Cycling Walk the Yorke – Ardrossan area

Recently I had the opportunity to cycle a few of the Walk the Yorke sections around Ardrossan.

There has been a lot of interest in our group in cycling Walk the Yorke. In fact, three of our members have made recent trips to the southern part of the peninsula. They returned with reports of beautiful vistas, tracks being overrun by grass, bone shaking corrugations and some disappointment in the condition of the trail.

So far, it seems that the best section of Walk the Yorke for cycling is the stretch between Port Moorowie and Edithburgh.

Here are my recommendations about cycling Walk the Yorke near Ardrossan:

Tiddy Widdy Beach to Ardrossan (6 kilometres)

This six kilometre (each way) section is in good condition. Highlights are beautiful clifftop views towards Ardrossan

and Tiddy Widdy Beach.

Start on the foreshore at the southern end of Ardrossan near the Ardrossan boat ramp. Stay on the trail until the end of the CH Smith Trail at the southern end of Tiddy Widdy Beach.

After that it is preferable to use the Tiddy Widdy Beach bitumen road, which is quiet and much more cycle friendly than the soft gravel surface of the walking track. Finish at the end of the bitumen on the northern side of the township.

This is an easy ride suitable for all levels of ability, although there are a few areas where the gravel is a bit loose.

Port Clinton to Price (8 kilometres)

This section is an exciting and varied ride if you don’t mind contending with stairs (easy at the Port Clinton end)

and challenging at the midpoint (at least 30 stairs descending from the clifftop to the mangrove flats).

I loved the clifftop views across the mangrove flats.

The second half of the ride features saltmarsh on the landward side of the mangroves and wheatfields on the right.

Don’t forget your insect repellent though – absolutely necessary for keeping the flies at bay and prevention of midge bites.

Price to Tiddy Widdy Beach (14 kilometres)

I enjoyed seeing the huge mounds of white salt on the southern side of Price.

However, the trail surface for much of this section is trying, with lots of loose gravel. Later on in the ride, it is possible to use Black Swamp Road (which is in much better condition than the trail). Unfortunately, the downside is that it is extremely dusty when the occasional vehicle passes. I was cycling during the harvest season and the dust kicked up by B-Double grain trucks was incredible!

Rogues Point to Ardrossan (10 kilometres)

Unlike the three sections mentioned above, this section is on the southern side of Ardrossan. The four-kilometre section from Chapman Road at Rogues Point to James Well was extremely enjoyable, with beautiful vistas and easy surfaces of bitumen and good-condition dirt roads.

The historic well at James Well, completed in 1883, is a point of interest. Difficulties accessing fresh water feature prominently in the history of the Yorke Peninsula. These difficulties continue today with the water supply still being supplemented with a pipeline from the Murray River.

Unfortunately, where the Walk the Yorke trail breaks away from James Well Road, I was confronted by a huge drift of sand and sand dunes. Cycling solo, I did not feel ready to take on this challenge, especially as I was concerned that it could continue for the next seven kilometres. Feeling disappointed, I took an alternative route inland.

I rejoined the Walk the Yorke at Parara Beach. The Parara Beach Whale Memorial is a great stopping point, with a picnic table and a pleasant view. Informative signboards tell the story of how seven sperm whales beached themselves at Parara Beach in December 2014. Large brown dolomite boulders have been placed in the pattern of the stranded whales.

Summary

In conclusion, it depends on what you are looking for in a ride, but cycling Walk the Yorke between Tiddy Widdy Beach and Ardrossan is a great experience that is suitable for all the family. I also loved the section between Port Clinton and Price.

In May 2020, I had the opportunity to ride another section of the Walk the Yorke near Edithburgh.

For more information about cycling Walk the Yorke, see the Walk the Yorke website.

While you are on the Yorke Peninsula, be sure to visit Wallaroo and try the Rotary Copper Rail Trail. Further west in Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, the Cape Bauer Loop is an excellent country road cycling loop.