Day 14 of Munda Biddi - Shortcut on the tarmac
Distance: 52 km
Elevation gain: 418 metres
From the Yirra Kartta hut to the town of Walpole and Coalmine Beach.
About 3hrs travel time, from 8am to 11am
At Walpole, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 772 km
It was a very cold night in the hut by myself. I again had to wear all my clothes to keep warm and the track pants from Northcliffe were very useful. Only my feet were left to freeze. A local in Walpole today said it got down to 6 degrees this morning, say 5 degrees up in the hills where I was camping. No sign of rain or clouds today. A lovely clear blue sky.
I dragged myself out of bed, full of dread for what the day ahead may bring. Earlier in my Munda Biddi journey I specifically wanted to stick to the trail but today my hand was forced. I had to leave the trail and make a bee-line to Walpole on the road to save my bike from any more breakages.
It was a gentle start from the hut as I cycled along gravel roads (with more pea gravel 😣) for 5 kms until I reached the smooth tarmac. From there it was 44 km to the town of Walpole. The road had a good shoulder for most of the ride so I felt safe. It was cold and exposed with occasional headwinds. There was one killer hill that went on and on just before Walpole. I'm not too proud to say that I walked the last bit.
Finally in Walpole I grabbed lunch and then rode another 3 km out to my rest stop for tonight, at Coalmine Beach Holiday Park. Finally I can see the ocean!!!
The bike held together for the most part but the derailleur needs attention as gear selection is not quite right.
I rode past the Walpole bike service shop but it didn't fill me with confidence. It was a hardware shop. Walpole is a small town, just one pub and half a dozen other shops. In desperation I rang a bike transfer company and am in the process of organising a transfer to Denmark for tomorrow morning. Denmark is the next town, 60km along the highway where there is a dedicated bike shop that does complete servicing.
Fingers crossed that (1) the company running the bike transfers can take me, and (2) the Denmark bike shop can repair my bike.
Goodbye to the Munda Biddi trail, for now.
Elevation gain: 418 metres
From the Yirra Kartta hut to the town of Walpole and Coalmine Beach.
About 3hrs travel time, from 8am to 11am
At Walpole, my distance from Mundaring on the bike is 772 km
It was a very cold night in the hut by myself. I again had to wear all my clothes to keep warm and the track pants from Northcliffe were very useful. Only my feet were left to freeze. A local in Walpole today said it got down to 6 degrees this morning, say 5 degrees up in the hills where I was camping. No sign of rain or clouds today. A lovely clear blue sky.
I dragged myself out of bed, full of dread for what the day ahead may bring. Earlier in my Munda Biddi journey I specifically wanted to stick to the trail but today my hand was forced. I had to leave the trail and make a bee-line to Walpole on the road to save my bike from any more breakages.
It was a gentle start from the hut as I cycled along gravel roads (with more pea gravel 😣) for 5 kms until I reached the smooth tarmac. From there it was 44 km to the town of Walpole. The road had a good shoulder for most of the ride so I felt safe. It was cold and exposed with occasional headwinds. There was one killer hill that went on and on just before Walpole. I'm not too proud to say that I walked the last bit.
Finally in Walpole I grabbed lunch and then rode another 3 km out to my rest stop for tonight, at Coalmine Beach Holiday Park. Finally I can see the ocean!!!
The bike held together for the most part but the derailleur needs attention as gear selection is not quite right.
I rode past the Walpole bike service shop but it didn't fill me with confidence. It was a hardware shop. Walpole is a small town, just one pub and half a dozen other shops. In desperation I rang a bike transfer company and am in the process of organising a transfer to Denmark for tomorrow morning. Denmark is the next town, 60km along the highway where there is a dedicated bike shop that does complete servicing.
Fingers crossed that (1) the company running the bike transfers can take me, and (2) the Denmark bike shop can repair my bike.
Goodbye to the Munda Biddi trail, for now.
The last big hill into Walpole provided a lookout with my first glimpse of the ocean since arriving in WA.
Made it to Coalmine Beach. The water was very cold.
You would have felt you earned that sea view!
ReplyDeletePlease tell us you didn’t swim naked! ;-)
I continue to be surprised how cold it gets!
ReplyDeleteYou made the right call, get your bike back ton100%, then make a call on the logistics.
Enjoying travelling vicariously through your blog!