny. reminded me of a judge whose last name was Pigg. he had a daughter and he named her Ima-Yup not kidding! I thought it was untrue until Antiques Roadshow talked about Ima Pigg and her huge antique collection. Anyway, this looks so lovely and my dad was a logger in the 1930’s but here in Canada (Algonquin Park). In the 40’s he was in the war. Of course this must be where the famous Pocahantas comes from
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Thanks, Birgit. Ima Pigg – that made me laugh, but what a cruel thing to name a child! There was a lot of logging in WV – our next port of call was an old logging town too. It must have been really hard work.
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I want to go to all these places, and thanks for taking me there thorough these pictures. How wonderful that there is a Pocahontas County.
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Thanks Silvia. I think there is a Pocahontas County in another state too! Maybe Iowa? Perhaps she travelled around?!
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Probably, but she definitely loved Virginia before she moved to England, from what I hear, and died of a broken heart, or of being home sick. Loved the photos.
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Yes, I read that too. Sad.
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Looks like you had a fantastic holiday!
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We did, Helen, it was great!
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