HOW TO GET THERE (50KM FROM CHRISTCHURCH)
Allow about 1 hour to travel from Christchurch to Oxford. Once in Oxford, carry on through for about 3kms before turning right onto Woodstock Road. A further 10kms, turn off at Ingrams Road where the Wharfdale Track is signposted. 1 km along there is a ford to cross, and if it has been wet you may have to park here. The main car park is a further 6kms up a steady climb.
CAR PARK TO WHARFDALE HUT (~4 HOURS ONE WAY)
From
the main car park, it is a mostly steady climb along a single track
through the beech forest. There are plenty of streams to cross, but in
dry weather it is mostly all ridable. There are some steep sections
where the streams cross over the track, and lots of tree roots to
negotiate. There is one downhill section before climbing back up to the
saddle, parts of which are rocky and steep.
Once you get up to the saddle, the last section is a quick downhill run to the hut.
WHARFDALE HUT TO LEES VALLEY ROAD (~1.5 HOURS)
The
single track carries on a further 20 minutes down to where the old
Townsend Hut used to be. This section of track turns off a few metres
before the Warfdale Hut, and is not clearly signposted. If you carry on
along the track past the Hut and find yourself down at the river, you
have gone to far.
From the Warfdale Hut to the old Townsend
Hut site is mostly downhill and some parts are quite steep and narrow,
with some of the track washed out.
From the old Townsend Hut
site, the track changes from a single track to 4WD track. There are a
couple of streams to cross, and a section of ruff river bed, otherwise
it is a gradual descent towards the Lees Valley Road.
Before you reach the Lees Valley Road, there is a folk in the track. Take the right hand track at this point.
LEES VALLEY ROAD (~3 HOURS)
Once on the Lees Valley Road, it's a short distance before you cross over the Ashley River and start the first of two climbs on the way back to Oxford. The gravel road climbs at a steady gradient for a couple of kilometres before descending back down to the river. The second climb starts at a slightly steeper gradient, but it's not long to the top of the hill and then it's several kilometres of downhill coasting until you reach the Ashley Gorge Road.
