"Kevin Stone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi,
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
Yep.
Quoted message said:
If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
Friday 2:00pm to Sunday 11:00am
Relatively easy - camped out two nights and did it on a 12 speed Raleigh Equippe road bike. Not the best machine to choose but at the time it was the only bike I had that woulf take a rack. Go for itthree days is very do-oable four, more so.
On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 22:32:50 +0100, in <[email hidden]>,
Kevin Stone said:
Hi,
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
I did it in three (www.artybee.net for write-up). I know people who have done it in one. I have also met people who were partway through doing it in six. -- I remember when the internet was only in black & white. It only had a few pages but at least they all worked.
"Kevin Stone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi,
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
-- Kev
Three days and not hard at all except for the fall on the Old Coach Road which led to me having to stop at the hospital in Penrith. Still I was able to carry on and complete. I did it on a Mongoose MTB a few years ago. Stages were day 1 Whithaven to Penrith (parents live there). Stage 2 Penrith to Allenheads B&B in old school.(visit the pub) Stage 3 Allenheads to Sunderland. Train back to Penrith via Carlisle. I enjoyed it and didn't find it too hard. If you search on Google lots of people have web pages detailing their trips. I took all the off road alternatives.
"Kevin Stone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi,
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
We did it followed by the Reivers route to return - well worth it IMO. I think we took 8 days, mostly on-road (although a bit through Kielder made me very happy that our road tandem is actually secretly an MTB tandem.)
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
I did Whitehaven - Tynemouth, so almost the same.
Quoted message said:
If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
3 days (60, 35, 75 miles). The first day was not too bad, Whinlatter pass was quite hard work. That ended in Penrith. Day 2 was harder in terms of the climbing, Hartside was actually not as bad as I expected and I was able to get up there without stopping apart from to turn my lights on when I entered the cloud cover. The climbs out of Garrigill and Nenthead seemed much harder, though they are much shorter. I stayed in Allenhead, at the Allenhead Inn. Day 3 was initially still hard work then downhill to Newcastle then Tynemouth. The last 50 miles or so is basically downhill or flat. I got lost in Newcastle partly due to a road closure and I took ages to get back on the route. Take a good map of Sunderland, just in case.
I did it in December which meant cycling in the dark at the end of each day. I took 12 kilos of luggage. I did it on a touring bike. The wind was against me throughout. I'm planning a longer tour next month which will include the C2C.
I did Whitehaven to Tynemouth in 2 and a half days last year. As someone above says the last 50 miles or so are flat/downhill so that made it okay for me. I am in my forties, and when I did it a relatively new convert to biking. I did it on a dawes hybrid. I did it on that really hot weekend last year - not through planning - and I did struggle on a couple of hills - Hartside? being the worst, but I think that was more to do with the heat than the climb. I really enjoyed it.
Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)?
If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
-- Kev
I have done C2C twice starting in Whitehaven and Workington and finishing in Sunderland and Tynemouth. Both trips took three days and for me were pretty easy three days though other in the group had never ridden for three consecutive days before nor ridden for 40 miles before. All but two managed to complete their ride but found it harder than I did. We were supported and camped at Low Gill Farm (West of Penrith on the A66) and used the bunkhouse at Nenthead Miners Arms.
"Kevin Stone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)? If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
Are there two separate routes, one on road and one mostly off road?
No, there's one route with alternatives. There are a couple of rough off road sections, the Old Coach Road and the Rookhope Incline, which are only really suitable for an MTB. These sections have road alternatives (the Rookhope Incline may also be closed for shooting). There are some other off road sections, light trails, suitable for all but the skinniest tyres. The official map is quite good and so other alternatives can be found without a problem. I picked out a few longer road detours as I was cycling with people slower than me.
Of course you can choose to start in Whitehaven or Workington and finish in Sunderland or Tynemouth so technically I gues there are four routes.
FWIW I am the wussiest poster here and did it in 5 days. However, it was done as a holiday and we did have free afternoons to do other stuff.
In message <[email hidden]>, Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
taywood said:
"Kevin Stone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi, Has anyone done the coast-to-coast (Whitehaven - Sunderland)? If so, over how many days and how hard did you find it?
Are there two separate routes, one on road and one mostly off road?
No, there's one route with alternatives. There are a couple of rough off road sections, the Old Coach Road and the Rookhope Incline, which are only really suitable for an MTB. These sections have road alternatives (the Rookhope Incline may also be closed for shooting). There are some other off road sections, light trails, suitable for all but the skinniest tyres. The official map is quite good and so other alternatives can be found without a problem. I picked out a few longer road detours as I was cycling with people slower than me.
The 2 road section alternatives from Rookhope are well worthwhile doing so you have 3 good choices there - although Crawleyside is very aptly named (-:
The Rookhope Inn changed hands last year and is well worth a stop.
-- Philip Powell Looking north across the Derwent Valley and Northumberland to The Cheviot
The 2 road section alternatives from Rookhope are well worthwhile doing so you have 3 good choices there - although Crawleyside is very aptly named (-:
Yes. We were driving up it on Saturday having been shopping in Stanhope. There were quite a few C2Cers crawling up. I find it easier to cycle up now that I know where the top is. When I did the C2C I didn't live in the area and didn't know the hill until I cycled up it. I felt for them, sort of.
Quoted message said:
The Rookhope Inn changed hands last year and is well worth a stop.
I have yet to try it despite it being the second closest pub to my house.
I know that the Reivers provides another coast to coast route across northern England (just dipping into Scotland) but the other day I read of the planned W2W (Walney to Wear) here's a bit from the City of Sunderland press release, about their bit, from this June:
"The Hetton to Pittington (and Rainton Bridge) cycleway will also form part of 163-mile Walney to Wear (W2W) cycleway between Barrow-in-Furness, Hetton-le-Hole and Sunderland, which is due to open Summer 2005."
Does anyone know more about this route? Do I *have to* go to the Sustrans website?
In message <[email hidden]>, Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
I know that the Reivers provides another coast to coast route across northern England (just dipping into Scotland) but the other day I read of the planned W2W (Walney to Wear) here's a bit from the City of Sunderland press release, about their bit, from this June:
"The Hetton to Pittington (and Rainton Bridge) cycleway will also form part of 163-mile Walney to Wear (W2W) cycleway between Barrow-in-Furness, Hetton-le-Hole and Sunderland, which is due to open Summer 2005."
Does anyone know more about this route? Do I *have to* go to the Sustrans website?
All I can find out is that it passes through Barnard Castle and then offers 2 alternatives to Durham via Bishop [Bishop Auckland to foreigners!] or Hamsterley Forest before joining the C2C. -- Philip Powell Looking north across the Derwent Valley and Northumberland to The Cheviot
In message <[email hidden]>, Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Does anyone know more about this route? Do I *have to* go to the Sustrans website?
All I can find out is that it passes through Barnard Castle and then offers 2 alternatives to Durham via Bishop [Bishop Auckland to foreigners!] or Hamsterley Forest before joining the C2C.
Thanks, that's a bit more than I knew. I guessed it must coincide with the C2C at some point, there can't be that many ways to get into Sunderland. I wonder where it crosses the Pennines.
