5th Linger & Die to the Upper Hunter -  Sat 6 Oct '12  to Tues 9 Oct '12 - limited to 9 cyclists based on Scott aka PatternMaker again providing the only Support Vehicle/Sag Wagon to carry o'nite stuff.   John aka Auckland has offered his SUV as a 2nd Support Vehicle/Sag Wagon, if req'd
Three options:

(i)      four days cycling as listed in below table; or

(ii)     if you can't jag Tues off work - on Monday, cycle from Paterson 68km to Morisset (or 87km to Wyong) to catch train to Hornsby on the hourly service 7 mins after the hour; or

(iii)    if you can't jag Monday off work - on Sunday, cycle from Wollombi to Cessnock, then -

         *   directly to Maitland to catch 11:49am train (after 55km) arriving Hornsby at 2:34pm; or

         *   via Paterson to Maitland to catch 2:50pm train (after 96km) arriving Hornsby at 5:54pm.

Our inaugural Linger and Die ride to the Upper Hunter in March '01 attracted 9 cyclists. 

Muggs' 2nd L&D in 2003 attracted 11 cyclists. 17 signed-on for # 3 in 2003.  Other cycle w'ends forced this delightful ride to the Upper Hunter onto the back-burner.  However, in early 2010 Scott aka PatternMaker, who is again providing his Ute as the Support Vehicle/Sag Wagon, asked for L&D to be de-mothballed.  Whereupon 8 cyclists rode Muggs' 4th L&D in Sept. 2010 enjoying brill real early Spring weather.  

Click on: Route Spreadsheet and read additional route info in yellow below.

Our Sag Wagon will hold up to 10 o'nite bags.  Each of the current 6 cyclists, less Scott, contributes $10 to aggregate up to $50 min to cover gas and wear 'n tear - payable before you load your stuff in the trunk. Cyclists will again share the driving with each cyclist driving approx. 30km legs.  Our support vehicle should remain behind the last cyclist throughout the four days, so we always provide a Sag Wagon.

Below are details of accommodation at our 2 o'nite stops of Wollombi and Dungog.

Day 1 - Saturday 6th
Depart Berowra station from 8:45am (8:20am train from Hornsby arrives Berowra at 8:37am) after you load your o'night bag into our Sag Wagon, riding 100km, via Mt White, Peats Ridge, Kulnura to Wollombi.
We have booked Bob's Lodge which is a large house in Wollombi costing each of our present 6 crew $41.33.   The house holds 9 single people.  We are having din dins at the Wollombi Tavern.

Day 2 - Sunday 7th
Depart Wollombi 8:10am cycling to Cessnock for b'fast after 29km, but most crew plan to bring something to eat before leaving Wollombi.  Then cycle via Maitland, Morpeth, Paterson to Dungog 114km, with option to reduce to 81km by catching 6:47pm train from Paterson to Dungog staying at either of the super cheap Bank Hotel or the Royal Hotel Dungog.
 

Day 3 - Monday 8th
Cycle Western anti-clockwise loop to Salisbury, East Gresford, Vacy, Martins Creek, Wallarobba, Wirragulla back to Dungog.

Day 4 - Tues 9th
6:36am train from Dungog to Paterson arrive 7:04am for b'fast. 8:15am cycle Paterson to Morisset (71km) to catch 1:07pm train which arrives at Hornsby at 2:28pm. Or cycle an extra 26km along Hue Hue Rd to Wyong (96km). The 2:32 Wyong train stops at Hornsby at 3:39pm.

Below is Column 8 in the SMH on 29 June 2000

"ON Monkerai Road, the old coaching way between Dungog and Gloucester, is the wonderfully named Linger And Die Hill, a name also often attached to a nearby three-span timber bridge over the Karuah River.  An NRMA plaque proclaims the bridge, built in 1877, to be the oldest truss bridge in NSW.  On Tuesday night one of the spans broke, having faithfully supported traffic from horse-drawn coaches to big trucks for 123 years. It's a bit of history that may now be lost. Linger And Die Hill?  Peter Olsen, whose family has been in the district since 1827, says it was so steep that if bullock wagons stopped during the climb, they couldn't get under way again.