Cycle Wisemans Ferry

It's not often you can ride for a weekend near Sydney and manage to avoid riding on a major road. A week ago, I spent the weekend riding from Narara near Gosford, to Windsor via Wiseman's Ferry. The ride is convenient because you start and finish at a train station, and there's also little baggage required if you stay at accommodation in Wiseman's Ferry.

The first day was 73km. One kilometre into the ride from Narara, we came to the bottom of a hill with a steeper gradient than those in the Tour de France. Rather than gain 100m over one kilometre on our bikes, we walked - a rather inglorious start to the 'ride'. After this hill the going was far more pleasant. We steadily gained height over undulating ground to be rewarded with a break at the top of Mangrove Mountain, where there is a store and outdoor seating. The best thing about this rest point is the following 6km of freewheeling down to Mangrove Creek. The rest of the day was an enjoyable trip following the creek and then the Hawkesbury River. Spencer provided a scenic lunch stop, with a well stocked shop/cafe to provide supplies. All day we just missed the rain, often riding on wet roads, but never getting wet. With only seven kilometres to go, the rain caught us. It was a wet trip to the ferry, then a quick dash from the ferry to the pub for a shower, nap, a few drinks and a good feed.

The second day was 57km and started with a lovely dawdle along the Hawkesbury River. There is a short hill before the Sackville ferry that was manageable and made lunch at the Tizzana Winery all the more satisfying. We had lunch shaded from the sunshine by a trellis covered in grape vines, with an excellent Aleatico Rose to complement the antipasto and cheese platter. Despite the temptation to stay longer, we got back on our bikes and rode through Wilberforce on what became a very hot and humid afternoon, to arrive at the pub in Windsor with a well-deserved thirst. From there it was only a short cut across town to Windsor Station. This is definitely the best weekend cycle tour I've done so far around Sydney!