The longer we live in Nelson, the longer our to do list seems to get as we discover more and more awesome adventures on our doorstep. The Old Ghost Road bike trail was high on our list and we were lucky enough to convince our good mate Marcus Roy to join us in early February. It just so happens that Marcus and his wife Meghan have family living in Westport so the shuttling logistics were sorted.

Not a bad spot to camp, Giant Trance’s all set to go

Nelson Anniversary provided a great window of time off work and good weather so Ash and I headed down to Lyell to camp the night before. We timed our arrival with just enough daylight to pitch the tent but not enough for the sandflies to feast too much!

The day dawned with clear skies and a leisurely breaky ensued in the insect-proofed shelter. Marcus & Meghan arrived as I rubbed the remaining sleep from my eyes and a few minutes later we were off. We had heard good things about this new bike trail and were excited to discover the beauty of it ourselves.

It took a bit of time to settle into a rhythm and comfortable pace, my complaints of Ash going too fast resulted in me becoming the pace-setter at the front. We planned to ride right through to Seddonville on the West Coast and estimated an 8-10 hour trip for the 85km trail.

Riding with great mates beneath a canopy of native bush was bliss. The trail up to Lyell Saddle climbed steadily, but the smooth, well-built track made it a pleasant start to the day. We stopped to check out the hut and were impressed by what we found, in particular the fact it had plenty of character about it (unlike some of the new, rather sterile DOC huts!). Onward to Ghost Lake and we continued the steady climb with a bit of rough, rocky trail to keep us awake. Various machinery and trail-building tools along the way were evidence of the ongoing maintenance work and upgrading planned.

Views from Lyell Saddle Hut

Ghost Lake was a magical spot and would be the place I would recommend to stay if doing the trail in 2 days – not quite halfway distance-wise, but the majority of climbing is done by this point and a spacious hut with 360 degree views to boot await you. We stopped to enjoy the views and have a first lunch. We have found day trips such as this demand at least two lunches with plentiful snacks in between to ensure good energy levels and maximum enjoyment!

Above the bush-line heading up to Ghost Lake

From Ghost Lake we traversed some of the more technical trail and continued to be amazed by the spectacular scenery and ever-changing landscape. We soon came upon the aptly named Skyline Steps and hoisted our bikes on shoulders to negotiate the steep steps for the next 10-15 minutes. It was discussed whether the steps would be rideable but we all agreed even the best mountain biker would be struggling to ride the steep, narrow steps while trying to weave around the tightly spaced trees. We also agreed it was much better to be heading down the steps carrying our bikes than trying to lug them up in the opposite direction.

Between Ghost Lake and Stern Valley we enjoyed the descent down the Skyline Ridge, a narrow, flowy trail with more amazing scenery surrounding us. Ash declared that he thought this better than the Heaphy Track for mountain biking, due to its technical nature making it a true backcountry ride, not for the faint-hearted! Another hut at Stern Valley called for another stop to inspect the accommodation offered although this was very brief due to the swarms of sandflies! From there we climbed up through ‘The Boneyard’ a beaut spot aptly named with switchbacks heading up amongst the tombstone-like boulders.

Descending the ridgeline, perfect day for it

Shortly we were back into the bush which was a welcome relief from the hot sun and passed a couple biking the opposite direction. We stopped and chatted and I was stoked to discover it was none other than the legendary Kathy Lynch and her partner. Marcus and Kathy reminisced about their mountain bike racing days, while I stood there in awe of this inspirational Kiwi woman, what a treat to actually meet her! Once moving again Ash laughed away saying he knew it was Kathy as soon as she starting talking (with a bit of colourful language that she is well known for!).

Solemn Saddle marked the end of the climbing and we were treated to some more fun downhill. A couple of loose corners kept us on our toes and soon enough we were at Goat Creek a great spot for a second lunch and refreshing dip in the creek to cool off.

The last 30km was almost all downhill and we meandered above the beautiful Mokihinui River trying not to be too distracted by the spectacular surroundings while negotiating a few tight, steep sections of trail. A rafting trip down the Mokihinui has been talked about before and has now been added to our to do list. The water looked amazingly clear and cool with a few boulder garden rapids throughout. Unfortunately it was a bit far down for a swim, but a lovely side-stream proved perfect for another refreshing swim.

Some big country back there, looking towards West Coast

We managed to stop and check out all the huts along the way and made it to Seddonville around 9 hours after setting off. Meghan and baby Lucy were waiting nearby to pick up these 3 smelly bikers, and the potato chips and beers went down a treat to replenish our weary bodies. Reflecting on a good day out we all agreed The Old Ghost Road is a must do for Kiwi mountain bikers or trampers and the abundance of huts make it a very family-friendly trip.

A stop in Westport at Meghan’s sister’s place was perfect and we were entertained by 8 month old Lucy who decided using her spoon to catapult dinner at us all was way more fun than actually eating it! An hour drive back to Lyell (or 90 minutes from Seddonville), then on home to Nelson and we were sleeping peacefully while dreaming of the next weekend and the next adventure, the Dodzy Memorial Enduro Mountain Bike Event – another must-do for Kiwi trail riders!

A big thanks to Torpedo 7 and Giant Bicycles for supporting us to keep doing what we love while hopefully inspiring others to get out, get active and keep healthy!

Check out details of the Old Ghost Road here.