I've spent the past 3 months working on the Sydney Night Rides group and organising rides which I'm already familiar with. So I haven't had much time to do discovery rides.
I've enjoyed sharing the discovery of new places with others but today I finally got a hit of discovery and adventure through the Ku rin gai Chase National Park. Who would have thought them hills would lead to such beauties?
​
This was supposed to be a training ride for the Newcastle Overnight trip (170km overnight from Sydney to Newcastle) so we mapped out a route with hills and thrills. 
To be honest I was determined not to do the extra bits to clock up more elevation. I didn't think I had it in me but after seeing the national park, the lakes, rivers, smelling the national forest I didn't want to leave the Park.

Amazing Views from:

• Bobbin Head - Tranquil Lake side
• Akuna Bay - The Marina
• West Head - Looking out to the east coast, Palm Beach
• Church point - All the yachts

Places to eat at:

• Hornsby - not much was open, coffee from petrol station
• Church Point - Huge Cafe/Restaurant
• Manly - Loads of shops, cafes, supermarkets

Strava route: link 
Distance: 100 km
Start: Hornsby Train Station
Finish: Manly Ferry
Road: On road, main roads with shoulder, roads inside the National Park were single lane and not busy.
Roads into Akuna bay and West Head were super quiet. Maybe the weather turned people off.
The area around Church point was a bit busy with traffic despite signs saying cyclists are to use full lane cars still tried to overtake. Riding on some busy roads with a shoulder leading into Manly. 

Distance: 54 kms
Time: We took about 3 hours to do this with several stops to take photos and get some snacks
Route: Manly, Freshwater, Dee Why, Collaroy Beach, Warriewood Beach, Mona Vale, Narrebeen, Church Point, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, Terry Hills, Allambie Heights 
Path: Road with bike friendly lanes/sections. In the suburbs along the beach it's quiet but some roads are busy. The busy roads have "bike shoulder lane"
Hills: YES Several hills. Be prepared
MapMyRide: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/761694601
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/385848745
Sights: 

• All the Northern Beaches
• Ku-Ring-Gai National Park
• Lake @ Church point, boats
  

Treats: 

• Coffee @ Cruise Espresso Freshwater
  
• Devine desserts at the Church Point Waterfront cafe
• All the down hills in Allambie Heights

Tips:

•  Carry plenty of water
  
• Follow the bike path signs
• Have spare food just in-case you run low on energy
• Take it easy on those hills, the climb in the National park is long but not steep