Drive to Clyde and walk back to Alexandra

 This morning we are getting a lift into Clyde, a nearby town, calling in to see Peter's cousin, a local butcher and the walking back to Alexandra along the rail trail connecting the two towns. The plan was to buy some meat for a BBQ tomorrow night, have a walk around the very scenic old town and then Peter, Deirdre, Carole and I would walk the roughly 13 km back to Alexandra back along the rail trail.

All good plans need fine tuning, and our first need to review ours was when we entered the town of Clyde and noticed that the scenic main street was the subject of preparation for a major event. The banners said "Spirited Women Adventure Race", something we were totally unaware of. Anyway, quick research informed us that the event involved 408 teams of 4 women descending on this quiet little town for this event that occupies the whole weekend. It involves running, mountain biking and kayaking and no doubt a fair bit of chaos and partying. The transformation of the main street was enough for us to forget about our walking tour and come back another day.


Our visit to meet Tony the butcher still took place, we selected some suitable BBQ sausages and patties and moved on. Phil drove the car back to Alexandra whilst we set out on foot to get there along the rail trail.

Just on the outskirts of town, we came to the old railway station, which is now a base for renting out bikes for those who wish to ride the trail.



It was then off along the rail trail which goes a lot further than the 13 km we intend to walk, and was NZ's first Rail Trail.


Walking is easy going as the trails are well constructed having been the old railway lines and a relatively flat. the walk takes you through a bit of the town before entering rural areas with farms, a few vineyards and Wineries and great scenery. 

Of particular interest is the Orchard Gardens Cafe, which is about 150 m off the track which had already been selected as a place to stop for a coffee and brunch. The entrance from the rail trail is not that obvious but with Peter's keen eye and a sixth sense for detecting a good patisserie, we managed to find it and wandered in.


We had worked up a reasonable appetite and the food went down exceptionally well. The sausage rolls were excellent as was the coffee.


Orchard Gardens is a very large garden/function complex, well set up for weddings receptions etc with a nice cafe and outside dining area. It was pretty well supported when we arrived with most patrons arriving by road from the main entrance rather than the rail trail.



Once refreshed, we were back on the trail heading for Alexandra. Along the way we called into a small local winery that we plan to visit to organise a suitable time for a visit and have a tasting. We are hopeful that it will be on Sunday afternoon, subject to their confirmation tomorrow. Soon we are getting back into Alexandra, walking past the golf course (which looks very good for such a small town), and heading for home. The total walk was a bit over 13 km and very enjoyable.

After a bit of a rest we were headed out for dinner at a restaurant in Ophir, Macdonald country. For a place so small, the restaurant we went to, Pitches Home Store was outstanding.





There were a few suspicious looking possible Macdonald relatives pictures on the walls.



Before leaving the town we had to take the opportunity to have a photo under the street sign recognising the Macdonald's.







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