Cook Street Track   (1.37km)

Notes:

The Cook Street track runs from Cook Street, Forestville (adjacent to the Tredinnick Village), down to Bantry Bay.  However the fire trail doesn't make it all the way down to the water in fact it ends a fair way short of the bottom and about 15m above sea level.  While there is a single track leading off from the end it is illegal to ride it on your mountain bike - and we certainly don't need any issues riding illegal tracks while the NPWS is trying to create new legal single track for us.

From Cook Street the trail descends steeply down a badly eroded tar section.  Be warned there is a gate halfway down and no room to ride around it.  The rough descent continues on the other side of the gate for a few metres before turning to the left and becoming a typical dirt fire trail.

There are a number of steep and loose sections on the way down to the intersection of the Currie Rd Track.  Most of the pedestrian traffic is likely to take the walking track to the right that runs down to the Ammo Dump, however the lower half of the Cook Street Track does attract walkers (as I found out - see the video).

The trail rolls its way down to Bantry Bay with a mix of flat sections and short steep descents that tend to be quite loose with some pretty big rockmellon sized rocks.  The trail narrows in some parts and there are also stretches of sand that inconveniently appear on the exits of corners.  Throw in the ever present possibility of walkers on the trail and it's probably not the best place to let loose despite being a really fun track to do it on.

Toward the bottom of the trail there is a loop off to the left that doesn't really have any great redeeming features but is an alternate option on the return leg.

The final section of the Cook Street Track has an EXTREMELY steep descent.  It drops very suddenly, there are waterbars, lots of leaf and tree litter and plenty of loose rocks to keep things very interesting.  Approach this final descent with a great deal of care (note: My bike has downhill tyres so I was able to pull up quickly, you wouldn't want to ride as fast as I did on XC tyres!)

The climb back up has it's moments.  I've tried to get up the bottom section but I don't have the legs to haul my mass to the top.  There are a number of other climbs that are challenging but certainly doable with the right line.

Parking on Cook Street however there are sections of No Stopping and No Parking so check carefully.

Blog articles that mention this trail

• 28/5/2013 - Bantry Bay and Forest Pipeline trails now up

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