Galston Gorge - Berowra Waters

Group:
B2
Distance:
78km
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 up the opposite side. Continue straight across the new roundabout and continue left on Galston Rd until the roundaboutat Arcadia Road. Turn right and follow the twists and turns of Arcadia Rd as it passes through Arcadia. Arcadia Rd becomes Bay Rd and then passes through Berilee, descend down the hill into Berowra Waters. Cross on the Ferry.

Ascend the eastern side of Berowra Waters to Berowra Heights. At the top of the climb, turn right at the roundabout and continue along Berowra Waters Rd, at the second roundabout, turn left, then turn right at the lights onto the Pacific Highway.
Follow the Pacific Highway through Mount Kuring-Gai, Mount Colah and Asquith. At Asquith follow Jersey St North parallel to the rail line, turn left on Bridge Rd over the railway bridge and then right onto George St into Hornsby. Continue on George St unbtil it merges back into the Pacific Hwy. Follow the Pacific Hwy through Waitara, Wahroonga, Turrarmurra, 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 usually stop briefly at the bottom of the climb to regroup before ascending the other side to Galston. There is a classic timber planked bridge, it is a bit rough on a road bike, but as it was recently refurbished it is in good condition. It is only a single lane, and while you have right of way, there may be some impatient motorists coming the other way.

Once out of Galston Gorge, the ride takes in the urban rural fringe areas of Dural, Arcadia and Berilee. There are no traffic lights out here, and only light traffic. The road is a bit rough in a few places and there is the odd rolling hill, but for Sydney this is pretty much cycling nirvana. The road is narrow so be courteous to the odd vehicle that catches up to the bunch and ride single file to let them pass.

The descent to Berowra Waters is can be good fun. The road surface is quite poor on the top section but has been resurfaced part way down. There aren't any big surprises on this descent, just descend at a pace that is comfortable to you. There is a Ferry crossing at the bottom and the group won't board until all riders have reached the bottom.

On reaching the bottom, make sure that your bike is in pretty much it's lowest gear as the climb on the other side starts straight away. After the climb out of Berowra Waters, the group will often stop just after the roundabout at the top before heading back towards the Pacific Hwy on Berowra Waters Rd.

After leaving Berowra behind, there are several rolling hills along this section of the Pacific Highway, but they aren't particularly long or steep. Ride through Mount Kuring-Gai, Mount Colah to Hornsby before rejoining the Pacific Hwy for the return to Lane Cove and the Cafe

Once back into Lane Cove, enjoy your Coffee at the Cafe after a good solid ride.