Carlisle to Newcastle - 29 July (night ride)
Rider leader Andrew says:
This is a new ride for the 2022 FNRttC calendar.
There is still a lot of route checking to be done so forgive the “ifs, maybes, hopefullys”.
Both cities are well connected by rail to the North and the South. Departing Carlisle Station, the intention is to head along the A69 towards Brampton before we head north for a short while to pick up the cycle path that parallels Hadrian’s Wall. The route imperceptibly gains height along the A69 before the dip to Lanercost Bridge. After that it’s a series of climbs and dips until we get to just past Twice Brewed at 255m/837ft and approximately 48km/30 miles into the ride. Be under no illusion that this section is hilly but the climbs are not too steep.
After the “summit” there is a very long descent towards Hexham where, hopefully, we’ll stop at a 24 hour garage for refreshments. The garage has a coffee machine (Starbucks) and a wide range of snacks and sandwiches. There are also several franchises but these are likely to be closed. We may, however, be able to use the tables and chairs to eat at. The stop is at 67km/41 miles.
After Hexham we mostly follow the course of the River South Tyne including some riding along the banks of the river into Newcastle. As you might expect, this part of the route is very flat.
The intention is to have breakfast at the Cycle Hub café where the Ouseburn joins the Tyne. After breakfast there are several breweries further up Ouseburn where I’m sure it’ll be possible to buy a beer.
The café is about 3km/2 miles from Newcastle Central Station and the total distance from Carlisle to the Cycle Hub is approximately 108km/67 miles.
For those wanting to do a “coast to coast” it’s a few miles west from Carlisle to the sea and then about 11km/7 miles on to Tynemouth.