Coast to coast suggestions
Discussion
A mate wants to do a C2C ride for charity .... in a day in about 6 weeks. I'm looking at possible routes and had considered this due to the distance and elevation https://www.strava.com/routes/5348909 but its on crappy roads including a busy dual carriageway.
The other option is Morcambe to Brid or Scarborough https://www.strava.com/activities/400792691 ... this will be 140 miles and 8000ft ish of climbing. Not a problem for me but a couple of the riders may struggle so I'm looking for other options where the elevation and distance may be a little friendlier.
We're all based nr York so needs to be somewhere we can travel to on the previous night and then ride across to the East coast.
Any suggestions?
The other option is Morcambe to Brid or Scarborough https://www.strava.com/activities/400792691 ... this will be 140 miles and 8000ft ish of climbing. Not a problem for me but a couple of the riders may struggle so I'm looking for other options where the elevation and distance may be a little friendlier.
We're all based nr York so needs to be somewhere we can travel to on the previous night and then ride across to the East coast.
Any suggestions?
Just use the Open Cycling C2C route, thats the big well known Seascale to Whitby route which will be good roads and avoid most of the traffic.
http://www.opencycling.com/coast-to-coast-in-a-day...
http://www.opencycling.com/coast-to-coast-in-a-day...
We haven't done it yet but this is my current draft route for a C2C in Aug or Sept: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/968104909
We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
Berz said:
We haven't done it yet but this is my current draft route for a C2C in Aug or Sept: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/968104909
We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
Thanks Berz, that looks spot on! We'd considered the route which takes you along the A69 but was looking for alternatives around the same area. 112 miles is more realistic for the guys I'm riding with. Luckily we have a vehicle to take us up, help with mechanicals, feed us then drive back down from the finish.We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
. Done that one a couple of times.The Sustrans route - Whitehaven to Sunderland - is a great route, we'll sign posted and with cafe stops available if you wish (I didn't)
It's 160 miles but the last 80 or so are genuinely mostly down hill. I did it last year in 11hrs (with a 20 mile accidental detour).
There are a couple of tough climbs if you're not expecting them and there are times up in the Pennines when you'll wonder what the bloody hell you'll do if anything goes awry!
It's 160 miles but the last 80 or so are genuinely mostly down hill. I did it last year in 11hrs (with a 20 mile accidental detour).
There are a couple of tough climbs if you're not expecting them and there are times up in the Pennines when you'll wonder what the bloody hell you'll do if anything goes awry!
We did this last summer:
http://cyclingw2w.info
We did it in reverse, going Whitby to Walney. Great route which was well signposted.
http://cyclingw2w.info
We did it in reverse, going Whitby to Walney. Great route which was well signposted.
keith2.2 said:
The Sustrans route - Whitehaven to Sunderland - is a great route, we'll sign posted and with cafe stops available if you wish (I didn't)
It's 160 miles but the last 80 or so are genuinely mostly down hill. I did it last year in 11hrs (with a 20 mile accidental detour).
There are a couple of tough climbs if you're not expecting them and there are times up in the Pennines when you'll wonder what the bloody hell you'll do if anything goes awry!
The last 35 ish miles are mostly down hill, before that theres a massive climb up from Stanhope to join the waskerly way.It's 160 miles but the last 80 or so are genuinely mostly down hill. I did it last year in 11hrs (with a 20 mile accidental detour).
There are a couple of tough climbs if you're not expecting them and there are times up in the Pennines when you'll wonder what the bloody hell you'll do if anything goes awry!
Berz said:
We haven't done it yet but this is my current draft route for a C2C in Aug or Sept: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/968104909
We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
Well I'm not sure if you've managed to do this but we did yesterday. If you haven't and are planning, I thought I'd post some info for you!We're from York. Plan is to get the train to Carlisle and ride west to the coast at Bowness then set off east from there. It adds about 25-30 miles unfortunately but working around train times to get there and back in one day with no cars isn't easy. The route you posted looks better for me as it's less hilly, a little shorter, and I don't mind main roads but you gotta go with what suits your group. I like the look of the ones through the lakes and dales but don't think I could manage that much climbing.
We drove up Friday evening and stayed at a B&B 4 miles from Bowness so we could get an early start. We rolled out of the B&B shortly after 6:40am and headed to Bowness to get some photo's and officially start the ride ... thankfully we had a support vehicle (which turned out to be a blessing!) who would meet us at various points along the route.
Riding to Carlisle was pretty straight forward ... quiet roads especially on a Saturday am. The first issue we came across was the cycle path through Carlisle. In short, I would avoid it ... its fine for an MTB or Cycocross bikes.
It runs through an industrial estate and along the riverside ... the track is thin an littered with dog-toffee ... plus a few obstacles including a fallen tree and some steps. Unfortunately when you get further along, the route is actually blocked off with fencing so is impossible to continue ... you then have to double back on yourself and find another route through the city. My advice would be to take an alternative route through the city and join the cycle way when you leave the city, perhaps head for 'swifts golf course' and rejoin there.
After that, the majority of the route is a mix of A roads (very little), B road and smaller road with cycle paths which are in a god state. We had a few mechanicals and loss of navigation but followed the '72' route signs which were all good until we hit Ovingham. As you cross the railway tracks at Prudhoe station, the route takes you through another industrial estate and onto a a dirt track. My fellow riders looked at me in dismay as it had been hammering down for the past 4 hours and they really didn't fancy another ride through the mire!
My advice would be to head down Ovingham road to Wylam then on to Cawcrook and Ryton before joining the cycle track at Newburn.
From here on in, its pretty slow going navigating through the city ... dodging dog walkers and pedestrians. The route is reasonably well sign posted but its a bit frustrating when you want to crack on. You do end up by the Quayside in Newcastle so you could be avoiding a lot of pedestrians ... some under the influence ... if you know Newcastle, then that could be any time of day! Its all very flat but the amount of broken bottles scattered around meant we encountered a few punctures.
Now, here's where you'll probably hit a problem with zero warning. The pedestrian Tyne Tunnel is closed for refurbishment ... there is no warning before you get there at any point. We arrived and as I'm sure you can imagine, was pissed off! We had two options ... ride back to 7 miles back to Newcastle and try and navigate to South Shields or get our support drive to come across the Tyne Tunnel and meet us ... we opted for the latter as it was 5pm and we'd been on the road for about 10 hours.
We later found out that there is a replacement bus service over the river which also allows you to take your bike ... found this out too late unfortunately.
Anyhow, despite the crap weather and small drama's including an exploding freehub we had superb day and have raised a few quid in the process. Hopefully you'll get to read the above points before you attempt the route but thanks again for the suggestion!
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