I test drove this West Barossa bike ride in the car the week before, so I was confident that there was a good dirt track through to Greenock from Freeling.
Freeling
Even though it was early November, the weather forecast was for a hot day. To beat the heat, we met earlier than originally planned at 8:30 am. ANZAC Park in Freeling opposite the Freeling Hotel is a convenient start point, with public toilets available.
We set off on our West Barossa bike ride by heading down Hanson Road towards the Thiele Highway and crossing over to Daveyston Road. After about three kilometres, we turned onto the dirt at Heinrich Road. I love dirt roads, so from my point of view, the fun part of the ride was beginning.
There was a gradual incline on Heinrich Road and then Old Kapunda Road. The climb continued as we turned onto the “Dry Weather Only” section of Nain Road. The surface got rougher.
Nain Road
At this point I was in front (unusual for me, as I usually lead from behind). I called out to everybody to stop as a thin brown snake slithered away from his sunning spot in the middle of the track.
The roughest part of Nain Road continued only for a couple of kilometres before Schwarz Road came in from the left and the road surface improved.
Our West Barossa bike ride continued to climb. We reached a crest at historic Nain Lutheran Church, originally built in 1856.
Some of us struggled with the steeper gradient on the next hill and had to stop and walk. There was an attractive former church towards the top of this crest. It had been converted to a private residence.
Greenock
Now came the reward for all our climbing with a lovely roll down into Greenock and refreshments at the El Estanco coffee shop.
We appreciated the good coffee and the cool of the verandah.
The Return Trip
Recharged from our break, it was time to head back to Freeling before the day got too much hotter.
There was a moderate climb for the first few kilometres out of Greenock and then it was mostly downhill.
We had time to admire the haystacks in the fields.
Kerri took this photo of me enjoying the scenery towards the south.
We stopped to rest in the shade a few times.
As we came to the end of Heinrich Road, we noticed another dirt road stretching in front of us. It seemed to lead towards Freeling. A quick check of Google Maps appeared to confirm that this could be a good alternative route.
No Through Road
Before proceeding, I warned everybody that what appears on Google Maps and what eventuates in real life are not necessarily the same. Everybody agreed that they were willing to give it a try, even if it meant we had to retrace our steps in the heat.
All went well on Walton Road, but after we turned on to Gramp Road, we encountered a No Through Road sign.
We stopped to consider our options.
Closer inspection revealed that the gate was not locked. A little further on, another gate provided a footpath around the side.
Before long we were back in Freeling.
We had cycled 25 kilometres and climbed 315 metres on our West Barossa bike ride.
Here is the elevation chart,
the map,
and a 60 second video of our ride:
Another excellent ride we have done in the Barossa is on the backroads between Bethany, Penrice and Krondorf. For a ride with a surprise ending, find out what happened when I tried to ride from Freeling to Kapunda after rain 🙂
The Uncool Cycling Club holds regular rides for intermediate riders. Join our Facebook Group to have a look at our upcoming events.
