This was the wonderful experience of four days of easy riding or walking of 30-40  kilometres a day, between Clyde and Middlemarch surrounded by amazing scenery.With a friend I did an easy version of this in mid to late April of 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed the stunning autumn colours, the great accommodation and the friendly company of riders from all over the world. I could see that it was a fantastic experience for families, with even young children managing to enjoy the ride in safety.

Here we are at the highest point of the Rail Trail. 

Planning the trip

It is not difficult to plan out your trip yourself although there is a free service to help you and make your bookings, and many tour companies have package tours, hire bikes etc. Many people drive to one end, catch a shuttle which will take bikes to the other end, and bike back. For $10 a bag, you can even get your luggage delivered to your accommodation.

On the Trail

From Ranfurly to Hyde the highlight was the gorge and around Daisybank. Dynamic schist rocks jutting out, scattered over the rolling hills then converging into a deep gorge, with glowing yellow willows all along the river banks. We lunched on the riverbank, and the hot soup was welcome. On a nice sunny day it is lovely, but cloudy or worse, and you are grateful for your jersey and parka.

Viaducts and a tunnel (don’t forget your torch) make for a bit of excitement. Hyde was a great place to reward ourselves with a wine and wedges as the hotel’s food was good.

The next day setting out from Hyde was a gentle downhill ride with farming scenery. The old stations and ganger huts have explanations, quite often toilets, and there are always cafes and pubs to lure you in for a rest.

Setting out from Ranfurly to the west took courage, as it was hailing. Out came the scarf, hat and gloves. I found my toes freezing, so I put plastic bags over my socks, inside my shoes….that worked well, but they need to be taken off as soon as it warms up. This side had two tunnels and a stunning gorge and a viaduct. There is also a long spiral where the trains used to gradually climb the gradient….great fun to speed down!

Our stay at Big Sky Cottage in Lauder was everything we could wish for and made us wish we had an extra night there.  A 1930’s house with 2 bedrooms, lounge with a log fire and a washing machine, all to ourselves.

The last day I was already wishing I had longer to do more exploration loops and even the whole trail again. From Lauder we did a short enjoyable loop to the little gold mining township of Ophir, including the spectacular bridge on the south side. Then on to Alexandra… the wild thyme left by the Chinese miners gives off a nice fragrance. From Alex to Clyde, the rail trail is not inspiring, but the Millennium track along the riverbank on the other side of the river is well worth it. The deep emerald water and the luminescent yellow of the willows and poplars line the winding track which has enough ups and downs to make a nice change to the rail trail.

A celebration dinner in Alex and a soak in the spa at the friendly Ark Alexandra made our Rail Trail experience complete.