RIDE THE SEA TO SEA
From the Cumbrian coast, across the Pennines to the North Sea: cycling coast to coast is a wonderful way to drink in the British landscape, says Lara Dunn
Hop on a bicycle to ride the C2C cycle route from coast to coast, taking in castles, coal mines and cafés.
In my mind, there’s nothing to rival exploring the British countryside by bicycle – it’s a combination of the fresh air, the physical effort and the ability to cover distances long enough to make even crossing our modestly sized island a very reasonable proposition. Indeed, while the 870 or so mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats remains the stuff of lifetime challenges for most, the 147 miles of the Sea to Sea, or Coast to Coast (C2C), feels simultaneously less threatening and much more appealing. Well, to me at least. There’s a certain poetry about actually crossing England under your own steam. The C2C route created by sustainable transport charity and National Cycle Network founders Sustrans in 1994 traditionally travels west to east (in recognition of the prevailing winds), usually starting in Whitehaven on the Irish Sea coast of Cumbria. This autumn, having dipped my rear wheel in the sea there, according to tradition, I’ll be making my way over four days through some of the wildest and most breathtaking scenery England has to offer, before finishing with a well-earned fish ’n’ chips on the east coast at Tynemouth. I’ve chosen this route as it’s the classic Sustrans option, well signposted and easy to follow, but the finer details are still up to me.
WHEELING ABOUT
With half the C2C following quiet country roads, and a further 46% meandering along cycle paths and off-road, I’m going to ride a lightweight hybrid bicycle, but it’s a trip suitable for most types of
bike. Small route changes can easily be made to suit you – for example, to give even hardened mountain bikers a challenge. In the west, I’ll follow quiet roads and cycle paths through the former coal mining and industrial lands of Cumbria, passing 5,000-year-old Castlerigg Stone Circle and Greystoke Castle (the inspiration for
Tarzan), increasingly surrounded by the rugged splendour of the Lake District. I plan to spend my first night in
Keswick, with plenty of accommodation and a lively selection of pubs to choose from. Where the first day is fairly flat, the second and third will be far from it, offering as they do some of the iconic climbs of the Pennines, such as
Hartside Pass, a must for a cup of tea and slice of wellearned cake at England’s highest café, Hartside Top. Thankfully, just past the pass is a popular overnight stop for Coast-to-Coasters, the Nent Hall Country House Hotel at Alston.
Passing through old lead mining villages such as Nenthead, I’ll aim for
Stanhope for my third night, before winding through the Durham Dales and on to Consett, before finally reaching the sea once more at
Tynemouth, where I’ll dip my front wheel into the North Sea and get my C2C card stamped by Sustrans.
Rather than parking a car at each end or grappling with trains, I’m seriously tempted to make it a round trip adventure, returning to the west coast via the 173 mile Reiver’s Cycle Route – a Coast to Coast to Coast, if you like.
“I’LL MAKE MY WAY OVER WILD AND BREATHTAKING SCENERY”