Lane Cove Area
From North Sydney to Lane Cove National Park and encompassing Ryde
There is lots to ride in the Lane Cove area and the best is Lane Cove National Park which consists of very quiet roads and lots of bush. There are two good trails for commuting/scenery, the 17km long Epping Rd Cycleway and the shorter Shrimptons Creek cycleway to Ryde. But if you really want to see some great harbour scenery, head to Greenwich and Balls Head or into Woolwich from Gladesville. On the other side of the monster Warrangah Freeway is Chatswood and Cremorne and the magical Cadia Way. A few videos here to give you a taste
Note: All links to Google MyMaps are shown with a >> You will need either a PC or a Google Account to make this work
Lane Cove National Park
When you go to the Lane Cove Cove National Park, you are going to ride on a road. This was never appealing to me as I try to stay away from cars as often as I can. Then as I finally got around to riding around the park on a rather cool morning in May, I asked one of my fellow riders what the cars are like in the park. She informed that the gates don’t open till 9am. I then asked others and they said the cars later on in the day are OK anyway. Map of Lane Cove National Park >> So if you don’t mind a hill or two, this is the smoothest place to ride a bike in Sydney and certainly the widest trails. And its a really nice bush setting. If you traverse the park from one end to the other and back its about 10km. I did 15km by going “up and down” the exit roads. You can also ride on the north side of the Lane Cove River but this is more of a car zone. So how do you get there ? More than likely you will arrive by car unless you come in from Epping Rd or Lindfield. If you park in the park, you will need to pay for parking at about $8. Around the park there are some options but most of them involve going down a decent hill to get to the park. There is a train station at West Ryde that you can use (sometime in 2020) and you can also come in on the bike path from Macquarie Park at the western end. Its great riding and you will find that the hills are on the roads that exit the park so you can climb them if you like. North Ryde station is the closest and its on the new Metro Line >> Click for all the photos
Here is a video of riding from Lane Cove National Park to Flat Rock Gully at Artarmon
Lane Cove National Park
Hire a swan and keep pedalling
If you get brave or inquisitive, try riding from north side of the Lane Cove River all the way to Lindfield station and then maybe onto to the Roseville Bridge. Quite the adventure as seen in this video.
Epping Rd
Cammeray to Epping Station – 17 kms One Way There is a pretty decent separated cycle track that starts near the Long Gully bridge in Cammeray and runs along side the Gore Hill Fwy and down Epping road. I jumped on it at Bicentential Reserve in Willoughby because there is good parking and a decent cafe in that park. In the google map link, you will see the start of the trail in Hamilton Lane.
The trail runs along and under the M1 and alongside the Epping Road which sits above the M2 when it is the Lane Cove Tunnel. Here is the map of Epping Rd and nearby trails >> Along the trail which is generally not for kids, you have to concentrate on the following.
15+ road crossings (do not jump the lights on these as cars turn at a good pace into these roads
You need to watch the line markings on the 4m wide trail because the markings are mixed. sometimes for walkers on the left and sometimes its on the right.
When you pass Delhi road, there are a number of driveways and as the trail is still good quality, you may be seduced into traveling too fast. I just missed T boning a car that just popped out and I was going slow as always.
At Longueville Rd there are some good cafes
The trail passes Lane Cove road and continues on new concrete shared path all the way to Epping Boys High There the trail deviates through some streets and then on a rollers coaster of paths to Epping. I needed my ebike for these hills.
Waterloo Rd Cycle Path and Lachlan’s Bridge There is a great new blue bridge that crosses from Ryde North Station to a new housing area called Lachlan’s Line. You can then ride down cycle paths to the start of Shrimptons Creek, the massive Macquarie Park shopping centre and Macquarie University. See photos here
Here is a video clip of Waterloo Rd and photos
See Pictures of the Long Gully ride here and on Google Map of the trail here >>
Joseph from the Ryde area illustrates the Epping Rd cycle way between Epping and Macquarie Park very well in the following video. He also adds some good tips for the builders of this too urban path. Also here is a different video by the insightful Chris Topher describing what the Epping Rd Cycleway is like to ride
If you head towards Epping Station, this what Epping Rd looks like arriving into Epping.
Greenwich to Balls Head and then to Milsons Point
Its hilly and tough to work out which road or path to go down to get from the Harbour Bridge to Greenwich Ferry Terminal. But the views are FANTASTIC. Best Sydney Harbour Bridge views, great Opera House views, views of Balmain and even the Anzac bridge. And then there are a few really nice parks that you can casually ride through and quite a number of coffee shops on the trail. I think its better to ride the back roads and little paths between Waverton and Greenwich Wharf and do Milsons Point as part of bridge Darling Harbour combo. I have put the Greenwich section on my map in pretty good purple >>> There are a number of stations nearby including St Leonards, the super positioned Wollstonecraft with its cute little coffee shop for humans and dogs next door, Waverton and Milsons Point. Pictures from Greenwich to Balls Head here
Pictures from Milsons Point to Waverton Park here >>
Challenge: Cycle from Greenwich to Woolwich The purpose of this trail is to do a loop from Greenwich to Woolwhich and use the ferry to return. Check your Ferry times before you start to make sure its available. On weekends its once an hour. The next criteria is to stay off River Rd because its one of the worst roads to ride on in Sydney. No verge, steep hills, fast commuters. Join the northern side of River Rd at St Vincents rd and ride the footpath which is actually marked as a shared path. Its narrow. On the map I show Tamborine Park which is easy walking on a bush trail. I suggest River Rd West which has a shared path for a bit. These trails are mapped in thin black starting west of Greenwich This is not a an area for teenagers, anyone with fear of roads or anyone who has a poor back or any day the ferry isn’t working. See photos of River Rd here Distance: 15km one way Rated: Hilly and technical with roads
Explorers Tip: Check out Balls Head, just south of Wollstonecraft Station
Ryde via Shrimptons Creek
The Shrimptons Creek cycleway begins on Waterloo Road next to the Macquarie University Metro station, leaving all the noisy roads behind. First, you head down the creek and under Epping Road. You continue for 3 km through a narrow riverside park to Santa Rosa Park. It’s always fun, but the shared path can be narrow, and there are always a few walkers, so take it easy. Do a little zig-zag down to Reservoir Lane and finish the Shrimptons Creek trail by making a tricky crossing of Blaxland Road. It’s 4 km long and beats the bus at peak hour.
Your reward is a steep roll down the hill to Meadowbank and the Parramatta Cycleway. This reward can feel like severe punishment for those heading up the hill. Either way, Shrimptons Creek is a flat, fun ride and certainly worth doing every now and again.
The biggest issue on the downhill run is how to cross Victoria Rd. This video goes thru Anzac Park. Most groups head east of the Meadowbank TAFE following roads. The pedestrian crossing of Victoria Rd from W. Parade seems to halt the traffic long enough so you can make it to Station St. After Station St, head to Mons Avenue where you find the paths at Meadowbank skate park and soon you are at Parramatta River cycleway, one of Sydneys finest.
Heading up the hill and you will find the lights at Station St seems to delay the traffic long enough for you to make it most of the way to the other side of W. Parade where you join the path that is north of Victoria Rd. If in doubt, bail to the footpath and ride slowly.
Note: At Blaxland Rd, you can follow a cycleway to Top Ryde shops if that is your thing. Look really closely at the map and you will find a bumpy little track through Ryde Park, Burrows Park and further on Buffalo Creek to Higginbotham Rd.
See the Google Map of the trail here >> Pictures of the ride from Epping Rd across to Ryde and then down to Meadowbank
See more here on the Shrimptons Beat the Bus report
Neutral Bay and Cremorne
Once you cross the freeway and head down the hill, you are in the Neutral Bay and Cremorne Area. You do this on a pretty decent path. A slightly longer version of the same ride can be found here
Following is the path from the Neutral Bay shops that intersects with the above cycleway at Sutherland St
Gladesville
A hilly trail with 40% road, not for teens. Gladesville Bridge requires careful attention to the map. Practise on Sunday. This is a quicker way to get to Rhodes but not as quick as a train. So watch the video below to see how to ride through the historic Gladesville Hospital and how to get across the Gladesville Bridge from the Huntley Point on the North Side. Map Link >>
See the Gladesville trail here >> and see all the photos from Huntleys Point to and up Pittwater Rd Cycleway to Epping Rd here
External Links: History of Northbridge and Long Gully Bridge
North Sydney Cycle Maps (mostly roads)
Fire trail Lane Cove National Park (rough as guts)
Berry Island Browns Water hole from Kissing Point Rd across the Lane Cove River
Pittwater Rd
With some decent work being undertaken on the Pittwater Rd shared path in the Lane Cove region, this gives me a chance to show some of my favourite photos that I took riding the very hilly Huntleys Cove to North Ryde “about to get better” bike trail. Find the trail here on the Sydney map >>
Here are all the pictures >> and the following pics will give you an idea
Huntleys Cove Path
Chatswood
If you are near Chatswood, the path from the Gore Hill Freeway to Chatswood is an absolute treat as shown here. This is a super ride that ends with a few streets at the end. Look for the purple line starting at Artarmon Reserve here >>
Another series of OK bike trails is just west of the Princess Highway which run parallel to the highway. They are quite flat as they follow the highway but head down some significant hills around the Lane Cove River. Fun on an eBike but you may not like it on a normal bike. Look for the green commuter trails around the Chatswood Golf Club
Getting from Chatswood to Epping Station Riding from Chatswood to Epping is quite possible. The hill down from Chatswood station is very steep but well setup for bike riders. Lane Cove National Park is so good and the ride through Macquarie Park to Epping is mostly off road or well protected from cars. Hilly though. Here is the trail on the map Plus these pages … https://cyclesydney.wiki/2019/03/06/greenwich-wharf-to-balls-head/ and the improved Pittwater Rd journey
Hunters Hill is an Explorers Treat
Check out the back streets of Hunters Hill just north of the Gladesville Bridge. Especially when the Jacs are blooming in spring. Map Link >>
Really comprehensive wayfinding here. The specific callouts about road crossing timings and driveway awareness on Delhi Road are exactly the kind of detail that separates useful guides from generic ones. I've ridden urban trails where assuminga 4m path is always safe nearly caused similar close calls. The note about Long Gully bridge access and thetimeline for car-free mornings makes this actionable rather than aspirational.