Riding the Valley Train Again

Our cycling club had a memorable outing  last Friday travelling from Haifa to Beit Shean on the re-opened Valley Railway. This spur, last used in 1948,  was officially opened just before the Succot Holiday and we were possibly the first group of cyclists to utilise the service,  inspired by a historical photo from the archives.

The archival picture shows  a Haifa cycling group (Macaabi Club) taken at Afula Station (circa 1927), their front wheels lined up along the narrow gauge rail-line of the original Jezreel Valley Railway. We tried to emulate our predecessors  with a picture of our group taken on arrival at Beit Shean Station. We could not pose next to the rail track itself due to modern safety and security regulations!

The  point of origin of the service to Beit Shean is Atlit. Most of our riders alighted the train at  Hof HaCarmel,Haifa, but others joined  at Haifa Center- HaShemona, Yokneam-Kfar Yehoshua, and Migdal HaEmek-Kfar Baruch. The journey from from Hof HaCarmel to Beit Shean took an hour.

The bike group took an early morning train which  at this hour was running wagons of the oldest rolling stock, single- decker Alstom carriages.On these, no designated carriages for bicycles were available, consequently we had to cram the bikes in the isles and the doorway entrances. Luckily there weren't many other passengers travelling, so there was minimum disruption, Our return from Beit Shean was on Bombardier double-decker carriages, with the bike designated carriage. It was a pleasure to use this facility, although there were plenty of other cyclists too,  so it was quite crammed with up to 20 bikes. It will doubtless prove to be a popular service for cyclists.

The experience of riding  the re-born valley railway evoked the atmosphere of a previous era, with many of the vistas remaining much the same - the wide expanses of fields boarded by hills to the north and south - although there were very few sightings of the original structures connected with the Valley Railway. On arrival at the Beit Shean station entrance, we found a nice touch,  a poster with the historical overview and information on the original railway.

I am sure Beit Shean station, as well as the other stops on the Valley Railway, will prove to be excellent starting points for bike rides. We chose to do a route in the valley, through the Beit Shean Nature Reserve, following the Harod Stream with its 'green' waterfall, to Kibbutzim Ein Harod/Tel Yosef.  There is a convenient underpass at this point, under the railway line, for the use of pedestrians and cyclists. Then climbing into the hills we had a great view of the valley below and of course saw the impressive rail line dissecting the valley and the train plying its new journey.

Riding the Valley Train Again

Our cycling club had a memorable outing  last Friday travelling from Haifa to Beit Shean on the re-opened Valley Railway. This spur, last used in 1949,  was officially opened just before the Succot Holiday and we were possibly the first group of cyclists to utilise the service,  inspired by a historical photo from the archives.

The archival picture shows  a Haifa cycling group (Macaabi Club) taken at Afula Station (circa 1927), their front wheels lined up along the narrow gauge rail-line of the original Jezreel Valley Railway. We tried to emulate our predecessors  with a picture of our group taken on arrival at Beit Shean Station. We could not pose next to the rail track itself due to modern safety and security regulations!

The  point of origin of the service to Beit Shean is Atlit. Most of our riders alighted the train at  Hof HaCarmel,Haifa, but others joined  at Haifa Center- HaShemona, Yokneam-Kfar Yehoshua, and Migdal HaEmek-Kfar Baruch. The journey from from Hof HaCarmel to Beit Shean took an hour.

The bike group took an early morning train which  at this hour was running wagons of the oldest rolling stock, single- decker Alstom carriages.On these, no designated carriages for bicycles were available, consequently we had to  had to cram the bikes in the isles and the doorway entrances. Luckily there weren't many other passengers travelling, so there was minimum disruption, Our return from Beit Shean was on Bombardier double-decker carriages, with the bike designated carriage. It was a pleasure to use this facility, although there were plenty of other cyclists too,  so it was quite crammed with up to 20 bikes. It will doubtless prove to be a popular service for cyclists.

The experience of riding  the re-born valley railway evoked the atmosphere of a previous era, with many of the vistas remaining much the same - the wide expanses of fields boarded by hills to the north and south - although there were very few sightings of the original structures connected with the Valley Railway. On arrival at the Beit Shean station entrance, we found a nice touch,  a poster with the historical overview and information on the original railway.

I am sure Beit Shean station, as well as the other stops on the Valley Railway, will prove to be excellent starting points for bike rides. We chose to do a route in the valley, through the Beit Shean Nature Reserve, following the Harod Stream with its 'green' waterfall, to Kibbutzim Ein Harod/Tel Yosef.  There is a convenient underpass at this point, under the railway line, for the use of pedestrians and cyclists. Then climbing into the hills we had a great view of the valley below and of course saw the impressive rail line dissecting the valley and the train plying its new journey.

Israel Bike Trail Redux in the Golan

Nearly four years ago, on a chilly, rainy, morning, I pedalled off into the mist  from Neve Ativ, on the start of my ambition  to ride the length of Israel, end to end. Four years on, I decided   that it was high time to revisit the Israel Bike Trail, at its very start. Maybe now  there was some indication that the IBT was actually becoming a reality in the area.  If not, perhaps I could construct an improved  route across the Golan when compared with my 2009 version.

So last week, I took two days out, and   I found myself again on the bus to Kiryat Shemona. On arrival at the bus station I transferred to the local GolanBus (golanbus.co.il) service to Neve Ativ. This is a  welcome development since my last journey here, when I had to rely on a taxi to take me up the mountain with the bike stuffed dangerously into the trunk. The  GolanBus was comfortable, with plenty of room for bikes in the hold, and the ride up to Neve Ativ took around 30 minutes - all for 20sheks!. This will be a very useful service for anybody planning to ride the IBT in the future.

As I suspected, on arrival in Neve Ativ, there was no indication that this is the start of the IBT. No sign or map for the end to end cyclist to have a photo taken next to,  just the same sad fake  snowman with a map of the village. Surely  it would be a good idea, for the Israel Bike Trail Committee to at least  erect a sign indicating that this will be the planned start of the end to end in the future. It would show ambition, be encouraging for the cycle-tourist, and complement the sign already erected in Eilat, indicating the end of the trail.

So it was clear that the IBT still does not exist in this area (the only completed sections are in the Negev, from Mitspe Ramon southwards), however, I discovered  the next best thing - The Golan Trail ( http://www.golan.org.il/shvil/ ). This is a north south trail bisecting the Golan Heights designed for walkers and cyclists, which is well signposted, with regular information points. I am certain it can be the basis for the future end to end trail.

 I connected with the Trail at the settlement of Nimrod and rode it, more or less, with only a few detours, to Ein Zivan, where I left  to head in  a more westerly direction towards the Jordan Valley. It's a rewarding  experience, consisting of a variety of riding surfaces from asphalt to some rocky single-track, and everything in between. However, the real treat, is that you are unlikely to go hungry riding on this trail. On the narrow lanes above the  Birkat Ram lake are fruit orchards, and at this time of the year, lovely juicy apples were in season. I grabbed one and pedalled on.

Plenty of other surprises lie in store for end to end riders. There are a couple extinct volcanos to climb, one Har Odem, has a quarry of multicoloured rocks, and The Hermonit, has a very tricky descent to negotiate (there will have to be a warning sign here for cyclists  to dismount!).  Then I found myself almost on the Syrian border at the memorial for fallen soldiers. Here was a good place to take a reflective break and think what happened  40 years ago during the Yom Kippur War, and stare out over the border to Kuneitra, and look for  any signs of the the conflict there. All seemed quiet.  I was not alone, as quite a few tourist buses stop here, and a local Druze farmer sells fruit, pitta, and lebene - so I could reload with good natural energy supplies!

The ride continued between old minefields, where there were reassuring warning signs to stick to the marked paths, which of course, I did!  Amongst the natural beauty there are plenty other reminders of the military and conflict, which all adds to the 'excitement' of the experience, and further on near Ortal , there were tanks gathering for an exercise and helicopters hovering overhead.

 At sunset I descended to the Jordan Valley using the trails above Nahal Gilabon which twist and turn and drop down to the river at an alarming degree, but all very rideable, if care is taken. The view is stupendous! I finished at Kibbutz Gadot, where I had booked a room for the night.

I think, overall, I  had found  a viable routing for the IBT, and certainly better than my 2009 version, and I hope it's not too long before we see that  ride-start  sign at Neve Ativ.

Segmented Orange in Scotland

This is a very short Blog from Scotland for the reason it was very short tour.

The instant I heard the crack, then the tyre rubbing against the frame, I instinctively knew my tour was over, on the very first day. The sinking response of the bike was soon duplicated in the pit of my stomach and as I got off to inspect the cause, it was apparent I had suffered a major structural failure. The lower stay of the rear suspension triangle was split as if some malevelent creature had sawn right through it.

As I don't usually carry a blow-torch for welding as part of my repair kit, nor do I have spare frame in my backpack, there was no choice but to abandon my trip, and get the bike back to the manufacturer, Orange, in Halifax, England.

It has since been repaired , with a new improved rear end, but too late for me to resume my coast to coast route in Scotland. The company gave me excellent service, as might be expected, when such a design fault has the potential to cause serious injury or worse. If Orange were Toyota, the bike would have been called back long ago !


As regards riding the Scottish Borders , what I saw for the few hours I was there, will ensure I get back in the near future, this time, with an unsegmented Orange !

Haifa to Tel Aviv

What could be more appropriate than writing this while listening to a Bob Dylan tribute on the BBC? The man is reaching his 70th year, and I've been listening to him since since my 16th, and Freewheelin, the title of his second album, is my adopted Blog Name - combining two of my passions - and perhaps something of an outlook to life too.

So maybe it was in that spirit one evening last week on the spur of the moment, I decided that the next day, I would get up early, pack a few sandwiches, fill up the water bottles, and ride my bike to Tel Aviv.

I concluded that my route would have to be as off-road as possible, and definitely avoiding any major highways. That was the challenge, I always need a challenge ! My revolutions would not be motorized, only I would allow myself the indulgence of getting down to the starting point by car, and after coming back by bus from TA, using the car again to climb Mount Carmel to my home. I calculated that after pedaling for around 100k, I wouldn't feel guilty about doing that familiar ascent home with the aid of fossil fuel.


The next day dawned grey. The weather, as forecast, was to be dry, dusty and overcast; that could be regarded as optimum conditions for the task ahead and as I pushed off from Hof HaCarmel, at around 06.15, the express train to Tel Aviv was also pulling out of the station on its 50 minute commute. I wondered how long my parallel journey would take. The train apparently averages 85kph to achieve this. I set myself the target of averaging 15kph to be able to complete the comparatively longer cycling route, in time to catch a bus back north at 14.45

The route I chose worked out pretty well. The riding was a mixture of trails, paths, side-roads, beach promenades, and urban thoroughfares. There were a few places that required a little bike carrying , such as a drainage ditch in the Ma'agan Michael fish ponds, the Nahal Hadera stream, or the sand dunes around Or Akiva, but no major obstacles to speak of. A detour was necessary when my front wheel became stuck in a swamp of raw sewage in a field next to the main coastal highway at Jisr El Zarka. This all added to the unique atmosphere of my journey

Travelling this alternative way along a major axis of communication in the country, enables one to feel, see, touch, (and smell !) much that is lost in the blur of speed when travelling by road or rail. The slower pace generates encounters with people and places normally pushed to the fringes of one's reality: Thai workers singing in the banana plantations, fishermen in deep and silent contemlpation of the Poleg Lake, tourists sun-catching on the Netanya promenade, Phillapina maids in Kfar Shmariyahu pushing babies while talking on their cell-phones (probably very long distance).

And yes, there were a few other cyclists to wave to and even have a word with; some incredulous at the scope of my journey, many just going about life on errands, carrying fishing rods, building materials, or even collecting waste tin cans. The wonderful ubiquitous uses for a bike, sometimes as beast of burden.

Seven hours after leaving the Hof HaCarmel promenade I was rolling on to the Tel Aviv promenade at Reading Power Station. My GPS gave me a distance of 104kms completed, which included the sewage and other diversions, around 10% more than I had calculated.

I managed to catch that bus back with enough time to have had a self-congratulatory beer at Tel Aviv port, I called it my '100k 1/2 litre', never had Goldstar tasted better ! The bus was crowded, standing room only, and after pushing my bike into the baggage hold, I managed to squeeze on before the driver closed the door behind my back. A girl soldier proffered me her seat, I wasn't quite sure if the gesture was for a senior citizen (ok, I admit it) or for a senior citizen cyclist who has just broken 100k (which she couldn't have known). Either way, it was a hard reality check !

The bus journey on the coastal highway, took 70 minutes, it was like playing a film in reverse at double speed

Israel Bike Trail Inaugural Ride

The first two sections of the Israel Bike Trail, from Shacharut to Eilat, are now ride-ready. I was invited to be one of the first select band of riders to experience the national trail. This was quite a proud moment for me personally, as I was one of the originators of the idea of a national bike trail in Israel, and to now see it becoming a reality, is a tremendous feeling.

Day 1: Shacharut to Be'er Ora

On Wednesday evening 30st March I 'checked in' to base camp at Shacharut for my first night of this 'desert experience'. The camp was set among the dunes near Shacharut and as we sat next to a camp fire we sipped coffee and sweet tea, we received our commemorative shirts and an explanation of next day's ride - 55kms from Shacharut to Be'er Ora. The actual section on the map finishes at Park Timna.

After a fitful night on a rubber mattress beneath the stars we were woken at 05.00 by the resident donkeys, had a good breakfast, and got ready for the opening photos next to the trail sign, and then pedalled off into the rising sun. The opening single track set the tone for the whole day's ride. It wove between the hills that overlook the Arava with some great vantage points, then it went down Wadi Zugan to Bekaat Ouvda. A film crew was covering the ride for Channel 2, so I had to take care not to appear to have difficulties on the singles - not good for my image !

We had refreshments from the support vehicle then continued next to the fence of the Ouvda airbase on wide 4x4 tracks eventually entering the Metek Valley. Here the trail went over rocks of gypsum with their strange crystalline formations. It was getting hot now, so the riders took a break underneath the rocks. The big climb of the day was at Har Berech up a specially built single track. The reward for the effort was an amazing view down to Timna Park, here we took a lunch break, with sandwiches and fruit supplied by the support team.Then came the best part of the day, a long graceful single along the plateau above Timna. This could match any mountain bike trail in the world, and it deserves to be recognised as such, by the cycle-tourists of the future.

We were fortunate to be riding with the actual IBT trail-builders and we got full explanations of the thought, care and engineering principles that went into the construction. One steep section down a cliff face took two weeks to construct, but there is still a warning sign and stone 'filters' at the top, discouraging riders to attempt the whole descent. I wasn't foolish enough to ignore it !

The rest of the route is basically a furious descent to the Arava via Nahal Etek and Nahal Raham, with a single track here and there, on the way. The riding on the bed of these valleys was in loose soft gravel ('dashdash') which was energy sapping and made very slow going. We were to discover that this would be the state of the terrain on much of the next day's ride, and how we would suffer in it.

The riders were met by a bus at Be'er Ora and taken to the Ye'elim camp site at Yotvata: more matresses on the ground in a tent, but at least some good showers and working toilets. The evening was spent at the Arava Hai Bar with a festive meal and a tour of the nocturnal animals (and other bike riders!).

Day2: Timna to Eilat

This was supposed to be an easier day, only 35Kms over mainly 4x4 tracks, less climbing, and much less single track. The only problem was that in reality, the day was a extremely hot sharav, many of the trails were unrideable, added to the fact that we set off too late in the day for the conditions. There were more riders on this section than the previous day, mainly invited guests from local communities. I counted around 30 at the start at Park Timna, under half actually completed the ride at Hof Hashmal in Eilat. It was a pity, because it could be a fitting and dramatic finale to the 950km trail, that starts on the snowy slopes of Mount Hermon and then winds down the length of the country..

After another opening ceremony we started riding in Park Timna below the copper-red hills, then down to Beit Ora, where there is a derelict Gadna camp (where they filmed Rambo3 !),and after a long break for refreshments we continued on the long straight pipeline track in the Arava. In the hot conditions (I recorded 45C at one stage, not in the shade, nor was there any shade to be had!) I am sure many riders were hoping Rambo would come to the rescue !

It only got worse as we started climbing into the Eilat mountains as it got even hotter, and the trails became softer and softer as the gravel sucked the wheels to a stop. Most were reduced to pushing the bikes, many gave up, and sheltered under rocks, to be picked up later by the support vehicles. Those remaining on the ride struggled up to the final single of the IBT which culminates on a rock ledge overlooking Eilat and the Red Sea, a great view and a fitting reward to any cyclist who has made it this far.

The rest of the ride was a descent into Eilat, Hof Hashmal, where a sign has been erected to mark the end of the trail. It was fortunate for the organisers that they had a freezer box full of ice-cold beers waiting for the riders at the end. I suspect the opening ride on the IBT will be long-remembered, as an epic, maybe not for the intended reasons !

Cycling in the Time of Climate Change

Bikes in the mid-day shade.

Nahal Livnim

You don't have to be a meteorologist or scientist to notice there is a change in the seasonal weather patterns. You only need to be a mere outdoor enthusiast who marks and notes the conditions each time when venturing out for an activity under the open sky. Something is definitely happening up there in the vast blue yonder

I have been noting temperatures for twenty years now whilst logging the rides of the Carmel Mountain Bike Club. The ride last Shabbat had unusually high temperatures for the season, as indeed had two of the three previous rides - tyre melting mid 30's ! Riding up mountains (struggling in my case!) towards the middle of November with a sun beating down at 37C is definitely cause for concern. This is a new experience for us all in the club, and affects the performance of the riders and the planning of the routes.

For those of you who take an interest in the burning issue of cycling in the time of climate change here are the temperatures over the last 5 years taken on approximately the same date of a club ride (early November, in Israel):

2005 20C
2006 22C
2007 29C
2008 28C
2009 32C
2010 36C
One doesn't have to have a degree in statistics or climatology, to take note of the pattern above.

And so it was , on the ride, last Shabbat, when the club met at Rama in the Lower Galillee in Northern Israel.

The early morning climb through the olive groves to Deir el Assad was pleasant enough. The olive picking season is underway (perhaps a little earlier this year - the climate, again!) and we had to bypass the local villagers in their beat-up pick-ups scrambling up the slopes to start the tree beating. We continued up the road to the sound of music from the fields at Parod, a more commercial festival of the Olive Season.

We went on up to Shefer, by way of a very over-grown, un-rideable, jungle of a trail, but at least we were pleased on the shade it afforded. By the time we reached Amirim we were ready for a breakfast-break, admiring the fantastic view over the Galillee Mountains.

Afterwards, the temperatures were climbing, but we didn't really care, as we were descending, down the dusty 500 metres drop to Nahal Amud. This is one of one of the best mountain biking descents in the country, and we made the most of it. Broad smiles all round.

The atmosphere changed in the mid-day sun, as we climbed up from Nahal Amud to Ein Livnim. My energy levels were draining away in the heat, and others were suffering too, especially the local wild-life. We saw little mammals (hyraxes ?) stampeding to the cool shelter of a tunnel under nearby road #65.

The push up Nahal Livnim was slow and labourious, and the punctures were beginning too. This is no coincidence either, as I am sure the temperature levels affect the preformance of the anti-puncture inner tubes . Also, the continuing dry conditions have made the terrain very sharp and thorny.

By the time we reached the foot of Har Hazon, the mood in the group was to cut the ride short and leave the ascent of this peak for another time, perhaps in cooler conditions. We had already climbed over 900 metres in just 30kms, so that was quite sufficient for the majority of the riders.

I await with concerned interest to see the conditions that await us on our next monthly Shabbat ride in December in the Judean Desert. Mud, flash floods, snow ?? Stranger things have happened and will happen, while cycling in the Time of Climate Change !

GPS Track of the ride for GoogleEarth
Slideshow of the ride

Freewheelin Jon 2010

carmelmtb@gmail.com