Clyde: Rail Trails and Railway History

When planning a trip around Clyde, it helps to distinguish routes by their actual scope: the Otago Central Rail Trail is a multi-day route to Clyde; the Clyde Greenway runs within Clyde Township, while the Lake Dunstan Trail has a separate section in Clyde. This makes it easier to consider tour length, activities, and local history together without treating the individual routes as the same.

Cycling trails from multi-day tours to local sections

The Otago Central Rail Trail follows the former Otago Central Branch Railway for 150 km from Middlemarch to Clyde. The route is listed as taking three to four days. The trail is designed for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. This timeframe describes the tour across the entire trail, clearly distinguishing it from the shorter route sections in Clyde.

Since the railway closed in 1990, more than 60 bridges on the Otago Central Rail Trail have been fitted with new decking and handrails. In addition, the gravel ballast of the former railway line was replaced with gravel. Both the former railway line and changes to the present-day trail are therefore part of the trail’s history.

In town, the Clyde Greenway runs practically from one end of Clyde Township to the other. The route is designed for walking or cycling to and from Clyde’s historic centre and was once part of the Central Otago railway branch line. At the northern end of the Greenway is the former Clyde Railway Station: it was built in 1907 and restored in 2014. The Greenway thus connects a route within the township with the history of the former railway line.

The Lake Dunstan Trail connects Clyde and Cromwell and runs alongside Lake Dunstan. This challenging cycling tour is listed as 55 km long and grade 2–3. The Clyde section is separate: it is 3.5 km long, rated grade 1, and runs from the Dunstan Arm Rowing Club to the Clyde Heritage Precinct. The length and grade show that the information for the full tour and the Clyde section describes different scales of planning.

Another option is the Alexandra to Clyde River Track. This combined walking and cycling trail runs along the right bank of the Clutha Mata-au River between Alexandra and Clyde and is designed for the whole family. Unlike the Lake Dunstan Trail, which includes a 55 km cycling tour, this track connects two towns and lists both walking and cycling as activities.

Local history, views, and events

Clyde Lookout offers a different perspective on the town from the routes along former railway lines and the lake: a drive there opens up impressive views of Clyde and the wider surrounding area. If you would like to include a viewpoint in your trip planning as well as choosing a route, the lookout is a destination in its own right.

St Dunstan's Church (Catholic) is historically significant because it was designed by an eminent New Zealand architect and documents the history of the Catholic Church in Clyde. The church is not open to the public. Its significance is part of the town’s history, while the trails described offer other ways to explore the history of the railway and the region.

The annual Clyde Wine and Food Harvest Festival takes place on Easter Sunday on Clyde’s historic main street. It celebrates wines from the world’s southernmost wine-growing regions. If you are planning a trip specifically around the festival, check the event date for the relevant year.

Discover more destinations: Ranfurly, Patearoa, Lindis Valley, Millers Flat, Earnscleugh, Alexandra, Conroys Gully, Tarras.

For the broader travel overview: Central Otago District.