A common theme amongst Sydney cyclists is that the cycle paths are terrible or non-existent. Well that is certainly true in middle suburbs like Punchbowl and Greenacre and much of the North Shore but its not the case as you head into the newer suburbs in the far west. Great small examples out west are the Georges River and The Ponds and really big examples are Luddenham, the M7 Cycleway and around Narellan.
Narellan you say ! Luddenham, wheres that? These are new places where you can just cruise on shared paths for a long way. Lets review the options.
The Leppington Triangle
With the completion of a great cycle track on The Northern Rd from Oran Park to Bringelly, there is now a 35km triangle shared path loop near the southern end of the M7. Just head out on Camden Valley way from the end of the M7 and keep going till you reach the point where it intersects Cowpasture Rd . You then can keep following the road west and it becomes Bringelly Rd or head south west on Camden Valley way. Both have shared paths. Lets go with the Bringelly Rd option. Its 10km to The Northern rd. Many road cyclists go on the road, the shared path is brand new, that is my preference. At Northern Rd, you head south using the west side to begin with. It soon switches to the east side and stays that side all the way to Oran Park.
At Oran Park you have a dilemma because the cycleway doesn’t continue all the way into Narellan. If you are in a hurry, head up Peter Brock drive and then down Skaife St to Oran Park Rd. If you want some park, follow my path and if you want some lake, follow The Northern to Harrington Park Lake and then head north. Anyway make you way across to Oran Park rd and then down to Camden Valley Way. Follow that back to the intersection of Bringelly Rd. Camden Valley Rd Cycleway is not as good quality as the other two sides of the triangle. And its noisier. Probably avoid Cowpasture Rd unless you are in a hurry. It is a shared path but it is old and has a few crossings.
Here are the trails on the Sydney Map
Here are the pictures of Bringelly Rd and The Northern Road
Here are the pictures of Camden Valley Way from the start of the M7 Heading south.
I also show the Parklands Trail on the map at the top of the trail. It is for the adventurous.
All The Way to Macarthur or Campbelltown
Two years ago, I did this by started at the M7 Cycleway near Prestons and followed the shared path all the way to Narellan along the Camden Valley Way. At Narellan it took me a little while to realise I needed to be on the south side of Narellan Rd and then it was shared path except for 500m all the way to Macarthur Station where I boarded the train back to Glenfield. This was 30kms of riding and an easy trip on the train. At Glenfield I rode back to my car at Prestons.
(See photos of riding around the stations of Leppington, Edmondson Park and Glenfield)
This ride has some hills and a few well managed road crossings. 30km if you go to Glenfield. Not the most exciting path but the ability to constantly ride and see some new suburbs makes it worth a visit. There are a few service stations along the way and Mt Annan and some “new suburb pond rides” are worthwhile side trips. Check out the photos, the trail looks like the few I have posted all the way.
See Macarthur trail and the M7 Cycleway in purple on this map >>
The Northern Road
When you get to the Northern Road cycleway, rather than heading for Oran Park, you can head right and follow the shared path towards Glenmore Park. A good turning point would be Luddenham where there are some shops. It is 8km up the track. Its an easy track to describe, smooth concrete. Many riders take to the road, thats your decision. Near Bringelly heading north, you need to switch sides at Badgerys Creek Road and then switch back to the west side at Mersey Rd. You can see it on the map here. See more photos
Connecting to the Northern Rd
Read more on this ride on the Penrith area page…
Here is the video of the ride from Glenmore Park to Bringelly
Read More on other rides in the area …