As a trail trail runner having had the good fortune to live in a town surrounded by world-class mountain bike trails, I know that where there are MTB trails, there will be single-track heaven!
Having recently moved back to Australia, I have been itching for some technical, rolling, mind-engaging single-track trails close to Sydney. Of course many people already know the Blue Mountains as a haven for the trail-inclined runner, but I was searching for other pockets that would offer something new.
I discovered the Glenrock State Conservation Area by accident, but the trails that have been developed there by the Glenrock Trail Alliance (an awesome group creating a real community in the sport of MTBing) provide trail runners with a great area for running and training. The variety of trails vary from technical, muddy, rocky, graded, rolling, to steep, and interconnect to give runners the opportunity to create different runs that vary in time, distance and difficulty. This pocket of bushland sits right next to the coast, just south of Mereweather, Newcastle (about 1.5 hours from Sydney) and would be a fantastic weekend day trip for running and post-adventure swimming.
My friend Mick Donges helping to test run the trails:
Views from the Yuelarbah Trail (part of the GNW) that links up with the rest of the trails:
(Yes ladies, I am wearing a Lululemon Skort and damn proud of it! Thanks to the Bondi store I had a real mud-flap for my bum through some of those muddy sections).
Awesome thanks for sharing this - I am running through there regularly.
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