Hello from Whitley Bay

[Johnym]

Hi

My names Paul and im 37 from Whitley Bay. I have recently ordered a Forme Reflex and cant wait to get it on the road.

I have turned to cycling after being a runner for a good few years but the old joints are not what they were. Any advice on taking up cycling at this time of year is vey much appreciated.

 

[addictfreak]

Hello and welcome

Just across the river from you, quite a few 'locals' on here.

 

[Sonofpear]

Hi mate and welcome. Like addictfreak I'm just across the river. Just googled your new bike as I wasn't familiar with it and it looks lovely.
Only advice I can give is get layered up, its starting to get a bit nippy now. Other than that just get out on your shiney new bike and enjoy.

 

[NormanD]

Welcome to the mad house from across the water too (anyone notice a pattern here )

 

[rodgy-dodge]

to CC Paul from across two rivers....oooooo I do love a good pattern Norm.....Knit one, Purl one...

 

[Johnym]

Hi and thanks, quite a few locals on here then. Where do you venture too on your bikes over that side? Thanks about bike comments, I wasn't familiar with the make being a newbie but seems to get decent reviews so fingers crossed :-)

 

[Sonofpear]

Yeah the bike looks lovely. Nice to have something a bit different i think.
During the week I do short rides upto Sunderland and around cleadon and boldon. Depending on how much time I have. Tend to do this as fast as I can and really push myself. At the weekend I go further with a couple of friends. Morpeth, Hexham, ponteland, Durham.

 

[BigTam]

Hi there, nice bike, I am from the same side of the water as you, just a few miles dowm the coast in North Shields.

I do most of my cycling along the coast.

 

[dellzeqq]

welcome aboard Johnym, and may I be the first to 'take advantage' of you, and of those others from the Newcastle area who've posted above.

If you were organising a ride that finished around Newcastle in the morning, where would be the ideal seaside spot? I'm thinking breakfast, sea views and proximity to a railway station.......

and, ruthless opportunist that I am....if you were travelling south to north across Newcastle in a group, which way would you go? Would you cross the Tyne at Prudhoe, Blaydon, Gateshead or Hebburn (I know the A68) - or is there a ferry at South Shields?

 

[annedonnelly]

welcome aboard Johnym, and may I be the first to 'take advantage' of you, and of those others from the Newcastle area who've posted above.

If you were organising a ride that finished around Newcastle in the morning, where would be the ideal seaside spot? I'm thinking breakfast, sea views and proximity to a railway station.......

and, ruthless opportunist that I am....if you were travelling south to north across Newcastle in a group, which way would you go? Would you cross the Tyne at Prudhoe, Blaydon, Gateshead or Hebburn (I know the A68) - or is there a ferry at South Shields?

Hi Dellzeqq,

I've seen your posts about a Newcastle area ride before.

I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of trains around here. The nearest station to Newcastle, is, errm, Newcastle! So where-ever you finish on the coast you'll have to head back into Newcastle for trains. The Metro does run to the coast but no bikes allowed on there. You'd certainly get sea views in Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, South Shields, but not sure about breakfast...

There is a ferry at Shields -timetable link - and there's a cycle/pedestrian tunnel alongside the Tyne Tunnel on the A19. Both ferry and tunnel are on Sustrans routes.

Feel free to PM me if you've any other questions you think I can help with. I'm just a few miles further up the coast.

Anne

 

[User10119]

welcome johnym! i'm a wee bit further south, in york, but have accidentally ended up doing nearly all my riding this year in a northerly direction - not made it quite as far as you on my bike yet, but not far off. i was near there for a silly-bike-adventure-without-my-bike just this weekend tho. some cracking good riding country you have near you.

(and dell - a couple of yacfers did a ride across nearly all the bridges, the cyclist's tunnel and the s shields ferry on saturday. adam, who went to hull on the yellow folder, knows the area really well and might be of assistance. i couldn't ride with them as am still off the bike because of the elbow but did go up the night before on the train for the pre-ride curry, beer and night of youth hostelling - my word, the bridges over the tyne, all lined up as viewed from the train and lit up at night, are quite a sight. if you do one there i'll have to turn up, even if i have to borrow a funny shaped bike to compensate for broken-ness!)

 

[Sonofpear]

welcome aboard Johnym, and may I be the first to 'take advantage' of you, and of those others from the Newcastle area who've posted above.

If you were organising a ride that finished around Newcastle in the morning, where would be the ideal seaside spot? I'm thinking breakfast, sea views and proximity to a railway station.......

and, ruthless opportunist that I am....if you were travelling south to north across Newcastle in a group, which way would you go? Would you cross the Tyne at Prudhoe, Blaydon, Gateshead or Hebburn (I know the A68) - or is there a ferry at South Shields?

i,d probably cross at prudhoe and follow the river down through newcastle and onto tynemouth, i'm sure there will be somewhere to get a bite to eat and they sea views are lovely. like anne said for the train you would have to cycle back to newcastle central station as the metro doesnt allow bikes, which i think is crap.

 

[BigTam]

Plenty of places for breakfast in Tynemouth or along the coast to Whitley Bay, I would personally recommend the cafe down in front of the Grand Hotel in Tynemouth, on the longsands beach, Crusoes.

And I echo the feeling of the others who have mentioned the stupid no bikes rule on the Metro.