An alternative way into or out of Lees Valley, this one keeps you off the seal for longer and threads through rolling high-country farmland. Open pastoral views run right across this remote inland basin, and you get a quieter, more scenic approach than the main route.

The going is straightforward farm-road terrain, so it's an easy and pleasant detour. As with much of the country round Lees Valley, it's a working-farm setting, so leave gates as you find them and watch for stock on the road.

Worth pairing with the other valley entrances if you want a fuller loop through this isolated corner.