Bells Line of Road is the quieter way over the Blue Mountains, and the one riders in Sydney tend to prefer. It leaves the Hawkesbury lowlands at Richmond and climbs onto the sandstone plateau by way of Kurrajong Heights, then rides the spine of the range across to Lithgow, with none of the shopping strips and traffic lights of the Great Western Highway. It is named after Archibald Bell, a young colonial settler who found a way across the mountains by following Aboriginal tracks in 1823, in a time when the ranges were considered a barrier to the colony's growth.
The character of the road changes as you climb. Orchards of apples and stone fruit come first around Bilpin, with roadside stalls selling cider, pies and bags of apples in autumn. Then the road threads through tall eucalypt forest and heathland, past rocky outcrops and sudden gaps with views down into the valleys of the Grose and Colo, the walls of pale sandstone cliffs dropping away into blue haze. Near Mount Tomah, at about a thousand metres, the air is cooler, and the botanic garden there grows cool-climate plants from around the world, with rhododendrons and a long view out over the ridges.
For riding, the Bells Line is a delight and a slight test. The bends are long and flowing, the surface is generally good, and traffic is lighter than on the highway, but weekends bring many bikes and cars, so overtaking requires care. Fog and cold are real at the top, and in winter there can be ice or even snow, so carry a warm layer. Kangaroos, wallabies and wombats appear at dusk, and fires in dry summers can close the road.
Fuel is the thing to plan. There are stations at Kurrajong and around Richmond on the Sydney side and at Lithgow on the far side, with limited options in between, so fill up before you climb. Pie shops and cafes at Bilpin are a reliable stop. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; summer can bring heat, smoke and big crowds, while winter mornings may be bitingly cold.