The
Bike A very comfortable Dutch Marathon tourer. This was on
loan from my brother following a sad end to my GT mountain bike
which fell off the back of a car at 70mph near Yeovil a few months
earlier.
Tue
1st May
I got a lift from Gloucester to Cumbria, and stayed overnight
in Pooley Bridge near Keswick.
Wed
2nd May I
was driven to Workington for 10.30 and after tinkering with bike
for a while, set off at 11.00. A bit surprised at lack of C2C
signposts at the start point, fortunately I had got the guide
book to convince me I was on the right track, and signage quickly
improved once underway. I was blessed by gorgeous weather all
day long. Slow and steady progress along quiet lanes & cycle
paths, with only the new-born lambs for company. Through Cockermouth
at noon, enjoyed the aroma of hops from the Jennings brewery.
Struck by the beautiful scenery in Wythop Woods on the approach
to Keswick. Had a welcome lunch of baked spud in Pedlars Café,
Keswick around 2.30pm. Then came a highly enjoyable afternoon
stretch along the disused railway line to Threlkeld and through
some pleasant villages
west of Penrith. I by-passed the loop to Mungrisdale, by taking
the minor lane running parallel just south of the trunk road which
ends up at the same place. Nearing Penrith I rewarded myself with
a pint of Thwaites Smooth at the Sun Inn, Newton Reigny, then
completed the final few miles to arrive at Brooklands Guest House
at 6.30pm. Summary; approx 50miles in about 7 hours. I didn’t
have to push the bike at any point on the first day, but came
pretty close. I only spotted a handful of other cyclists, perhaps
due to the mid-week start. Evening grub of battered cod in the
Lowther Arms, plus several ales in a sports bar watching Man Utd
being dumped out of the European Cup
Thur 3rd May Veggie
breakfast at 08.00, began peddling at 09.40. Another incredibly
hot day. Well, what can be said about today apart from hill after
hideous hill. In fact, not only did I have to walk up several
inclines, I even struggled to push the bike up some! Sun cream
applications to the arms & legs lasted about 10 minutes after
which point my copious sweating had washed it away. After 18 miles
in 3.5 hours, I had an uneventful lunch at Hartside Café.
Exhilarating descents were followed by continued climbage, the
road out of Garrigill to Nenthead just made me laugh at the gradient.
Had a swift pint in the Miners Arms, Nenthead to give me strength
for the climb to the highest point of the trip. I think the killer
hill for me was the short unexpected one after the summit of Black
Hill, as I foolishly thought it might be downhill for the rest
of the day. Eventually coasted down to Allenheads at approximately
5.00pm. An enjoyable evening in the Allenheads Inn with locals
and a fellow lone C2Cer, I heartily partook of the Abbot Ale and
Seafood platter. 33miles in 7 hours.
Fri
4th May
Breakfast 0800ish, mounted the saddle at 0915. Colder day today,
needed a coat on for the first time especially during the long
downhill stretch over the moors to Rookhope. I opted for the off-road
route out of Rookhope, and found the incline to be the toughest
part of the whole journey, pushing uphill along a rocky path for
what must have been an hour. This was soon forgotten after joining
the Waskerly Way, and a speedy gradual descent into Consett, which
to my own surprise I navigated successfully. Then followed a very
nice stretch along the Derwent Walk to the edge of the Newcastle
conurbation. I was impressed with the traffic free cycle route
alongside the Tyne to get to the heart of the city. I had a late
lunch at The Quayside pub in Newcastle, booked a hotel for the
night, then continued the 10 miles to Tynemouth. After the tranquillity
& scenery of Cumbria and the Pennines, it has to be said that
cycling along remote paths & alleyways through the estates
of East Tyneside
was not a very pleasant part of the journey. Some harmless abuse
off teenagers in Wallsend, but on the positive side there was
not as much broken glass as I expected. Destination reached at
5.00pm, hardly a soul at the finish point in Tynemouth. After
a short rest I headed back to the city centre, opting for cycle
route 14 on the south side of the Tyne. After taking the South
Shields ferry I struggled to pick up the cycle route, and never
really felt confident about where I was for several miles through
Jarrow & Hebburn. The Millennium Bridge was a welcome sight
as my stocks of nourishing flapjack had expired and tiredness
was beginning to kick in. Entered Waterside Hotel in central Newcastle
at 7.00pm after clocking around 64 miles. Nice enough hotel but
I wouldn’t describe it “cycle friendly” as it
involved putting the bike in 2 elevators and storing it in the
corridor by a fire escape. For the Friday evening, being dressed
in tracksuit & trainers I couldn’t hope to compete with
the scantily attired locals in the lively drinking establishments,
so I retired to a fine Indian restaurant and enjoyed a relatively
quiet curry & 2 Cobra beers.
Sat 5th May
Up early to get the 0840 train back south, stopping at Birmingham
to visit relatives.
Summary & final thoughts:
A lovely cycle trip, helped by splendid weather and a complete
absence of bike problems. The route was easy to follow and went
through some very picturesque parts of England. I would certainly
do it again, trying the Whitehaven to Sunderland route next time.
A donation was made to The Mercyships Charity following the event.
Thanks to
Dave Izod for the inspiration to do it and pre-trip advice.
Rebecca Jelfs for the transport to Workington.
All the B & B’s.
The organisers of this C2C site for useful advice.
I
was driven to Workington for 10.30 and after tinkering with bike
for a while, set off at 11.00. A bit surprised at lack of C2C
signposts at the start point, fortunately I had got the guide
book to convince me I was on the right track, and signage quickly
improved once underway. I was blessed by gorgeous weather all
day long. Slow and steady progress along quiet lanes & cycle
paths, with only the new-born lambs for company. Through Cockermouth
at noon, enjoyed the aroma of hops from the Jennings brewery.
Struck by the beautiful scenery in Wythop Woods on the approach
to Keswick. Had a welcome lunch of baked spud in Pedlars Café,
Keswick around 2.30pm. Then came a highly enjoyable afternoon
stretch along the disused railway line to Threlkeld and through
some pleasant 
villages
west of Penrith. I by-passed the loop to Mungrisdale, by taking
the minor lane running parallel just south of the trunk road which
ends up at the same place. Nearing Penrith I rewarded myself with
a pint of Thwaites Smooth at the Sun Inn, Newton Reigny, then
completed the final few miles to arrive at Brooklands Guest House
at 6.30pm. Summary; approx 50miles in about 7 hours. I didn’t
have to push the bike at any point on the first day, but came
pretty close. I only spotted a handful of other cyclists, perhaps
due to the mid-week start. Evening grub of battered cod in the
Lowther Arms, plus several ales in a sports bar watching Man Utd
being dumped out of the European Cup
Veggie
breakfast at 08.00, began peddling at 09.40. Another incredibly
hot day. Well, what can be said about today apart from hill after
hideous hill. In fact, not only did I have to walk up several
inclines, I even struggled to push the bike up some! Sun cream
applications to the arms & legs lasted about 10 minutes after
which point my copious sweating had washed it away. After 18 miles
in 3.5 hours, I had an uneventful lunch at Hartside Café.
Exhilarating descents were followed by continued climbage, the
road out of Garrigill to Nenthead just made me laugh at the gradient.
Had a swift pint in the Miners Arms, Nenthead to give me strength
for the climb to the highest point of the trip. I think the killer
hill for me was the short unexpected one after the summit of Black
Hill, as I foolishly thought it might be downhill for the rest
of the day. Eventually coasted down to Allenheads at approximately
5.00pm. An enjoyable evening in the Allenheads Inn with locals
and a fellow lone C2Cer, I heartily partook of the Abbot Ale and
Seafood platter. 33miles in 7 hours.
Tyneside
was not a very pleasant part of the journey. Some harmless abuse
off teenagers in Wallsend, but on the positive side there was
not as much broken glass as I expected. Destination reached at
5.00pm, hardly a soul at the finish point in Tynemouth. After
a short rest I headed back to the city centre, opting for cycle
route 14 on the south side of the Tyne. After taking the South
Shields ferry I struggled to pick up the cycle route, and never
really felt confident about where I was for several miles through
Jarrow & Hebburn. The Millennium Bridge was a welcome sight
as my stocks of nourishing flapjack had expired and tiredness
was beginning to kick in. Entered Waterside Hotel in central Newcastle
at 7.00pm after clocking around 64 miles. Nice enough hotel but
I wouldn’t describe it “cycle friendly” as it
involved putting the bike in 2 elevators and storing it in the
corridor by a fire escape. For the Friday evening, being dressed
in tracksuit & trainers I couldn’t hope to compete with
the scantily attired locals in the lively drinking establishments,
so I retired to a fine Indian restaurant and enjoyed a relatively
quiet curry & 2 Cobra beers.