While this ride is not for everyone, if you love riding on bush trails with great views AND  have full suspension plus wide nobbly tyres, the Glenrock State Conservation Area might be for you. I drove to Belmont North (about an hour and 45 minutes) to join the famous Fernleigh Rail Trail. It is sealed the whole way as rises gently to Adamstown, only a short distance from Newcastle. The path goes through lovely forests made sweeter by the constant music of chiming bellbirds.

About 12 kms along, and the Fernleigh Trail crosses Burwood Road where you turn a hundred metres or so east to find the Yuelarbah Management Trail in the Glenrock forests. If you like skinny tracks, there is much to enjoy in this area but I prefer the wider fire trails and management trails. Its hilly and rugged, so this ride is for experienced ebikers.

A feature spot is the Leichhardt Lookout with expansive views over the valley. This is a beautiful place.

Two other feature spots are the Glenrock Lagoon (1^stimage) and the charmingly named area they call Murdering Gulley (2^ndimage).

My exit route was not as easy as the entry: to call the trails steep is an understatement.

After I exited the Conservation Area, I re-joined the Fernleigh Trail not far from the historic Rail Tunnel.

Instead of following the Fernleigh Trail back south to Belmont, I diverted to explore the Redhead Beach area. I then followed the Kallaroo Fire Trail that runs behind the beachline all the way to Lake Macquarie in Swansea (not far from my starting point).

This 50km ride was varied and interesting, but tough going in the Glenrock area. It’s not one that I would hurry to do again.