Mountain Biking - Anderson/Ingar trail Blue Mountains - Saturday 02 Nov 2013
Details
Join us for this AWESOME and CHALLENGING Mountain Bike ride in the Blue Mountains, along the Anderson (uphill) and Ingar (downhill) Fire Trail (approx. 55km) - one of the best Mountain Bike tracks in Australia, for intermediate riders.
The trail makes a complete loop - starts from Woodford (altitude 600m) for 28km up Anderson Firetrail to Kings Tableland (altitude 900m, near Wentworth Falls), down Ingar Fire Trail for 12km to Ingar Lake and Picnic Ground (altitude 500m), down to Bedford Creek crossing (altitude 400m) and uphill 5km back to Woodford (altitude 600m).
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Hiring a Mountain Bike:
For those who don't have a Mountain Bike, there is a conveniently located bike hire shop in Woodford, where we can hire/drop mountainbikes.
Bike hire includes -
- Great condition, professionally maintained Mountain Bike
- Helmet
- Standard (600ml) Water Bottle
- Puncture repair kit (rarely needed)
- Map (but it's an easy trail to follow)
- Convenient drop off at the end of the day
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Upon meeting at Woodford Station at 9:00am, we'll head down the Anderson Fire Trail downhill to the two creek crossings.
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You can ride through the creek, walk over the rocks or use the nearby fallen log as a bridge - entirely up to you! Either way it is fun.
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From the deep valley there is innitially a steep incline, which later turns into a gentle uphill fire trail leading to Kings Tableland via the Tableland Road (towards Wentworth Falls) for approx. 20km. There is a possibility to re-fill your water bottles there. Also, in case of bike failure, other technical or physical/health/fitness problems - there is an option at this point to finish the trip earlier, ride directly to Wentworth Falls train station and get home sooner.
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At the top of the Tableland road we turn into the Ingar Fire Trail, which goes fast downhill for the entire 10km, all the way to the Ingar Picnic Ground, with its own lake and waterfall.
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On a hot, sunny day the water temperature in the lake reaches 25C and the lake is big and deep enough for a refreshing swim. There are toilets at the picnic ground as well.
To complete the loop, we shall follow the trail going steep down to the deep Bedford Creek valley, cross the creek and then follow the trail uphill, all the way to Wodford.
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Trip statistics:
GRADE: Medium
TRAIL SURFACE: Rocky, Gravel, Sandy, creek crossings
DISTANCE: 55 km
DURATION: 5.5 – 7 hours riding time (depending on ability), plus stops/breaks
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Trip map above - star & finish at Woodford
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Trip elevation diagram - start from approx. 600m at Woodford, down to 200m at Bedford Creek crossing, continuous uphill towards Wentworth Falls, Kings Tableland at approx. 900m elevation, down to Ingar lake at 500m, back to Redford Creek crossing at 200m elevation and finally climb up to Woodford atation at 600m.
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What To Bring:
• Sense of adventure
• Resonable level of fitness
• Minimum1 litre, preferably 2 litres of water
• Snacks for the breaks for all day trip
• Clothing & Footwear appropriate for the weather & possible changes
• Mtb helmet, gloves, sunglasses, spare tube for your wheels
• Water/windproof jacket, fleece if cold, swimwear if hot, sunscreen
• Money for lunch and travel
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Transport:
The official Meeting place is 9:00am at the exit of Woodford Station (southern/high side)
Car:
If you are driving you can park your car at Woodford commuter street carpark. We shall end our trip at the starting point, so you'll get back to your car directly.
Train:
Use Blue Mountains service (train timetable (http://www.sydneytrains.info/timetables/index.htm#landingPoint) - they start from the Countrylink platforms at Central Station) - look for trains going to Lithgow, Mt Victoria or Katoomba (Blue Mountains Line). You should be catching a 7:22am train from Central. Train stops only at few main stations, like Strathfield, Glenbrook, Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith etc.) and arrives at Woodford at 8:57am. Return train ticket costs $11.60, bikes are free of charge.
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Be considerate, be responsible and enjoy!