Father and son from Norfolk on the Coast to Coast June 23 - 25 2009
It was at the end of the summer in 2008 when I asked my two sons if they fancied doing the Coast to Coast with me the following year to which they both quickly agreed. We were not regular cyclists and so we dusted off our bikes and started travelling the country lanes of Norfolk. Most people will know that Norfolk is generally flat and having read about the famous Hartside we had to try and find something to climb. The best we could come up with was a 200 foot hill in Sheringham! The training picked up around March 2009 when we completed several 50 mile rides. One son had to drop out as he was not able to get as much free time as he needed to train and so Graham and I pushed on.
Our plan was to drive to Newcastle and park the car and then take the cycles across to Whitehaven on the train. I contacted British Rail who said that this was not a problem as the train could carry up to 6 bicycles and I could reserve places....WRONG! When I came to book the tickets I was told that you could not reserve a bicycle place as it was on a first come first served basis. Not wanting to be stranded at Newcastle with the cycles we decided to drive to Whitehaven and drop the cycles off at the guest house, travel across to Newcastle and park the car and then catch the train back to Whitehaven. I was glad we did this as the link train from Carlisle to Whitehaven was a single carriage train with no facility to carry bicycles.
We stayed at Glenard Guest House in Whitehaven on the night of the 22 June and following a full english breakfast loaded our bicyles with our pannier bags and set off down the hill to the start point. My bicycle is a Claud Butler Legend Hybrid and Graham's is a Claud Butler Stone River mountain bike. I had fitted my bicycle with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres having read about multiple punctures and also fitted larger V brake pads to cope with the downhill sections. We found a friendly painter who took the obligatory photo at the Coast to Coast sign and off we went in glorious sunshine and a gently breeze.
DAY 1 The route out of Whitehaven was staightforward and we quickly followed the old railway path which was very pleasant. We had a quick rest stop at High Lorton 21 miles in to refuel for the first climb up Winlatter. The first part was quite steep and we looked longingly at the "B" road way down to our left but we pushed on and reached the Winlatter Visitor Center at the top where we enjoyed ice cold drinks and cake. The downhill from there into Braithwaite gave us spectacular views across to Braithwaite Lake and soon we were coming into Keswick. We missed the turn here and started the steep climb up towards the Castlerigg Stone Circle, a quick look at the map had us backtracking into Keswick and Station Road. We had some difficulty finding the track but eventually stumbled onto it by the leisure centre. This is another pretty route which crossed the river Greta several times. We got to Threlkeld about 3.00pm and had lunch. We set off once more and followed the signs towards Penrith when Graham picked up a puncture at 51 miles, Puncture fixed we pressed on to our overnight stop at Bank House Farm, Little Salkeld and arrived at 7.43pm. The owner told us that the nearest pub was a mile back down the road so, having showered and changed we walked the mile and a half! to the pub only to find that the kitchen was closed....no food!! We had to make do with beer, crisps, nuts and chocolate. Day 1 Stats Total Mileage 65.93 miles Total Time 11 Hrs 3 minutes Cycle Time 7 Hrs 27 minutes Ave speed 8.8mph Top Speed 29.7 mph
Day 2 A good hearty breakfast and we were off again once more in glorious sunshine. We climbed out of Little Salkeld looking across to the right at the looming hills, within 7 miles we were at the foot of the Hartside climb where Graham decided to take the off road section whilst I stuck to the road. It was not easy and I have to admit to getting off and pushing the bike up part of the first steep incline, the bike was back heavy due to the weight of the pannier bags. It got less steep further up and I was able to get on and ride again. I reached the Hartside cafe followed 5 minutes later by Graham who said that there was no way to cycle to off road section and so pushed his bike and pannier set all the way. After drink and food we set off on the downhill. The wind was against us and we had to pedal to keep going. We decided to go through Alston. About 3 miles out of Alston Graham had to stop as his knee which had been getting sore had now locked up and he could not go on. Luckily we stopped near a caravan park and Naomi who lived nearby kindly helped us get a taxi to take Graham and his bike (and my panniers) onto our next overnight at the Rookhope Inn. Once Graham was on his way I continued on towards Nenthead much faster now without the extra weight (Note to self: If I do this again, use a baggage service!!!) The climb out of Nenthead was silly and made me laugh. I pushed the bike once more and got on near the top where it became less steep. Eventually I crossed into Northumberland and followed the road downhill into Rookhope where a meal was certain. Day 2 Stats Total Mileage 33.6 miles Total Time 7 Hrs 8 minutes Cycle Time 5 Hrs Ave speed 6.7mph Top Speed 26.5 mph Day 3 Graham decided that he would carry on the ride and following another cooked breakfast we loaded up the bikes. The weather was overcast and much cooler but still dry. All the locals said that the best option out of Rookhope was to take the off road Rookhope Incline as this would miss out the big hill after Stanhope. The off-road section starts within 20 yards of the pub and looked okay...WRONG. It gets much rougher and steeper and I was not able to ride it on my hybrid road wheels. We eventually reached the top of the incline after a mile and viewed the track ahead which promised downhill all the way to Sunderland. The track is clear but rocky in places so I took it steady and picked my way around potholes and rocky bit whilst Graham sped ahead and his mountain bike. Fortunately for me there is a road alternative after a mile or so which I took whilst Graham continued on a grassy track. We met at the start of the Waskerly Way. The wind was quite strong in our faces now and again we had to pedal to keep up any sort of speed. The Waskerley way however was a good ride and we both enjoyed it. We then crossed the Hownsgill Viaduct which stands 180 foot tall. Graham does not like heights and took it at speed so that he would get across faster! Up until now the route had been well marked but from Consett onwards we had to take care as the locals (I presume) have a habit of turning signs around. A local cyclist stopped to chat with us and told us to watch out for glass on the path but I did not see any throughout the route. We knew we were on the right path when we passed the smelt wagon, metal cows in Beamish etc. Soon we were entering Sunderland with the Angel of the North to our left. We followed the route along the Stadium of Light and eventually on to Rocker Beach and the end. Then I noticed a broken spoke on my rear wheel probably caused by the rough ride over Rookhope Incline, thankfully the wheel was still fairly true and a replacement spoke will fix it.
Day 3 Stats Total Mileage 41 miles Total Time 6 Hrs 18 minutes Cycle Time 5 Hrs 12 minutes Ave speed 7.8 mph Top Speed 24.5 mph Overall thoughts. I am glad we did this, it was a pleasant ride and everyone was very friendly. For those of you that cycled all the way over Hartside etc, I am impressed. Will I do it again? Maybe. Would I make day 1 shorter? YES