Summer 2020 Tour Part 2 - C2C Tyne and Wear and Hadrian's Wall Thurs 30th July-Sat 1st Aug 2020

After a day of rest at mum and dad's on Wednesday in Penrith to recuperate (only involving a walk up Aira Force) after our 3 day Dales and Lakes Loop, we were in a fit state to continue with our C2C on Thursday. All our stinky kit had been washed and tent/sleeping bags were now dry. Ironically, Wednesday was a perfect cycling day. No point in stressing that fact. Blue loop anticlockwise this time, again over three days.

Day 1 Penrith to Waskerley via Hartside 86km 1657m

After the unplanned drying out, washing kit and recovery day at my parents (was supposed to be overnight only) we were set up for the rest of the classic C2C via Hartside and Alston with wonderful contrasting cycle paths both wild and urban.What a fabulous day. Up and down dale. 

After a decent breakfast we headed out the wrong side of 10am. Wet out of Penrith of course and through Langwathby retracing the start of Part 1. 

I'm sure transport planners put these signs up to scare cyclists, no I didn't crash into the sign.

...and up we go on the lanes.

We came into Hartside from a back lane, far less traffic than the main road all the way. Now that looks a good descent!

That road is not flat up to the junction! Hard work, but once we were on the main road we were nearly there. The one advantage of bad weather is far less traffic to contend with, all quite pleasant in spite of the rain. It's advisable not to attempt Hartside at a weekend, a favourite haunt of motorbikes en masse. The few we saw were all very considerate with many waves and nods of helmets, reciprocated of course.

Of course the very familiar café did not come into view, it burnt down a couple of years back so just the summit sign, car park and a burger van.

Rain evidence!

Now Steve loves a burger and greasy spoon and I am a real snob about fast food, I just don't like it unless very good quality. However, even I'm not going to disallow a burger after that effort, and quite fancied a cup of tea myself. The fact we had a rest day was to our advantage as apparently the burger stand is only open Thursday-Sunday, and only a couple of other workers in vans, cyclists and motorcyclists around, so no wait.

Unfortunately for Steve he had to share his burger, turned out it was fantastic, butcher quality, freshly cooked, masses of toppings. Big up for the burger van at Hartside Summit! Allegedly the sausages are just as good.

Although we had been sheltering under the portakabin to eat our burger and drink our tea it was starting to dry up but quite breezy still. Not really end of July weather.

Alston was not that far. A cross roads of bike routes at the highest market town in the country, complete with it's own pavé. We stopped at Blueberry's Café eventhough it wasn't justified in distance, we are on holiday after all. It was a traditional Pennine café last year but during lockdown it had been re imagined as a high quality local produce general stores with 1 cafe table inside but outside seating. I had my daily latte and some cake for pudding. Independent businesses need all the support they can get. Cyclists can't bring all their provisions with them so tend to spend more locally on food etc even if we don't buy souvenirs!

The Northumberland sign evoked images of cavalry chasing across the moors in times gone by.

A couple on mountain bikes stopped too and kindly took a pic for us, yes we all used hand wipes etc

I never knew about the Prince Bishops.

A scenic and lumpy ride to Allenheads, again tempted by a cafe but just popped in the spotless public conveniences and off to Stanhope.

Stanhope was lovely and slap bang opposite the church was the most traditional fish and chip shop ever. 

So fish and chips and curry sauce for early "chippy tea" it was. We sat out of the wind admiring the church, very pleasant even if my photo makes us look like it was just the bins for company. Very fine fish and chips too, hot oil so fresh and beer batter crispy.

We did know there's a bloody big hill out of Stanhope up to Waskerley. My goodness we knew it after fish and chips! Conquered without walking and off onto the gravelly Waskerley Way. I made use of the obligatory bike stands bike paths always seem to have at the start, and a nice sculpture too. Plenty of old pit railway lines make a fabulous network of bike paths in County Durham.

We wombled off along the moor, all too open to camp discretely here. We dropped down into the wooded area and managed to find somewhere out of sight in the end, but in midge central. The tent went up fast and we got in it faster. The half dozen that accompanied us inside ate me to death all night, Steve didn't get one bite. But it was the only time we put up a dry tent woo!

Day 2 Waskerley to Prudhoe via Durham Sunderland and Newcastle 114km 571m

The forecast random heatwave day was today, almost all on bike paths. Our midgy camp spot...

Forced out of the tent by heat (what's that about?!) we packed up and lugged everything back onto the path and cycled up to one of the many benches to brew up. Breakfast on a bench on Waskerley Way is how every morning bikepacking/cycletouring should begin. It's how I always imagine our tours will be. Folk out early, mainly blasting up and back on their own enjoying the early morning solitude (I presume from Consett) every single one of them grinning from ear to ear with a welcoming "morning" greeting and smiling nods. 

We packed the stove away and continued down to Durham, deviating from the C2C for old times sake. Today is quite long but no hills, Steve was quite looking forward to a no hills day.

We came across a garden centre type cafe and had a second breakfast coffee and cake and almost immediately came out onto the road, past my brother’s house (he’s still in Eskdale) and onto Steve’s Granny’s house a couple of miles away where he was born, and the first member of his family I met as she used to feed us huge afternoon teas when we went over on the bus at weekends. It's coincidental that my brother has ended up in Durham, we were not brought up there.

Onto Sunderland, via Chester le Street, where we met at Sunderland Poly Rag Ball in 1985. All I can say that Sunderland has changed beyond recognition, I'm not sure I ever went by the river. Our university days were to the backdrop of the Miners' strike and mass unemployment. I did ride a bike around town but that was it.

It was so hot but a lovely route for an urban area. Roker Beach was heaving for the finish of our C2C . After a peaceful morning the hoards were a slight shock. It wasn't that bad, just felt crowded in comparison.

A couple of obligatory photos and onto South Shields passenger ferry to Tynemouth. 

Just before the ferry my bike seized and clanked alarmingly. I stopped quickly, a bolt had come out of the rack and it had dropped down. We stole one bolt from a water bottle holder and cable tied the water bottle holder on. Note to self: must go and put another bolt in, I'd forgotten about that!

We waited for the ferry and crossed over the Tyne to Tynemouth, the alternative is a passenger/bike tunnel but it was far too nice for that. We hadn't found "end of C2C" evidence in Sunderland but did find end of NCN72 Hadrian's Cycleway's "evidence" as huge buoys. Most start in Ravenglass and loop via Whitehaven to Silloth and then Carlisle and Hadrian's Wall through Newcastle to the end here in Tynemouth. Of course were were planning on most of the route the wrong way round. We didn't see a soul cycling the route our way, we were against the tide.

After another picture Steve vetoed "flogging" out to the lighthouse, as he put it, and we found an outside table at a dockside pub, where the road had been pleasantly closed for social distancing, and had a mid afternoon pint whilst people watching in the shade.

After the cool down we followed the Tyne all the way to Newcastle. and had an excellent cup of tea and chocolate caramel slice to share late afternoon at the Bike Hub. it was so good we went back for a second slice. No hardship being outdoors now. We've not gone short of refreshments today and have drunk gallons of water.

Past the Sage, Gateshead Millenium and Tyne bridges. We stayed in an apartment by the Sage with the whole family 5 years ago when #2 daughter graduated from Northumbria, #1 also came to Newcastle for university, so we used to be up twice a year for six years ferrying them.

...and all the way out to Prudhoe past George Stephenson’s house. Such a lot of contrasts but bike paths are hard work, all the stopping and starting and pedestrian avoidance doesn't make fast progress. It was all so lovely, I'd been expecting a lot of run down urban sprawl out of Newcastle but it was very rural very quickly.

We had managed to secure a camp site for tonight, more Wylam than Prudhoe so we doubled back down the other side of the bank from Prudhoe back towards Wylam again. We found the deserted campsite and they wanted £30 a night! £15 had been quoted as you'd expect for a backpacker rate for 2, turns out that was per person, there were two other tents on the scrappy rough field, the rest of the site was old static caravans. They honoured the £15 in the end. I'm not paying £30 for a shower. I'm sure Wylam was the only place to have rain that day. It ironically started as the tent was pitched. We phoned the local pub and luckily got a table and after a lovely (hot not rain) shower, I finally scrubbed off all the splatted midges and suncream, we rode down for a lovely meal in Wylam itself, actually inside. It felt reasonably normal, although incredibly quiet for a Friday night. The Ship Inn does fabulous food if you're ever passing. The highlight of Steve's holiday, other than the rest day. Lights on for the return trip.

Day 3 Prudhoe to Penrith via Hadrian's Wall Headwind 123km 1790m

I think I may have broken my husband today. Another long and hilly day via Hadrian's Wall and at Brampton then peeling south and back to Penrith was the plan.

It was wild and remote but a very different feel up top here to the classic C2C Pennines route, following Hadrian's Wall route in reverse. Today was much cooler with plenty of hills and cycling into a stiff westerly headwind and showers.

Steve was struggling, we took 4 hours to hack a lumpy 45km and finally found an excellent lunch stop at Bardon Mills, a perfect café/village shop with the owner doing absolutely everything on his own. We ordered toasties and coffee and sat outside sheltered from the wind and I contemplated the time, it was 1pm. Our toasties came and we ate them and then ordered another drink, so I knew Steve was delaying, and I bought some shortbread to take away whilst inside. 

When planning I had registered the frequent train stations from which we could abort the trip if need be. There was no way we could continue at this rate and get back before dark and I didn't want Steve to suffer anymore, it's not wise with a heart condition, so I told him he was getting the train back. I think he was quite relieved, he didn't want to spoil it for me. after buying a tic online, he headed off to get the train back to my parents in Penrith via Carlisle and I continued, with the shortbread stowed for power fuelling. I had 80km left and I tried to put my foot down. Haltwhistle was lovely too but the hills just kept on coming.  

I turned off the route at Brampton and headed south heading for Lazonby, the sun was peeping through and finally I had just a crosswind to contend with. I was really enjoying myself. After yet another hill I stopped on a wall at 100km  and admired the view to the west and ate my shortbread. I had 25km left. It was idyllic. I had a message from Steve to say he got back to Penrith, it's not easy to get on a mainline train from Carlisle with a bike at the best of times never mind just now, so that was a relief.

I chopped out a gratuitous Beacon Edge at the end. I got back after 7 with some jocular teasing "what kept you?" I was so pleased we finished the plan of basically 3 routes over two tours Steve had completed the vast majority.

It was hard with Covid limitations but we mainly managed to forget all that stuff. Just being free outside with tough physical challenges is a diversion from working too hard the past few months. Absolutely loved touring still, and felt like we recovered some fitness. It was wonderful to see my brother and family on the campsite in Eskdale (and pass their front door in Durham too!) and especially my parents after a long 6 months. Life is for living, sometimes plans have to change but go out and take what you can. Live each day. Be free. Appreciate what you have. Keep Pedalling and you get there eventually. 650km and nearly 9000m of climbing in 6 days is not that bad really!

The view from my wall.