Adventurer's Weekend
Here are a few Cycle Central Coast tips to note before heading out on your cycling adventure.
- Keep a durable water bottle with you at all times, filling up at various stops as you ride your route.
- Check out additional roads to ride in Cambria.
- Read through this itinerary and make the appropriate reservations before your Cambria stay.
- Discover more hidden gems in Cambria.
- Learn more about recovery after cycling.
Friday:
12:00 p.m. – Cycle Moonstone Beach Drive
Start your afternoon at the north end of Moonstone Beach Drive, north of Oceanpoint Ranch, cycling a 1.6-mile segment of beautiful low-speed roadway with ocean winds on your right and a collection of eclectic lodging properties on your left. Stop at various locations to take in the beachside views and even a short walk on our famous Moonstone Beach Boardwalk (no cycling allowed on the boardwalk). Continue until you near the end of Moonstone Beach Drive, stopping at El Colibri for some R&R.
2:30 p.m. – Spa Treatment at The Nest at El Colibri
It’s time to relax after your first ride! The Nest Spa at El Colbri offers several massages to choose from. The Nest Spa is complete with private massage treatment rooms, an outdoor Jacuzzi, and two steam rooms, perfect for relaxing in between your active activities. Please call ahead to set up an appointment.
After you’re fully relaxed for your next day’s adventure, get back on the saddle by crossing Windsor Boulevard at the end of Moonstone Beach Drive. Head toward Highway 1 but turn right onto the Santa Rosa Creek Trail that runs alongside the iconic highway. Stay on the trail, cross Highway 1 after the turn, and take a right on Main Street, exploring the shops along the way as you head toward your next destination.
5:00 p.m. – Dinner at Robin’s Restaurant
When you’re ready, turn from Main Street to Burton Drive. Then, fuel up for your next adventure with some comfort cuisine at Robin’s Restaurant. This local favorite is known for marrying a variety of flavors to create its delicious, unique dishes. With an emphasis on using farm-fresh, local ingredients, Robin’s features eclectic choices, including Vietnamese spring rolls, portobello and spinach lasagna, and peach-glazed baby pork back ribs. Remember, though, that this next part of your cycling adventure will include a steeper uphill segment.
After taking some time for your meal to settle and reloading your water bottle, continue south on Burton Drive. Be prepared for a climb of more than 150 feet in elevation until you reach Cambria Pines Lodge.
6:30 p.m. – Drinks at Cambria Pines Lodge Fireside Lounge
Wind down at the Fireside Lounge at the Cambria Pines Lodge. The intimate lounge offers a range of Central Coast wines, beers, cocktails, and nightly live entertainment performed by a variety of popular local musicians.
At this point, your day’s adventure can come to an end by calling a ride back to your lodging with bicycles in tow. Or, you may continue riding back the way you came to complete a roundtrip cycling excursion.
Saturday:
9:00 a.m. – Yoga with Tula Yoga
Warm up for the day with yoga on the beach! Sessions are available in the studio or can be taken outdoors by request. Visit Tula Yoga’s website for more information.
10:30 a.m. – Cycle Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
After your yoga session, you should be primed for a downhill 3.3-mile ride through the riparian habitat trails of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve to your next destination. Except for the Bluff Trail along the coastline, bicycles are allowed on the magnificent winding trails.
From Tula Yoga, take Dreydon Avenue north and turn right on Tweed Avenue. either take right or left on Haddon Drive to enter the Preserve through the Trenton Entrance or the Tipton Entrance. Ride the intersecting trails to the northwest corner of the Preserve, to Windsor Boulevard. Continue on this road and stop at Shamel Park. Take a break on Moonstone Beach, past the park, for one of the best Pacific views you’ll ever see.
Hop back on your bicycle and keep riding on the road to Moonstone Beach Drive. Take a left on this familiar road and keep riding to your lunch spot.
1:00 p.m. – Lunch at Madeline’s on Moonstone
After your morning ride, relax and sip on coastal vino at Madeline’s on Moonstone at Cambria Shores Inn. The popular spot offers a unique wine tasting experience right on Moonstone Beach! Madeline’s features their private labels by world-renowned winemaker, Jeff Branco. Their wine tasting experience is now open seven days a week with chef specials on Saturday and different tapas every week on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Walk off the lunch with a nice stroll to the coves of Cambria and pick your relaxation: sunbathe on the beach, go searching for moonstones, or dip your feet in the waters.
If your legs are tired at this point, feel free to explore Moonstone Beach Drive’s amenities before driving over to Linn’s Restaurant for dinner.
5:00 p.m. – Dinner at Linn’s Restaurant
End your day at Linn’s Restaurant, a popular Cambria dining option that proudly serves locally-raised Hearst Ranch beef on its extensive menu of comfort food classics. You can either cycle back using the same route as yesterday, or save your legs for tomorrow’s roadside ride and drive there.
Traditional favorites like Linn’s pot pies, fresh handmade soups, and olallieberry pie have won the hearts of many people—visitors and locals alike. These and other farm classics will always have a place at Linn’s, but Chef Matt Beckett has added his own touch of high cuisine to the dinner menu and nightly specials. So, whether you’re in the mood for comfort foods or are opting for something more gourmet, you’re sure to find a satisfying meal at Linn’s.
Sunday:
9 a.m. – Breakfast at Hidden Kitchen
Grab a breakfast bite before your ride at this hidden Cambria gem. With a unique menu of sweet and savory waffle creations and a variety of smoothie options, it’s a spot foodies won’t want to miss. Eat free while remembering there’s a long ride ahead!
10:00 a.m. – Cycle Santa Rosa Creek Road
Head to Main Street and turn east. Continue until you reach Santa Rosa Creek Road. Now, pause and recognize that you’ll be embarking on one of the West Coast’s best cycling routes to your next destination. This winding road is featured in Cycle Central Coast’s Santa Rosa Creek Route. You share this road with cars, so be careful as you wind through slightly uphill greenscapes and vineyards.
Follow the Santa Rosa Creek Route. You’ll pass your next destination on the left as you continue on Santa Rosa Creek Road. Once you reach the portion where the road turns into one lane, you can choose to either go back to the winery, or if you’re even more adventurous, continue an additional 6 miles to the end of the route before heading back to your wine tasting appointment.
1:00 p.m. – Wine tasting at Stolo Family Winery
Spend a relaxing afternoon at Stolo Family Vineyards. At the base of a sun-kissed nine-acre vineyard, the farmhouse and old dairy barn at Stolo dates back to the late 1800s. Less than three miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyards thrive in Cambria’s unique microclimate, producing unmatched coastal style Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.
3:00 p.m. – Relax at VYANA Wellness
After exercising your palette, ride back about 2.5 miles back to your starting point for the day. One block east of Hidden Kitchen is VYANA Wellness. After a long weekend of adventuring, choose from an intuitive therapeutic massage, a yoga class, or melt away tension in a Full Spectrum Infrared SAUNA—or experience them all!