Riding Ridgeville, SC area
Mon, August 30, 2010 
A local bike store employee recently suggested I check out the area around a little town called Ridgeville, he told me there was some nice bike rides on the surrounding country roads.
Ridgeville is about 11 miles Northwest of Summerville, South Carolina, just off Highway 78; I’ve ridden out there several weekends now.
When I pulled Ridgeville up on Google maps, I could see the whole area was just a maze of little country roads. You could easily ride a hundred miles if you wished, and still be reasonably close to home.
The only problem is that many of the roads marked on the map are dirt roads, and there is no way of telling which ones are paved until you get out and ride them. However, that is part of the adventure.
The roads that are paved are wide and of generally good surface and the great thing is, traffic is light; I estimate on average seeing one car per mile traveled. Many of the roads are shaded by old growth trees.
I found a couple of photo opportunities; the picture at the top of an old building, where a faded sign told me it was once a grocery store. Below is a tiny roadside cabin, beneath an ancient live oak tree, with the spanish moss hanging from its branches. So typical of the South.
Reader Comments (5)
In looking for bike routes in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, my experience is that google maps has street view for the paved roads but not for the dirt roads. Of course, South Carolina may well be different. Alternatively, you could ride a cyclocross bike with knobby tires ... do tubular knobbies exist?
Nice photos... and nice to have many shade trees and light traffic!
RE: Google and dirt roads. Dirt roads are included in Google maps for Charleston and surrounding townships as they are 'bonafide' S.C. roads. Not unlike the Lee County roads around the Auburn/Opelika area of Alabama.
Love the photo's. Here in SF, if anything is older than 1900, we swoon. We can't fathom the history that abounds in the East and South. I would love to be riding those trails and taking it all in.....
This dude has no clue. That old country store is on hwy 78 town of Dorchester ,SC. Miles from Ridgeville , SC .