Narrow Neck: Ride the Escarpment

Narrow Neck is the ride to do near Sydney when you want maximum scenery for minimum faff. Roll off the train at Katoomba Station, coast downhill through town for a few unremarkable kilometres, then turn onto the dirt curves of Glenraphael Drive and watch the whole plateau sweep off into the distance high above the valley. This is a there-and-back along a narrow tongue of high country in the Blue Mountains, and it serves up more drama per kilometre than almost anything else within easy reach of the city.

The riding is roughly 77 percent unpaved, on a well-maintained firetrail that begins past a locked gate and a stile you will need to lift your bike over. Do not let the word maintained fool you. The track pitches up at silly grades that leave you hanging off the back of the saddle on the descents and pushing on the climbs, so easy gearing and a patient attitude both pay off. In return the view never sits still: high orange escarpment cliffs on one side, the rolling green of the Megalong Valley on the other, and the rocky fin of Mount Solitary rising out of the gum forest to the south.

The standout moment is the Narrow Neck itself, the pinch where the plateau tapers to just a few hundred metres wide. Sheer cliffs fall away on both sides and the blue shape of Lake Burragorang hangs far below. Push on to where the trail dead-ends at the plateau's edge near the halfway mark, lock your bike, and consider scrambling down Taros Ladder on foot, an adventurous chain-and-ladder route into the Kanangra Wilderness, before turning back the way you came. This route is one of Matthew Crompton's picks from his Sydney gravel guide.

Come prepared for genuine remoteness once you are past the gate. There is no water and no services out on the plateau, so carry everything you need plus a well-stocked repair kit, since a mechanical this far out can mean a long walk back to town. Tyres of 38c or wider are the sensible minimum, and something cushier makes the loose, rocky pinches far more enjoyable. Phone service is patchy but present across big sections of the ridge.

Katoomba is the place to sort food and supplies at either end, with cafes and shops a short pedal from the station, and the train from Sydney Central reaches it in around two hours with no need to book or box a bike. The track rides well year-round, but autumn through spring brings the cooler, clearer days that make the climbing bearable and the long views their sharpest. The start and finish are the same downhill roll through town, so save a little in the legs for the climb back up to the station at the end.