Best (fun) route to the Lake District from Newcastle
Discussion
Long story short I'm picking up a new car on Friday morning and will be meeting some friends in the langdale vally on Friday night for a weekend of rock climbing.
I'm not on any kind of time limit and dont mind going out of my way for a decent drive over.
Is there anything better route than the hartside pass,I'm getting a bit bored of going that way
I'm not on any kind of time limit and dont mind going out of my way for a decent drive over.
Is there anything better route than the hartside pass,I'm getting a bit bored of going that way
A69 to A68. B6278 through Edmundbyers and on to Stanhope and continue towards Barnard Castle. Right turn to Middleton in Teesdale and then the B6276 to Brough. Then take your pick of A685 to Kirkby Stephen and onto Tebay to pick up the M6 for Kendal, or take the A66 to Penrith towards Keswick.
X5TUU said:
To be fair that's prob the best route, but you could go at it from the other side so rather than from Hexham side, from Stanhope on the A689, latter part will still be the same though
Stanhope is my usualy route as I'm really living closer to Durham, I don't think ive ever dropped down into Alston from Haydon bridge but have been up that way a few times when I had motorbikes and it's a good road if I remember rightly?After almost boiling the brakes going down into penrith from the cafe in my old car I think I'll do that part a bit slower, it's just so good!
There's the old military road that runs parallel with the A69, B6318 I think. Not a particularly good 'drive' as it's pretty straight but found myself on there a few times when I was doing Newcastle to Cockemouth every week. It usually quite quiet and makes a nice change of scenery from the A69.
Trevor450 said:
A69 to A68. B6278 through Edmundbyers and on to Stanhope and continue towards Barnard Castle. Right turn to Middleton in Teesdale and then the B6276 to Brough. Then take your pick of A685 to Kirkby Stephen and onto Tebay to pick up the M6 for Kendal, or take the A66 to Penrith towards Keswick.
That is my old hooning route from when I lived down that way. I miss it, it's one of the best in the country.Soon I will return
BeMo said:
There's the old military road that runs parallel with the A69, B6318 I think. Not a particularly good 'drive' as it's pretty straight but found myself on there a few times when I was doing Newcastle to Cockemouth every week. It usually quite quiet and makes a nice change of scenery from the A69.
Oh yeah, this too! Definitely recommend.The North East has the best places to drive quickly, clearly.
The side from Hayden Bridge to Alston was resurfaced early last year so is in really nice condition, it's a really fast section too.
It's my neck of the woods this mind, so I've come up with a slightly longer routes that'll take in my favourite roads from the area
Destinations for satnav;
How the route looks;
This assumes you're starting at Stanhope as an interesting point, then takes you up into Keilder, the Scottish Borders and back into Cumbria and pretty much past my house.
You still get to Hartside, but you do it from the Brampton to Alston dude which IMHO is the best part of it. There's also the option of heading deeper into the Scottish Borders by hitting St Marys Loch and Eskdalemuir after Keilder but you'll be adding on another hour or so, worth it IMHO but that's putting you on a full days driving.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance
It's my neck of the woods this mind, so I've come up with a slightly longer routes that'll take in my favourite roads from the area
Destinations for satnav;
How the route looks;
This assumes you're starting at Stanhope as an interesting point, then takes you up into Keilder, the Scottish Borders and back into Cumbria and pretty much past my house.
You still get to Hartside, but you do it from the Brampton to Alston dude which IMHO is the best part of it. There's also the option of heading deeper into the Scottish Borders by hitting St Marys Loch and Eskdalemuir after Keilder but you'll be adding on another hour or so, worth it IMHO but that's putting you on a full days driving.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance
Wow, I wasnt expecting more than one or two responses. I'll have a look at them on my lunch break, the old military road is a good shout. I travel that way a few times a year to crag lough and it's very well surfaced, fast and quiet which can make up for its arrow straigh roman nature
AH33 said:
That is my old hooning route from when I lived down that way. I miss it, it's one of the best in the country.
Soon I will return
I live in Edmundbyers village, so drive those roads quite a bit in the summer.Soon I will return
If I need to get to the M6 south then it is the only way to go from here despite the sat nav trying to use the A1/M62.
Edmundbyers-Stanhope-Alston-Penrith-Ullswater-Ambleside-Langdale
Only bit of that route that I don't love is the Stanhope-Alston stretch. Seems all too easy to get stuck behind trucks and the road surface is shocking in places. Good in the right car at the right time though. Someone above mentioned an alternative route in from Middleton which would be worth checking out but it would mean missing out on the A686 stretch between Alston and Melmerby which would be a huge shame.
As long as you avoid the A69 or A66 routes, you're are more or less guaranteed good roads. That whole wilderness around Teesdale and east cumbria just seems to serve up endless great driving roads with very little traffic.
Only bit of that route that I don't love is the Stanhope-Alston stretch. Seems all too easy to get stuck behind trucks and the road surface is shocking in places. Good in the right car at the right time though. Someone above mentioned an alternative route in from Middleton which would be worth checking out but it would mean missing out on the A686 stretch between Alston and Melmerby which would be a huge shame.
As long as you avoid the A69 or A66 routes, you're are more or less guaranteed good roads. That whole wilderness around Teesdale and east cumbria just seems to serve up endless great driving roads with very little traffic.
AH33 said:
Trevor450 said:
A69 to A68. B6278 through Edmundbyers and on to Stanhope and continue towards Barnard Castle. Right turn to Middleton in Teesdale and then the B6276 to Brough. Then take your pick of A685 to Kirkby Stephen and onto Tebay to pick up the M6 for Kendal, or take the A66 to Penrith towards Keswick.
That is my old hooning route from when I lived down that way. I miss it, it's one of the best in the country.Soon I will return
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