Discover Clyde: Rail Trails, Culture and Wine

Discover Clyde through its many stories: former railway lines shape its cycling and walking trails, while a former railway station and St Dunstan’s Church offer insights into the town’s history. There are also routes along Lake Dunstan and an annual wine and food festival. This gives you a range of options when planning your trip – from longer tours to cultural discoveries.

Exploring former railway lines

The Otago Central Rail Trail follows the former Otago Central Branch Railway for 150 km, from Middlemarch to Clyde. The route is designed as a 3–4-day tour for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. If you’re considering Clyde as the destination or starting point for a journey along this railway route, you’ll find a clear connection to railway history here: the trail uses the former line rather than describing a new connection.

Since the railway closed in 1990, more than 60 bridges on the Otago Central Rail Trail have been fitted with new decking and handrails. The gravel ballast of the former railway line has also been replaced with gravel. These changes are part of the trail’s present-day character; they also tell the story of how a railway line was transformed into a route for different kinds of travel.

Another option is the Clyde Greenway. It runs practically from one end of the Clyde Township community to the other, providing a route for walking or cycling to and from Clyde’s historic centre. This trail was also once part of the Central Otago railway branch line. The two former railway routes are therefore central to the area, although they differ in length and in the routes described.

Cycle and river trails with different highlights

The Lake Dunstan Trail connects Clyde and Cromwell and follows the shores of Lake Dunstan. The full trail is a challenging 55 km cycle ride, graded 2–3. The Clyde section is quite different: it is a 3.5 km Grade 1 route from the Dunstan Arm Rowing Club to the Clyde Heritage Precinct. When choosing a cycling route, these details help distinguish the full trail from the shorter section.

The Alexandra to Clyde River Track is a combined walking and cycling trail for the whole family. It follows the right bank of the Clutha Mata-au River between Alexandra and Clyde. This offers families a different kind of route from the former railway line or the differently graded sections of the Lake Dunstan Trail: the focus here is on connecting the two towns and following the river.

Local history, views and food and wine

Clyde’s architectural history is also part of its story. The former Clyde Railway Station was built in 1907 and restored in 2014. St Dunstan’s Church (Catholic) is historically significant as the work of an important New Zealand architect and documents the history of the Catholic Church in Clyde. The church was designed by this architect. Together with the former railway station, these buildings offer a reason to explore the town’s history as well as its trails.

For views over the town and surrounding area, take a drive to Clyde Lookout. The annual Clyde Wine and Food Harvest Festival adds a culinary highlight: it takes place every year on Easter Sunday on Clyde’s historic main street and celebrates wines from the world’s southernmost wine-growing regions. If you’re looking for holiday accommodation in Clyde, these different reasons to visit can help shape your choice of holiday destination – whether it’s a tour along a former railway line, an outing to the lookout or a stay focused on wine and local history.

More places to discover

More places in this selection: Chatto Creek, Millers Flat, Lindis Valley, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Conroys Gully, Waipiata, Ranfurly.

For the broader travel overview: Central Otago District.