McLaren Vale absolutely deserves all the love it gets, and it has become even more popular in recent years. In fact, while we have a range of bike tours in and around Adelaide, it’s our wine tour of McLaren Vale that has made it to the lofty heights of being the number-one rated cycling tour in Adelaide. Whether you decide to explore McLaren Vale on your own or with us, we hope this short guide is the nudge you need to start organising your trip.
Should you Walk, Drive, or Cycle McLaren Vale?
Put simply, cycling is the perfect way to explore this stunning wine region in South Australia. In our humble opinion, cycling is superior to driving because you get to be out in the open air seeing and smelling the environment around you, without any barriers between you and the landscape. Cycling McLaren Vale is also superior to walking it as you can cover far more ground this way, getting a better feel for how the landscape stretches out with lush, rolling vineyards as they lead down to the tranquil beaches of the Southern Ocean. Sure, you could walk or drive McLaren Vale, but you’d be missing out on so much.
Tips for People Cycling McLaren Vale by Themselves
If you don’t intend on joining a tour group, the best advice we can give you is to spend a little more time planning than you might usually like to. While you’ll be able to get a bite to eat and something to drink at every winery along the way, pack some additional water just in case. Remember that there are lots of hills throughout McLaren Vale, so you will probably work up a bit of sweat — especially if you’re out in summer. With hydration covered, make sure you also pack a basic first aid kit (just in case) and that you bring a paper map as well as your phone. Paper maps never run out of batteries!
In terms of bikes, we only recommend doing this on a decent mountain bike. The terrain in general is better suited to an MTB and there are appealing paths along the way that are more than a little rough. This isn’t hardcore cycling by any means, but it isn’t suitable for road bikes. If you’re travelling to McLaren Vale and need access to a high-quality MTB, we offer a great mountain bike hire service in Adelaide.
Why Opt for our McLaren Vale Bike Tour?
Of course, we’re biased about our own McLaren Vale bike and wine tour, but we have the reviews to back it up. We also genuinely believe it’s the best way to explore the area in a day. We know McLaren Vale like the back of our hand and this means we can offer the best possible experience to our guests.
There are great wine-tasting tours in many parts of Australia, but this experience places more emphasis on exploring nature, about getting out on the trails and appreciating the stunning views. Then, every now and then, we will stop at a vineyard to try their wine and even get a bite to eat.
Perhaps the greatest selling point of our tour is that it is relatively gentle and undemanding, and we achieve this by driving the group (and their bikes) to the highest part in McLaren Vale; this means that the majority of the tour is either flat or down hill. There is the odd rolling hill that requires our group to cycle on an incline, but this is very rare. This all means that no one on our tour needs to be exceptionally fit or skilled on an MTB, and you will have a trained guide with you at all points, in case you have any issues.
Outside of knowing the terrain, your guide will know all the best wineries and where to get the tastiest local food. So, while you can absolutely cycle McLaren Vale on your own, if you’d rather not have to research all the best spots, then just leave it up to us! This tour is also a little flexible as the final leg of it is up to the group to decide. We can visit micro-breweries, cafes, chocolate shops, and more. It’s completely up to you!
However you choose to explore McLaren Vale, we sincerely hope this guide helped you in some way. This is one of our favourite spots near Adelaide and we’re so happy it’s getting the love and attention it deserves! If you have any questions for the folks at Escapegoat Adventures, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Otherwise, we wish you all the best on your adventures!