Galston Gorge - Bobbin Head
- Group:
- B2
- Distance:
- 61km
- Route Description:
- On leaving Lane Cove, turn left onto Burns Bay road, follow the road and turn left onto Longueville Rd. Turn right onto Epping Road at the lights, and take the exit ramp to the Pacific Highway and turn left.
Follow the Pacific Highway through Chatswood, Lindfield, Killara, Gordon, Pymble, Turrarmurra and Wahroonga. At Pearce's Corner (cnr Pennent Hills Rd) turn right and continue along the Pacific Highway. At the intersection of College Crescent, again turn right to continue along the Pacific Highway. In Hornsby, follow the road to the left to cross over the railway bridge, and then follow the road to the right.
At Galston Rd, turn left and follow this down to the bottom of Galston Gorge.
Once at the bottom of the hill, regroup briefly before climbing back up the Eastern side (where you just came down).
After reforming the group at the top, head East along Galston Rd until it rejoins the Pacific Highway, turn left and follow it into Asquith. At Belmont Pde, turn right over the railway bridge and then turn right again to continue along Belmont Pde. At Ku Ring Gai Chase Rd, turn left and follow this over the F3 and into Bobbin Head.
After climbing out of Bobbin Head until reaching Bannockburn Rd (just after the intersection with Burns Rd), turn left and then right into Bannockburn Rd. Follow Bannockburn Rd until it reaches the Pacific Hwy.
Turn left onto the Pacific Hwy, and follow it back through Pymble, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Chatswood. At Epping Rd, turn right, and then left into Longueville Rd. Take the first right into Birdwood Ave and follow this back to Renegade and the Cafe.
- Ride Description:
- This is a good fun ride that contains two major climbs, it is longer than the average distance for the C Group but there are no real surprises. The first climb is an in and out, so it is possible to wait at the top if you are unsure about your ability to tackle it.
The first climb (Galston Gorge) is the harder of the two climbs, so if you beat that one, the second (Bobbin Head) is easier.
Apart from the sometimes disgraceful quality of the Pacific Highway, there is nothing of much note until reaching Pymble, where you will have to contend with the infamous Pymble Hill, after muscling your way up this, expect a fairly sedate ride to Galston Rd.
Along Galston Rd, you will see that you are starting to leave the city behind due to the increasing amount of vegetation and open land, soon it will really hit home as you descend into Galston Gorge and Berowra Waters Regional Park.
This is a fun descent, the road isn't in the best condition, but there isn't much that the alert cyclists needs to fear. The best feature of this descent are the 6 hairpins. So pretend that you are descending an Alp in the Tour de France and have fun, just take care if it is wet or foggy.
The first hairpin can catch you unawares, as it is about 20m past a 90 degree right hand corner. When you see the sign for Berowra Waters Regional Park, the first hairpin is just around the corner.
The group will stop briefly at the bottom of the climb to regroup before ascending out again.
At the top of the climb, the group will again pause to bring all riders back into the fold before head out towards Bobbin Head. Ku Ring Gai Chase Rd can be an opportunity for the faster riders to push the pace a little. It is slightly downhill and is generally good fun. Again you have left the city behind and are on a nice tree surrounded road.
After the Bobbin Head descent and climb out the south side, you are unfortunately faced with reality again and you will have to put up with the traffic on Bobbin Head Rd. After the intersection with Burns Rd, the group will veer onto Bannockburn Rd for a more back street return to the Pacific Highway. Shortly after the intersection with Pentecost Ave, watch out for the right and left turn required to continue along Bannockburn Ave.
After rejoining the Pacific Hwy, there is the short descent of Pymble Hill, before the usual jostling for road space back down the Pacific Hwy.
Once back into Lane Cove, enjoy your Coffee at the Cafe after a good solid ride.
