New Zealand
- The Queen Charlotte TrackMountain biking the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds
- History on the Heaphy
- Suppressing the Competitive UrgeMountain biking in Malborough
- Northern ExposureMountian biking the Coromandel
- Hurunui Hot SpringsWinter mountain biking to Hurunui Hut in the Lake Sumner Forest Park.
- Craigieburn Conservation ParkMountain Biking Craigieburn
- The Brevet ClubGuy and Laurence recount the suffering and intrigue of the inaugural Kiwi Brevet... a 1100km mountain bike race around the top half of the South Island over six days. Informal with self-enforced rules, no entry fee, unsupported, and... well, hard.
- Wharfedale TrackThis is arguably the best and longest stretch of single track in Canterbury
- Double FencelineThis classic trip snakes along the summit ridge of Banks Peninsula.
- One Night StandsOvernight mountain biking trips in the South Island
- Fool's GoldMountain biking in Central Otago
- All that Glistens... the Croesus and Moonlight Gold TrailsMountain biking on the South Island's West Coast
- Otago GoldMountain biking - Bannockburn, Central Otago
- Loop de LoopGreat mountain biking can be found in most corners of this flat earth and New Zealand boasts its fair share of classics.
- Magnetic WestMulti-day mountain biking, Kaikoura to the Tasman sea
- Romping Round the Marlborough SoundsMountain biking Marlborough
- Rambling Around the Marlborough SoundsMountain biking Marlborough, Arapawa and D'Urville Islands
- Off the Beaten Track An off road traverse of the South Island on mountain bikes
- At Peace with PureoraMountain biking around the Pureora Forest in the Central North Island
- Taranaki for NeophytesMountain biking in Taranaki
Australia
- Wine, Kangaroos and PlaygroundsCycle Touring around South Australia with kids in tow
- Beached AsThe inaugural BMC Mountains To Beach race on the NSW south coast.
- A Dusty Trail Through the KimberleyA tour of the Kimberley
- Meet Bronwyn'sA downhill track at Gap Creek in Brisbane.
South Pacific
- Circling Viti LevuA two week-long cycle touring holiday around Viti Levu - Fiji's main island
- Touring FijiCycle touring in Fiji
Asia
- West meets EastAfter riding all morning through the tail of a typhoon, we didn't want to slosh into a Japanese restaurant in that state. I tried drying out by standing under the vent outside the kitchen. I got no drier, but now I smelled of noodles...
- Tien Shan TraverseWhat do you do in the middle of the mountains when two large, thuggish Chinese men get out of a car and stride purposefully towards you? You smile and say thank you for the stale bread and peaches they are offering you!
- One Gear, One Continent, One Hero.Hero Cycles is the world's largest manufacturer of bikes, spitting out a whopping six million a year. You're unlikely to find one at your local bike shop but as any seasoned traveller can attest, they are the 'people's car' of India.
- Laid-back LaosMountain bike touring in Laos
- The Road to MandalayCycle touring in Myanmar
- Vietnam on Thirty Dollars a DayCycle touring in Vietnam
- A Short Ride in the Hindu Kush Cycle touring in Pakistan
- On a Wheel and a Prayer FlagCycle touring in Tibet
- Shanti Shanti - Across the Himalaya by BikeCycling across the Himalayas
- Biking the Hidden HimalayaCycle touring in North West India
Americas
- Pedalling Patagonia"Wow! Amazing! You're cycling to the bottom of South America. Is it all downhill?" Alan and I looked at each other in amusement and suggested that we expected a few uphill sections.
- Cycling Cuba with Fidel and Ché
- Dirt Roading in Colombia'The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay', promises Colombia's latest tourist advertising slogan, printed over glossy photos of idyllic Caribbean coastlines, perfectly preserved colonial towns, rolling, lush coffee plantations and a Latin couple dancing hot cumbia.
- Famous Potato Recipes from Idaho
- My Private Idaho
- Donde Estan Los Pollos
- Alaska - the Last Frontier The Alaskan Iditasport Human Powered Ultramarathon
- In Search of Maple Syrup and a Decent National Anthem Mountain biking in Canada
- All You Can EatMountain Biking in Northern California
- Caffeine and Singletrack in the USA Mountain biking in South West Colorado
Europe
- Bici Dolomiti Cycle touring around Italy and the Dolomites
- A Slice of Swiss CheeseMountain biking in Switzerland
- London Calling The London Cycle Show
- Stairway to Heaven - biking Spain's Camino de SantiagoCycle touring in Spain
- Albania for BeginnersIn the summer of 2009, our route from Greece to Germany crossed the small country of Albania...
- Fat Tyre Touring in ItalyCycle touring through Italy.
- Corsica- touring the scented isleCycling in the Mediterranean
- A Scottish Coast to CoastCycle touring in Scotland
- Crouching Tiger - Cycling Ireland's South West Coast Cycling Ireland's South West Coast
- The Italian Job Mountain biking around Lake Garda
- Double DutchA cycle tour of the Netherlands.
- A Rather Big Swedish RaceMountain bike racing in Sweden
- French ConnectionCircumnavigating Mont Blanc on the "Sentier Pedestre" hiking trail.
- A Month in Provence Cycle touring in the South of France
- A French PilgrimageTouring with the Tour de France
- End to End, the Long WayCycle touring in Great Britain
- Steve's SabbaticalCycle touring in France
Africa
- Unlikely UgandaA cycle tour that kicked off with a ride on the back of a scooter-taxi to catch a leaky fishing boat across Africa's largest lake promised to be an unlikely adventure.
- African QueenAn Escape Adventure trip through East Africa
- Out of Africa Cycle touring in Madagascar

Wharfedale Track

Mountain Biking Beyond the Plains Canterbury Trail Guide

Updated 29 June 2011

This is arguably the best and longest stretch of single track in Canterbury - curving through the beech forests around Mount Oxford. Beware of wasps in the summer.

Getting there

Get yourself to Oxford (30 minutes north from Christchurch). Go west through the town, past the pub, cross a bridge on the main road and after 10km turn right into Woodstock Road. Continue until you hit Perhams Road where an AA sign indicates the start of the Wharfedale Track.

Getting dirty

There are a couple of fords to negotiate en route to the car park. They can be deceptively deep - often the good decision is to park-up at the lime works and not risk drowning your car (you also score a bonus downhill on a smooth road at the end of the day). Spin up the road, opening and closing about 100 gates (always leave them as you find them). You'll eventually reach a car park at the road end. Leap over the stile and enter single track heaven. After 5-10 minutes you'll reach a gate with an intersection on the other side. Climb over the stile and take the track which veers left and heads downhill. Stay on this trail and continue past the Rydes Waterfall and Mt Oxford trail junctions on your right, as you wind your way up to the saddle. The track is littered with tree roots and brutal water bars - good fun in the dry but knarly slippery after rain or winter snow. Assess your sense of humour at the saddle. Either return the same way or continue down to the Wharfedale Shelter (basic but okay for the night with bunks and fires. Note: The Townshend Huts have been burnt-out/removed). Return for a double dose of single track or do the round trip by taking the hilly gravel road back to Oxford via the Lees Valley and Ashley Gorge.

The Nitty Gritty

> Saddle Return - 3 hours
> Huts Return - 5 hours
> Loop - 7 hours
> Puff factor: Medium
> Technical Difficulty: Challenging
> Follow the Mountain Bikers' Code. Respect Others; Respect the Track; and Respect the Rules.

Share