All About Hunt Country Blogger Aleyson Bickley
Written by Diane Helentjaris | Photos by Savana Ashley
“There are places I’ll remember…” The Beatles croon in their song “In My Life,” reminding us of the haunting power of place. In her blog, Hunt Country Chic, Aleyson Bickley reminds us of the allure of Hunt Country, with its unique and beautiful combination of terrain, people, and lifestyle. With “a mission to share this spectacular part of the United States online,” the blog is founded on the premise that “there is no place that is quite as historic and charming as the lovely towns that make up Virginia’s wine and hunt country.”
Bickley discovered and fell in love with Hunt Country when she moved to Washington, D.C., for college. She studied international affairs and security policy at George Washington University, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees. She now works for the federal government in her area of study.
She grew up in Ridgefield, Washington. Tucked in the southwest corner of Washington state, the landscape’s snowcapped mountains are a far cry from the rolling hills of the Piedmont, but just as in Hunt Country, opportunities to ride horses are plentiful. As a child, Bickley initially rode Western-style, then switched to English. She loved to hang out in her riding togs. “As a little girl, I felt the best wearing my riding clothes out in public… I was one of those crazy horse girls, and that passion has never gone away.” She rides these days at Scattered Acres Sport Horses in Catlett.
At the end of 2018, Bickley moved from D.C. to Virginia. Her boyfriend understood how smitten she was with the area’s history — he wisely chose The Red Fox Inn as the site to propose. The couple married there at the end of 2022. She was “very passionate about supporting local businesses for our wedding with our welcome gifts and so forth,” he says.
Bickley began her blog, Hunt Country Chic: Life and Style in Virginia’s Wine and Horse Country, that same year. She and her husband relax on the weekends by driving through the region’s small towns, on the hunt for great restaurants, events, wineries, and clothes. “I share the businesses, fashions of Hunt Country — the general life and style, the way I romanticize the area,” Bickley lists. “If I have two great experiences in a row [at a business], I talk about it online.”
Shots by Bickley and her husband pop up on the blog, but many are by photographer Savana Ashley. Ashley’s photographs highlight Bickley’s Hunt Country aesthetic, which Bickley describes as “a mix of finds which look good, are comfortable to me — a mix of timeless feminine silhouettes [along with] something rustic.”
Bickley is also a fan of historical fiction and loves “Pride and Prejudice.” In her post “A Jane Austen Moment,” Ashley’s romantic photography captures Bickley in a flowing white dress, leather-bound book in hand, standing in an open field with a breeze fluttering her skirt.
Aleyson Bickley was surprised when many early fans of her blog turned out to be English women. She’s hoping to one day travel to the Cotswolds and see what it’s like outside the pages of her beloved books. For now, she’s content to celebrate Hunt Country’s warmth, charm, and unique style. When asked about her favorite local businesses, she quickly brings up the historic feel of The Red Fox Inn & Tavern and Goodstone Inn, Tremolo Bar’s cocktails and small plates, and Hunter’s Head Tavern’s sticky toffee pudding. She’s looking forward to experiencing the Gold Cup this fall.
“One thing I’m always looking for and would love people to know about me is that if they want someone to check things out [in Hunt Country, let me know]. I want to be the discoverer for people who don’t live here or be the guinea pig if they’re hesitant.” ML
Read more about Hunt Country Chic at huntcountrychic.com, or visit Bickley on Instagram at @aleysonbickley.
Published in the August 2024 issue of Middleburg Life.