Loop @ McQuade park Windsor NSW?

[apsilon]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of an easy loop starting from McQuade Park at Windsor? I have a couple of couples who have just bought MTBs and have been using them to ride roads exclusively and I've talked them into trying some dirt but they insist on nothing too hard.

I heard this was a fairly easy and scenic loop but I've never done it and have no idea of the directions to follow it (I'm guessing at least part of it is on road).

Feel free to suggest other firetrail loops and similar easy stuff in the western Sydney area, anywhere that's easy to reach from the Hills district is fine.

TIA.

[DEVLIN]

You could try the sections of flat single track at Yarramundi. The Woddford to Glenbrook is technically pretty easy. Castlereagh State Forest has plenty of easy trails. Just park and follow your nose. Windsor Downs and Cattai National Park has some decent easy riding as well.

[orchie]

Not too sure of much offroad stuff around Windsor. I found this link a while back but I haven't actually tried the rides so I can't tell you how accurate they are.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dnoble/Sydneyrides.html

Section 3 has the Hawkesbury rides

Grant

[apsilon]

Thanks for the replies. Any ideas about a street to park on/start from rather than just a suburb would be a great help, as I haven't ridden trails in most of these areas and so don't know where to start.

Oaks I do all the time but I think the steep bits might put the girls off until they get some confidence. Something flatter would be a good starter. If they don't like this first experience they probably won't try it again.

Grant, I found that page a few weeks ago also and tried to find one of the mentioned rides, Culoul Range, a couple of weeks back as it sounded perfect for this but couldn't find the turnoff he says to take. Even the locals didn't know what he was talking about.

[grumpy rooster]

Try the Windsor Downs Nature Reserve. Its very flat. Its more of a walking track than cycling from what I have seen driving past every day.

Go here for all the info you'll need:

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/parks.nsf/ParkContent/N0598?Opendocument&ParkKey=N0598&Type=Xo

NOTE: I have NOT ridden in there myself.

You could also try this page for other rides in the Hills and Hawkesbury areas:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~shawvale/Marramarra.html

You could also check out the Scheyville National Park at Pitt Town/Oakville. I haven't been in there either but it looks fairly flat.

[apsilon]

Thanks grumpy, The NPWS site doesn't show cycling as an activity for the Windsor Downs reserve so it's probably out.

Marramarra looks like a possibility though. Might try and check it out this week.

[DEVLIN]

I used to ride Windsor Downs alot, but that was acouple of years ago. Iknow you can still ride Catlereagh. It is in between The Northern Roadand Llandilo Road. You can also try the bush in bewteen Nutt Roadand Fire Trail Road at Londonderry. The safest place to park your carwould be at the service station at the round about on The Northern Roadand ride down to the end of Smeeton Road. There are tracks all over theplace through there. It is all flat as a pancake so they can gainconfindence with out going to fast. You will just have to ride around afind the trails.

[wombat]

Yeah, for the record, "McQuade park" is really a park, like a grassy park with footpaths (and most importantly "Don't Worry Oval", the slantiest cricket field known to man, if ya get lucky you can pad the ball down the hill for 4! :D )

As for the ride though, I'm sure there's some dirt tracks around Cattai park, but it's been so long since I've been out there that I can't give any solid info, sorry.

[apsilon]

That's what confused me when I looked it up. The way I heard it there is a ridge top loop but I can't see where it'd be on the map.

[grumpy rooster]

The signs at Windsor Downs definitely say that mtbing is ok. I know there was a proposal to stop riding in there but haven't seen anything to say that has gone thru.

[apsilon]

OK, I'll take a look at that as well.

Got another one for the ride. Just found out a friend bought a new bike a few weeks ago. Unfortunately he didn't tell me about it and has bought some full suspension model from Aldi for $250 :( At least he said he's willing to buy a new bike if the bug bites.

[Colonel]

That ridge top loop is a tar road that heads out from Windsor to Freemans Reach and around to Nth Richmond. It's apparently the bomb....if you're a roadie.
I ride Windsor Downs every so often (it's a 2 minute ride from my driveway) and whilst it's pretty flat and boring there are a few spots in there that have albeit momentary bits of vert. We're talking 10 second descents so don't get too excited. The trails are pretty much like a wagon wheel set up with them all coming into the middle near an old dam, there's no real loop as such but you can string a few trails together for a 10 min odd ride.
I much prefer to jump in the car and head out to Yarramundi if I'm keen for an XC ride.
Hope that helps.

[Davf]

Just thought i'd add that the Yarramundi track, well on saturday, was abit overgrown in sections and extremely bumpy and rutted out. I was told a 7" squishy bike would be more suitable for the track in its current state.

[apsilon]

Thanks Colonel, explains why I can't fin anyting about it from MTBers.

I'm going to check out all these suggestions before I take the group out there. They were reluctant enough to head off road that I want to make sure it goes smoothly so they're willing to keep at it.