The way points of this bicycle route:
Bike paths only circuit to Norwest via Crestwood and Bella Vista and back for traffic free cycling. Begin Bike Path at Old Settlement Reserve on Edison Pde. Follow winding path to Cnr Edison/Oaks Rd.
Oaks road. Can choose to stay on footpath (safest for kids) or use the cycleway painted onto the road.
Directly after round-a-bout, watch out for concrete traffic aid on the road right in the middle of the painted cycleway (sheesh!)
Cross at lights and head over to the Bus only transit way ... the transit way is very tempting, however you will find a less desirable (though perfectly servicable) cycleway running along side it.
Cross under Old Windsor Road - watch out for broken bottles and debris if its been raining.
Cross Caroline Chisholm - watch traffic trying to beat the lights. Once crossed, head back onto cycleway.
Cross M2 - Abbot Rd at worlds slowest traffic lights. You need to wait for both sets so you can get over to the entrance of the Bus-Only transit-way that is above you - buses can skip lights on elevated roadway ... we'll come back to this tempting sight later ...
Fairly steep climb up to elevated bus-transit way.
Bus-way tunnels under seven hills road ... nice!
After running down-hill and under the M7, ignore the turn into the M7 cycleway (we'll come back this way) and head on up hill to steel bridge over old Windsor road - have a drink and watch the rat-race drive their steel cans under the brige.
Drop down off bridge and do a u-turn (path heads on up the hill towards Norwest - we're not going that way today.
If you look on google earth this looks like a patch of dirt. Its now (july 2007) a couple of football fields with a kids play area and a nice little cycleway running around it. Follow the path through the car-park - riding around the gates that always seem to be locked!
Cycleway follows a stream. Head upsteam.
Cycleway can be found on footpath. Its wide and nicely cobble-stoned - very pretty. However, the road is pretty quiet and shouldnt be a problem if prefered. Head up slow incline towards Bella-Vista.
Entrance to park here. There are shops here also - a coffee can be found here if required ... kids can play on the swings.
Cycle through park to top end. There are a couple of exits here ... make sure you get the right one ... if the oval was a clock the correct exit is at 12 o'clock ... ignore the exit at 2 o'clock ... it heads up towards Saxonvale road which is a HUGE climb (which is kinda fun if you are into that kind of thing).
Back to road. Again, the cycleway is a lovely wide cobble stone pathway. However road is very quiet and likely to be quicker if you dont have kids with you.
Crazy Norwest Blvd. This place is death on a stick ... avoid the road as the drivers are crazy here and there's plenty of round-a-bouts to distract them. You have achoice at this point. The best option would be to stay on this side of the road and follow the cobble stone foot-path on this side ... however closer to Old Windsor Road the footpath has been torn up for some reason and as of July 2007 hasnt been fixed yet ... so we have a rutted stoney few hundred meters to get through. Alternatively, you could cross over at this point and use the footpath on the other side which os fine ... or you could just ride up the road and hope that some stupid person in a car doesn't run into you while they are negotiating the round -a-bouts.
If you are on the left side of the road you will find (as of July 2007) the footpath has been torn up and not fixed for months ... watch out for ruts and rocks .... not great on a road bike.
Cross at lights (which always seem to be green for me) and head towards M7. Alternatively, you could head directly down Old Windsor Road following cycleway beside the bus-only transitway. However, as of July 2007, they havent completed the path yet and there is about 50 meters of rutted dirt and rocks to get through ... I prefer the run along the M7 which is fast and mostly down hill.
Cross road and head towards cycleway along the M7
Path winds around here.
Finally on M7 cycleway ... watch the speed humps!!
Cross under M7 for some reason
Cross back under
Back to cycleway along the bus only transitway. Behind you you should see the bridge we crossed earlier. Follow the cycleway up hill towards Seven Hills road
Top of the hill. Now, at this point you have achoice. You can stay on the cycleway and then go through all of that mucking around with lights at M2-Abbot Road. Or you can drop off the gutter, hop onto the transitway and have a quick ride downhill to Gibbon road. During the week the road is patrolled regularly ... however, on a Sunday afternoon there's never a bus in sight ... mmm tempting ...
Gibbon Road ... if you came down the Transit-way you likely hit 60km/h without too much trouble ... take care crossing as none of the traffic light's cycles are meant for you .... handy traffic island in center of Old Windsor Rd.
Back along cycleway we followed earlier ... no further hints from here ... you are about 10 minutes from finish now.
End of Bike paths only circuit to Norwest via Crestwood - Bella Vista and back for traffic free cycling.
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Tagged with: Recreational, Basic, Low traffic, Safe
