Hahndorf to McLaren Vale

The Shifty Lizard

It was a very cold morning, and breakfast was in the camp kitchen. Not sure how the other visitors felt about the campground being inundated with almost 200 cyclists. We warmed up quickly as we headed south through Echunga and Macclesfield where we stopped for a coffee at the general store.

We decided not to stop at the refreshment spot at Kuitpo Forest, though I headed straight past it in the wrong direction in an optimistic search for a toilet. The road continued on through Meadows and Kangarilla with a lot of climbing. Once at the top we cruised along a ridge with stunning views across McLaren Vale. It was a gorgeous route and a fantastic day for cycling.

Lunch was meat pies at the McLaren Vale Visitor Centre followed by a cup of tea to help wash down the very dry brownie. We lingered a while in the sunshine before cycling through town to the McLaren Vale Oval where there was plenty of space to pitch our tent, once we had spread everything out to dry.

As arranged, we met up with Andrew and cycled out along the Shiraz Trail to Willunga and the Shifty Lizard brewery for a couple of well-earned beers. There were not many other cyclists around as most were back at camp watching the AFL grand final.

We seemed to make super quick time on our return journey with time for a shower before our last dinner together, meeting up with Julie, Andrew, Brian and Alison to enjoy slow cooked lamb, salt and pepper squid, kipfler potatoes and greens.