Final day: Newcastle

After a good “healthy” fry up, we did some sightseeing in Newcastle. Went to visit a huge bike shop – Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op. (Well we couldn’t just walk on by!) And also took more photos:

The Tyne Eye in the background, which slowly tilts upwards to let boats through:

And this strange wonderful structure on the South Bank – The Sage Gateshead – which is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences

Looks even more amazing at night.

From there, on to the station for a train back to Carlisle. Being a little tired now, we decided we’d catch another train from Carlisle to Penrith, however, we found out that there were “engineering works” so train substituted by a bus! So, it was back on the bikes after all. Have to say though that the ride from Carlisle to Penrith was brilliant – virtually flat and dead straight all the way, on a minor lane! (we didn’t follow the Sustrans route – went the more direct version, down little lanes – cut about 5 miles off the route). Who could ask for more? Another 20 miles clocked up.

Back to FellFoot Hostel (well, via another bike shop,of course – Arragons, in Penrith). Had a restorative cuppa with Jackie and Alasdair before heading home.

All done and dusted.

Total mileage: 171

Really enjoyed it. Great way to celebrate my 40th. It was all I imagined it to be and more. An adventure, a challenge, excting and also fun. Great to be with Nic on our own for a change, too!

For more photos, (as if you really want boring further), go to my flickr account here

Thank you all so much for your donations, by the way! Really made it all worthwhile!

Total amount raised so far £521 – and 65 days left to donate, if you haven’t already… go on…let’s make it £600!

Day 3: How to get an asymmetric tan…

…cycle from west to east. We both look faintly ridiculous

Anyway, we made it. Cycled to Tynemouth and the end of our route. The photo above is of me cycling under the Tyne. Strange to think we started today in the Pennines. Done 60 odd miles today.

After getting to Tynemouth we cycled on to Newcastle and on to the Travelodge. After an hour of wandering around trying to find it, I accosted a friendly policeman who finally manged to give us the right directions. Just come back in from a much needed meal out

Tommorrow we’re meandering around Newcastle before catching the train to Carlisle and on to Penrith to collect the car.

I’ll add all the photos and more waffling on our trip when we get home. Just can’t stand typing any more on this phone. So, bye for now!

Update:

We thought this day would be easy after the previous one. And in many ways it was. The only irritation i found was the constant stopping to manoeuvre through barriers, stopping to check the route and then backtracking when we got it wrong!

Out of Rookhope we had one big hill at Stanhope but that really was the last of the biggies, before getting back onto the last of the Pennines and my favourite type of cycling:

We turned off the road onto the Waskerley Way (old railway line).

This was a bit teeth rattling so opted for a road section which took us down into the valley and unfortunately a climb back again, but it was much speedier. The Waskerely Way improved though towards Consett, where we took these photos of the Terris Novalis sculptures which overlook where the mightly Consett Steelworks were.

And

These are by Tony Cragg, nearly 7m tall and have won the Turner prize. They symbolise regeneration in an area ruined by the demise of heavy industry. They were commissioned by Sustrans.

After this, we decided to go to Tynemouth, the alternative ending of the C2C route, rather than Sunderland, as originally planned. We continued along the south bankon the Tyne, through Gateshead and on to Jarrow. Navigation here was difficult and lots of stops and starts. Sustrans seem to be redoing the route. Many a time we would find the signs but the paths would be blocked.

So lots of diversions sending us all over the place and lots of head scratching, trying to find the correct route. Still, it was great to see the Newcastle Bridges, looming into view:

Then we opted for the Tyne Pedestrian and Cycle Tunnel to get to the north side of the Tyne.

This was great! Took a bit of finding – not obvious at all, at least not at the moment. The only sign of it above ground is this tiny little building. There is a lift and also escalators to help you get down there. We took the lift down, and the escalator up. This was a bit hairaising as the escalator is very steep, very long and very slow! My hands were numb trying to keep hold of my bike. Probably absolutely fine if you have an unladen bike.

and to show you how long it was…

(Actually, just checked on wiki - it was built in 1951 and these escalators are the longest wooden escalators in the world!)

Once on the North side, everything was easy. Well signposted and we hurtled towards the finish, which is right at the end of the quayside:

Phew! Done!

Then, a cycle back to Newcastle to find our Travelodge. The route there was just excellent – one of the highlights really, at least as far as city cycling goes. Again, it follows an old railway line, But this time, it’s tarmacced and well signposted. We got to the centre of Newcastle (about 8 miles from the finish) in no time at all, it seemed. The cycle path brings you out onto the Quayside area, which is now rather smart.

However, as mentioned earlier, finding the Travelodge took about an hour of frustration! Still, once there, after a quick shower and change, it was off to eat, again!

Have to say that Newcastle is far nicer than I thought it would be. There has been a lot of regneration to the dock area. Some wonderful architecture. Friday night there is quite “interesting” Never seen so many Hen and Stag groups in one place!

Day 2: That b****y hill!

Excuse the fetching hanky – trying to stop my leg from burning!

First blog of the day. Just made it to the top of Hartside Fell, a mere 2000 ft! Have to say it was the hardest hill I’ve ever done. Would love to say we cycled up it but the reality is we hauled the bikes up most of it. Since we were walking so much we decided to take the scenic off road route… It was definitely a challenge! However, the views were spectacular, so worth it in the end. Just another two hills to go before we stop for the day in Rookhope. 25 miles to go…

Edited to add that the above was written lunchtime Wednesday but there was no signal to send it. The day continued very hilly but we finally arrived in Rookhope about 530. Wonderful B&B and a fab evening meal there. Absolutely stuffed – best meal we’ve had in a long time! No signal to send post again…

Update:

Have to say that the climbs this day were killers! Didn’t manage one of the three big ones without walking at some point. The first climb was Hartside, described above. Even though we had decided to walk when we were about half way up, it was with hindsight, the wrong decision to go on the off road route.
It is VERY steep and VERY rough! Hauling our bikes over boulders whilst climbing at what seemed like 45 degrees in our silly road cycling shoes, was certainly my biggest challenge so far! Nic had to take my panniers for me at some point. How he managed I don’t know. I did have a severe sense of humour failure for a moment or so, which turned the air rather blue!

Anyway as you can see, we did make it. Thank God for the Cafe at the top! Bit of biker haven, but great all the same.
Here is part of the cycle route:

OK for mountain bikes, I guess…

Had a few cute bits such as this:

Notice I’m still smiling so this must have been near the bottom of the off road section!

Scenery was stunning though.

Nic at the cafe:

What makes this hill so special is the promise of the 5 miles or so of glorious downhill that follows. Unfortunately for us we had a stiff headwind, about 20 mph, which meant we had to cycle downhill! Mind you, anything is easier than cycling up it.

Next hill was out of Alston (we opted for the alternative C2C route rather than going up and over at Garrigill. Alston was lovely – cobbled little town.

This is just after the climb out of Alston:

And Nic had a chortle taking this photo:

Slow indeed.

Then on to the start of my favourite section – the bleakness of Northumberland:

All you can see here is vast empty space and the route going through it, as far as the eye can see. Gorgeous descents here. Absolutely worth the climb.

Then on through County Durham:

Quite a few old ruined cottages and miles and miles of empty road:

And our eventual approach into Nenthead:

This section across the Pennines was definitely my favourite. Prefered it to the lakes.

Nenthead is an old lead/zinc mining village, about 500m above sea level. It was purpose built for mining in 1825 by the Quaker Lead Company. Zinc mining continued until 1940s and Nenthead mInes closed its last pit in 1961. A small community remains and apparently the Nenthead Mines Heritage Centre is definitely worth a visit, but we just didn’t have the time.

Another climb out of Nenthead followed by a swift descent to Allenheads, before a long descent into Rookhead for our next overnight stay, at the Old Vicarage. Again, this is an old Lead mining village.

Fabulous place! We had arranged to have dinner here – the lovely couple who own it – Colin and Pauline Lomas – used to run restaurants, specialising in Mediterranian cooking, so we had an amazing meal! Again, another great stop-over.

Mileage today: 39.45, over 5hrs 50 mins, an average of only 6.7 mph. Did I mention the hills???

Oh and one amusing incident:

What do you think this is? We cycled past it, it was lying in the yard of a farm house, just by the road..

At first glance, Nic thought it was a brown bear – I wondered why the pace increased so dramatically I guess we weren’t expecting Llamas around here!  (Then again, quite why he was expecting brown bears is beyond me!)

Day 1 Whitehaven to Penrith

Just to say we made it across the Lake District today! 49.99 miles! I’ll blog properly when we get home – it’s just far too tedious typing this on my phone. Lots of photos to bore you with… Anyway, apart from nearly getting run off the road by a load of stampeding sheep we’re fine and absolutely starving so off to find some FOOD!

Update:

Us at the official starting place:

Took a few wrong turns out of Whitehaven, which is not a particularly beautiful place. The cycle route out though, along the old railway line, is great and lasts for about 10 miles, before picking up little lanes.

Beautiful cycle alongside Loweswater,on the way to Keswick:

And

Found a nice place for lunch, in Low Lorton – Winder Hall – photo courtsey of their website:

A real gem of a place and apparently great for overnight stays too.

Then on to climb Winlatter Pass. Actually, not that bad, although due to being nearly run off the road by the flock of sheep, we ended up walking. I find it really difficult to start again, fully laden, once I stop! There is a headstone for someone who presumably died doing the C2C route, along the way, which is a little alarming!
Good views from the top! Makes you realise how high you’ve climbed when the cars are so tiny below, on the main road.

(Main road is at the bottom of the valley in the picture above)

Nic had some bike trouble – creaking crank and also lost a bolt that holds his cleat onto the bottom of his shoe, which meant he was unable to get his foot out of the pedal, leading to a rather amusing few seconds…(at least for me!). We found a good bike shop in Keswick, behind the Pencil Museum, that managed to sort him out.

Keswick itself is great – nice route out via old railway lines and over some really sweet little pedestrian bridges:

and

Lots of cycling through forrested areas.

From there it was fairy straightforward cycle to Penrith, again through some gorgeous scenery and lovely little lanes.
If you’re following the C2C route, though, there is a bit you can miss out, just before Troutbeck, towards Penrith, where you end up doing two sides of a triangle when you could just cut across the bottom. Does involve going on the main road but worth it when you just want to get there!

After a much needed cuppa and shower, we headed off for an Italian Restaurant for much needed sustenance!

Penrith – night before the start

Finally arrived, after an emergency dental appointment for me (typical!) this morning. Very comfy B&B; basically a self catering annexe off the main house. We appear to have it all to ourselves at present. Been out for an Italian meal and are now sitting in our private little courtyard supping our vino in the fading evening sunlight, listening to the bell ringing practice. All prepared for the morrow. Hoping to start from Whitehaven at about 9am.

Update:
Really recommend this B&B – Fellfoot Hostel -  the owners, Jackie and Alasdair, were very welcoming. The Hostel is right next door to their house, with its own garden area, good clean accommodation, fully equiped kitchen if you fancy making meals yourself and good showers! They also very kindly drove us to Whitehaven for the start of the trip.

Test ride this morning…

…over to Capel Coch (Anglesey) and back, loaded up with our panniers etc.   Checked for any rattles or dodgy handling but all fine. Great to get out with Hubby as I spend most of my time cycling on my own or with the children behind me. Nic got to try out his new and rather strangely shaped saddle (see pic); the verdict seems to be positive, thankfully (this is the third saddle he’s tried!).

As you can see, fabulous day and apparently the forecast is good for the week. Can hardly believe it   Must remember the suncream!

We leave first thing in the morning for Penrith and start our cycling early on Wednesday morning. I shall try to update this blog, mobile permitting, at the end of each day.

Getting nervous…

Haven’t been out on the bike for a week now. Do you know why? Because I don’t want to injure myself or the bike before we start! How stupid is that? Partly because you lot have kindly sponsored me and I don’t want to let anyone down, so I must be fit enough, and bike not broken, to go. All started when I tripped over the dog and twisted my ankle last week – which put me off the bike for a few days, and then I thought what else could go wrong… and thought it best not to tempt fate!

However, on Monday Nic and I are doing a trial run with all our gear, just a 10 miler or something, to check for rattles and to realise we’ve packed far too much for “them there hills” and unpack half of it!

Ellen MacArthur Trust

I’ve been chatting to the EMT today, asking for promotional material etc to send out to people we meet on the way, or to leave at the B&Bs etc and it costs approximately £500 per child to send them on a four day sailing trip, so lets see if we can make this target and then some! Click on the Justgiving.com link on the right if you can help – we’re not far off now!

Edited to add – we’re now featured on the EMT website!

We have panniers…

Ortlieb panniers have arrived (Thanks M&D – early b-day pressie for us both) and they are fab. We’ve gone for just rear ones, so we don’t over pack. Nic has bright red, I’ve got blue. Well, I did fancy red but it just won’t go with my next load of bar tape which is going to be a very girly pink (quite unlike me)! We were going to use our old Karrimor panniers from years gone by, but when we dug them out the garage we found mice had been nesting in mine and eaten away some of the material and then started on Nic’s. Whilst I’m all for ventilation, I don’t really want the contents strewn all over the Pennines! These ortlieb panniers are also 100% waterproof which could be very handy and incredibly easy to take on and off.

This time next week….we’ll be heading up to Penrith….

25 miles…

Nic’s commuting to work has started.  Unfortunately co-inciding with a week windsurfing so a bit of a double whammy as far as exercise is concerned.  He made it to work (running late) in 56 mins, with a slightly more leisurely return journey of just over an hour.  Depends so much on the wind though – normally it’s a run all the way to work and a head wind all the way home, which is a bit of drag.  He is still sitting on his instrument of torture which he is rather keen to replace with something a little more…er… in shape with his derriere