Coast to Coast to Coast Ride

[EasyPeez]

I'm currently looking at the major Coast to Coast routes in England with a view to doing a 'there and back' using 2 of the trails.

I'm just wondering if anyone on here has done this before? If so which routes did you pick and how many days did you do it over? On what kind of bike?

Any tips on accommodation, surfaces, points of interest most welcome.

I'm probably going to go East to West to East for convenience, but this is not set in stone. Will be riding either an alu CX or a steel road bike, most likely fitted with 30mm Schwalbe G-One tyres - not so much knobbly as 'for her pleasure'. Will be carrying all my gear. Ideally staying in bunkhouses/B&Bs rather than tent.

A combination of 2 out of these 3 looks the favourite due to proximity of start/end locations -

Hadrian's Cycleway
Reivers route
C2C

But I'm not ruling out doing TPT one way and Way of the Roses t'other. Joining them up between Brid and Hornsea is very do-able. Not so much via Southport & Heysham perhaps.

Have I overlooked any routes?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[DCLane]

I've done C2C but not back, however 3 years ago I did a C2C2C audax: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-226/

That's 600k, and there's a 'softer' version of the 3 Coasts which is the E&W Coasts. Both to C2C2C.

 

[EasyPeez]

I've done C2C but not back, however 3 years ago I did a C2C2C audax: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-226/

That's 600k, and there's a 'softer' version of the 3 Coasts which is the E&W Coasts. Both to C2C2C.

That looks intense. I was thinking I might give myself a tad over 40hrs! I'm aiming for an enjoyable adventure rather than a feat of endurance.

I'd not thought of planning my own routes, but I guess that is an option. I think I was drawn to completing the major existing routes partly from an enjoyment of ticking things off and partly to ensure ease of navigation with them being (presumably) well signposted.

 

[tom73]

Sounds a great idea be interesting to see what others have done and how.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

If you are interested in the Devon Coast to Coast, let me know. I have a spare guide book going.

 

[Pale Rider]

A route you could consider is W2W - Walney to Wear, or Barrow to Sunderland.

It would be possible to do a loop: Sunderland to Workington on the C2C and back to Sunderland from Barrow which would start and end in the same place, but have no repeat sections, apart from the last mile to Roker beach.

Using the C2C outbound makes sense, it's the easiest of all the rides so you will minimise your climbing and miles into a prevailing head wind.

W2W is comparatively tough, up and down across the Dales, past the highest pub in England at Tan Hill in County Durham, and even though you've done most of the climbing by the time you reach Barnard Castle at about 100 miles, there's still another 50-odd to do.

A slight downer is you've previously done the first 25 miles or so of the C2C with me, and when you get to Durham City on the way back the territory will also be familiar.

You mention returning from Heysham.

The shortest coast ride from there would be to Hartlepool at about 105 miles.

Up and down across the Dales, fairly flat from Catterick to cross the Tees at either Hurworth or Yarm, and I reckon you would then pass Thorpe Thewles (another place you know from our rides).

It's not a 'named' route, but the roads are all used by cyclists so I reckon it would work well enough - @Aravis is considering doing it.

 

[Soltydog]

From East Yorkshire the WOTR is probably the easiest/best route to follow rather than the TPT which is a bit rough in places & slow going. A few years ago I did a similar thing, headed from home & picked up the WOTR around Pocklington, 2 days to Morecambe & then plotted my own route back over 2 days, stopping off at my parents in West Yorkshire.
I did the ride on my winter bike, Kinesis Racelight with 25mm tyres & it was ok on all the WOTR, but some of the route that I planned coming back I could have done with something more suitable for off-road stuff. Can find a link to the ride on Strava if you're interested

 

[Ajax Bay]

3 years ago I did a C2C2C audax: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-226/
That's 600k, and there's a 'softer' version of the 3 Coasts which is the E&W Coasts. Both [do] C2C2C.

18 months ago I did a C2C2C as part of Mille Pennines. The effective C2C2C route (not quite 600km) was this:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28897777?beta=false
Both crossings of the North York Moors had significant climbing (to balance out the 'flat' valley routes through the Dales).

 

[saiadave]

I've ridden most the coast/coast routes and would be avoiding The Reivers if on 30mm tyres. Most of the route is fine but the forest track "west" of Kielder can be quite rough going , not as bad on MTB tyres.
The Hadrians (which starts/finishes at Tynemouth) is my most favourite route of all , especially the section of the west coast section Ravenglass to Silloth , the rest of the route very doable on 30mm tyres . You could possibly consider C2C to/from Whitehaven , to/from Tynemouth. Always a possibility to meet up with your Sunderland cyclists on the way.

 

[Aravis]

Approaching Hartlepool last week, I noticed road signs for Sunderland, which made me think. Just down the coast from Morecambe is a tiny village also called Sunderland, and the nearby promontory of Sunderland Point. S to S would be poetic, although I'm not seeing a well-defined start/finish point near to the east coast Sunderland. That's one reason why Hartlepool was my ideal final destination.

This is where the road to Sunderland ends on the west coast:

But you'd have to be careful with your timing, since at other times it looks like this:

It seems to me that the possibilities for Coast to Coast rides are endless. It wouldn't occur to me not to be planning my own routes.

 

[Pale Rider]

I'm not seeing a well-defined start/finish point near to the east coast Sunderland

The C2C - before it was hijacked by Tynemouth - finished at Marine Walk, Roker.

The beach is between Sunderland's two distinctive curved piers.

I've seen several C2C finishers dipping their front wheel into the sea there, or dumping a pebble they've brought from the west coast.

There's limited seaside facilities, Sue's cafe which has been there for years, plus some newer places including a cycling orientated cafe called Fausto's.

At one time, the reception staff of the nearby Marine Activities Centre had a C2C rubber stamp, although I think that idea fizzled out after a few years.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.9...=100&yaw=353.53952&pitch=0&thumbfov=100?hl=en

 

[lane]

I did the Coast to Coast and back on the Reivers. We started and finished in Carlisle due to trains which worked well. Upthread there is mention of the forest track around Kielder but we just bypassed this and took the road which was easy enough. The rest of the Reivers route is fine. One of the best tours I have done we took a week. There is some nice contrast between the Coast to Coast and Reivers they have quite different characteristics. It was probably 18 years ago. I would do it again one day.

 

[Aravis]

The C2C - before it was hijacked by Tynemouth - finished at Marine Walk, Roker.

The beach is between Sunderland's two distinctive curved piers.

I've seen several C2C finishers dipping their front wheel into the sea there, or dumping a pebble they've brought from the west coast.

There's limited seaside facilities, Sue's cafe which has been there for years, plus some newer places including a cycling orientated cafe called Fausto's.

At one time, the reception staff of the nearby Marine Activities Centre had a C2C rubber stamp, although I think that idea fizzled out after a few years.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.9210205,-1.3643507,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sC3EficE_QyeP8MtS1xkZxQ!2e0!6s//geo1.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=C3EficE_QyeP8MtS1xkZxQ&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=353.53952&pitch=0&thumbfov=100?hl=en

Haha that answers me well enough then!

I see it now. I was looking at the south side of the river, but that seems to be occupied by dockland which I'd imagine is private. Heysham was similar, making it difficult to find a satisfying start point. That's partly why in the end I settled for a ceremonial pass of Eric's statue and the stone pier in Morecambe.

I never thought of picking up a stone to hurl triumphantly into the sea from beside the cannon on the Headland. That would've been a good moment - I won't forget another time.

 

[Pale Rider]

The C2C path used to run into Sunderland on the south side of the Wear.

As you say, much of that part of the coast is docks and not generally open to the public.

Thus the old route sent you over to the north side via one of the bridges - Queen Alexandra or Wearmouth - and then out to Roker.

Sunderland is unusual in that the resort - Roker and Seaburn - is further round the coast from the town.

In most seaside towns the town bit is directly behind the resort.

Strictly, Seaburn, location of the main beach, is not in Sunderland, although many people describe it as such.

Even more strictly, anything north of the Wear, including Roker, is Monkwearmouth so you could argue the C2C doesn't end in Sunderland.

The whole area, north and south, is part of the local authority of City of Sunderland which is what most people adopt.

Taking a pebble from one side to another is a C2C custom, as is dunking your front wheel in both seas.

There are pics on here of C2Cers doing that.

 

[theloafer]

The C2C - before it was hijacked by Tynemouth - finished at Marine Walk, Roker.

2010

2012

2 great trips