This article is from Sydney WeekendNotes for Monday the 18th of May 2009

Well, you can hop if you feel so inclined, but you can also walk, cycle, or maybe even horse ride or skate on some! So, what exactly is a rail trail? It's a shared-use path that was once a railway corridor. Click here to find out more and where they're located.

Just like the trains of a bygone era, the various trails meander through scenic areas and link big and small country towns. You can choose a short 0.5km trail that will hardly raise a sweat, like the old Paramatta River Railway Bridge at Meadowbank, or the more challenging 17km Paramatta to Liverpool Rail Side Trail.

If that's got you puffing already, sit comfortably in the car and drive 25 or so kilometres south of Sydney to the Como Railway Bridge. It's only 0.5kms long and the view is stunning.

Or check this Blue Mountains one out. It's not every day you get to walk or cycle through the Glow Worm Tunnel!

What I love about rail trails is that you're so busy exploring everything, you forget you're actually getting fit in the process! By the time you've trekked around, cutting through hills, under roads, over gullies and across embankments and creeks, you've burned up heaps of kilojoules - and had a great time in the process. How good is that!

The trails meander through the state, the country and the world for that matter. There are whole lot of committed folks who 'rail trail' it regularly for a few hours, a weekend, or even a week or longer.


Why? The trains don't use them anymore, so you should!

Julia Hebaiter