NCN 14/EV12 - a Darlington to Newcastle

[neil_merseyside]

The redeveloped bit of Amble is smart, but the town centre remains disappointingly run down, and I doubt lockdown has done much to improve it.

The offshore RNLI boat at Amble is worth a look.

It has the latest 'jet' propulsion - no external propellers, it just churns water at an enormous rate and pressure.

Cost about £2.2m.

A Shannon class boat, we have one at Hoylake and as impressive as that is it is our launch tractor and trailer that is a marvel to me, the water at the station can be a couple of miles away at times...

 

[annedonnelly]

I loved riding through Blyth lots of industrial is a nice counterpoint to the scenery, I'm sure it has a dark underbelly but can't be any worse than Birkenhead docks near me. The big cable reel place had so many reels of every size! Will avoid Cambois, but I liked exploring Amble the new gentrified dock shops are rather good (great cheese stall).

TBH I quite like going around the coast via Cambois. Most of the traffic is lorries who are considerate and then the stretch between south & north Cambois is nice & empty of much except a chance of spotting wildlife.

Using the NCN1 you see the best part of the Blyth. If you live here and want to shop in the town centre it's pretty limited.

 

[annedonnelly]

Me and Steve - who I think you met - once made the mistake of exploring Cambois because I liked the sound of the name.

Not much there, which is fair enough, but what there is also grim.

Will you like it better when it has a battery factory?

More of a dead end than Cambois is North Blyth. Did you venture that way?

 

[Pale Rider]

A Shannon class boat, we have one at Hoylake and as impressive as that is it is our launch tractor and trailer that is a marvel to me, the water at the station can be a couple of miles away at times... View attachment 590850

The offshore boats are generally 'fast afloat' - always in the water ready to go.

Sunderland used to have a proper old fashioned RNLI station inside the large port site at Hendon.

No public access, but I was lucky enough to visit it.

It had a slipway for the boat, and a little crew room above.

I recall the small storm proof windows in the room, brass frames (no rust), and double latches to stop them blowing open.

Sadly, the slipway was no longer in use, but it must have been very exciting to see the boat go down it and crash into the water in a North Sea hoolie.

I've been inside a Shannon, it's a bit like a small aircraft with seats with harnesses.

The other thing I noticed is the roof of the cabin is padded, to minimise injury if the (self righting) boat rolls over.

Lots of sat nav and radio communication, but they still have old fashioned compasses, paper charts, and semaphore flags in case all the gadgets fail.

More than £2m is a lot of money, but you can where it has been spent.

Sunderland lost its offshore boat a few years ago, but if you cycle through the marina you will see the comparatively small RNLI station on your left.

There's a crane outside to drop one of the inshore boats into the water.

There is also a larger detached RNLI building, including a small shop, next to Sue's, which has another boat on a trailer.

The boats launch between the piers, which give some protection from the weather, although it's still a bit hairy in a storm.

The last cox of the offshore boat told me the technique was simple: aim for the centre of the gap between the piers, give it full beans, and hope for the best.

Will you like it better when it has a battery factory?

More of a dead end than Cambois is North Blyth. Did you venture that way?

Ah, I wondered exactly where the battery factory is going to be.

I doubt that will be an architectural gem, but given the economic benefits plonking it near Cambois is probably as good a place as any.

Never went to North Blyth.

This thread reminds me the north east coast has a certain rugged beauty, but is not exactly picture postcard.

The film director Ridley Scott, who is from the area, set part of his film Alien on the coast at Murton.

He said, only half in jest, it was the nearest place to hell on earth he knew of.

 

[neil_merseyside]

So I've been on a reccy I rode from Darlington to South Hetton 30 miles. The route out of town parallel to Tornado Way was good until the bridge at Amazon when it becomes a wash board surface that needs careful speed selection so the harmonics don't loosen bolts/nuts/teeth, fine beyond long Newton. Up to Redmarshal and Thorpe Thewles is great country. NCN1/EV12 bit rough out of the station tea rooms (no bacon!!), but soon became a bit smoother and nicely dry, Hurworth Burn was crowded with birders and people having a picnic. North side of A181 has pedal deep mud, luckily the bloke that had been mud plugging warned me! The back of Shotton Collliery is rough and poor surfaces, and at the diagonal beyond is 30metres of edge to edge flooding - looks like a canal, also path is very up and down and loose/rough, I hopped back on the road at South Hetton to bypass the field entrance continuation of the path. Came back via road to the council tip at south end of Shotton and back on the NCN there.
I've not looked at profiles yet but think the majority of the bigger climbs are over by the time I turned. I'm considering the road route parallel through Shotton on Wednesday but not if it's too lumpy, as I think I can divert before the 'canal' and into Haswell then S.Hetton but again if it's got more lumps I'll just take it easier. I lost 1.5mph from my road average with the slower surface but mostly from the climb and a bit of walking, I got 3/4 mph back on the return, with fatter tyres I'd probably have got most of it back!

Several people touring on heavily laden bikes, including a tandem that was seriously quick in the downhills, two other tandems too unloaded. Lots of families on bikes with some seriously young kids riding very nicely, one can't have been more than five, he was much better than his older siblings.

I'm lobster red in places I missed with the sun cream.

 

[BoldonLad]

So I've been on a reccy I rode from Darlington to South Hetton 30 miles. The route out of town parallel to Tornado Way was good until the bridge at Amazon when it becomes a wash board surface that needs careful speed selection so the harmonics don't loosen bolts/nuts/teeth, fine beyond long Newton. Up to Redmarshal and Thorpe Thewles is great country. NCN1/EV12 bit rough out of the station tea rooms (no bacon!!), but soon became a bit smoother and nicely dry, Hurworth Burn was crowded with birders and people having a picnic. North side of A181 has pedal deep mud, luckily the bloke that had been mud plugging warned me! The back of Shotton Collliery is rough and poor surfaces, and at the diagonal beyond is 30metres of edge to edge flooding - looks like a canal, also path is very up and down and loose/rough, I hopped back on the road at South Hetton to bypass the field entrance continuation of the path. Came back via road to the council tip at south end of Shotton and back on the NCN there.
I've not looked at profiles yet but think the majority of the bigger climbs are over by the time I turned. I'm considering the road route parallel through Shotton on Wednesday but not if it's too lumpy, as I think I can divert before the 'canal' and into Haswell then S.Hetton but again if it's got more lumps I'll just take it easier. I lost 1.5mph from my road average with the slower surface but mostly from the climb and a bit of walking, I got 3/4 mph back on the return, with fatter tyres I'd probably have got most of it back!

Several people touring on heavily laden bikes, including a tandem that was seriously quick in the downhills, two other tandems too unloaded. Lots of families on bikes with some seriously young kids riding very nicely, one can't have been more than five, he was much better than his older siblings.

I'm lobster red in places I missed with the sun cream.

Good luck on the day, hope you have good weather for it!

 

[neil_merseyside]

Just trying to find somewhere around north Tynemouth (Longsands and north ideally as it's easy by car off A1018) for meeting Mrs and mutt and for a quick eat, but it seems most places are poncey and/or expensive (Gib.Rock/Riley's/Surf/Crusoe's/View). Any tips for a takeaway/chippy North Tynemouth (ish). Google reviews are a bit mixed on some that I've looked at, ideally cooked in lard/dripping rather than veggy oil . But think Whitby standard crunchy battered fish, with no grease, fluffy chips too please, or any random other takeaways?

 

[Pale Rider]

Travelling north, I tend to jump onto the B road at Station Town, follow it as far as Haswell, then turn right (by some stables) to pick up NCN 1 again.

Best way to do that is turn left at the top of the next bank thorough a boarded up pub car park, down a slightly bumpy track, which leads onto NCN 1 at a point where the surface is decent again.

The signposted route takes you over a pit slag heap which can be soft and muddy.

Doing the above ought to bypass all the crappy bits of NCN 1 you encountered.

I'm losing track of your refreshment requirements, but just north of Whitley Bay at the junction of A193 and A1148 there is an art deco style seaside pavilion.

Facilities include toilets, an art shop, and a large cafe which faces the sea.

It also has a car park.

The cafe is basic self service, but there's plenty of room in there and they are used to dogs, so no problem for a sweaty/slightly grubby cyclist.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Travelling north, I tend to jump onto the B road at Station Town, follow it as far as Haswell, then turn right (by some stables) to pick up NCN 1 again.
Best way to do that is turn left at the top of the next bank thorough a boarded up pub car park, down a slightly bumpy track, which leads onto NCN 1 at a point where the surface is decent again.
The signposted route takes you over a pit slag heap which can be soft and muddy.
Doing the above ought to bypass all the crappy bits of NCN 1 you encountered.

I'm losing track of your refreshment requirements, but just north of Whitley Bay at the junction of A193 and A1148 there is an art deco style seaside pavilion.
Facilities include toilets, an art shop, and a large cafe which faces the sea.
It also has a car park.
The cafe is basic self service, but there's plenty of room in there and they are used to dogs, so no problem for a sweaty/slightly grubby cyclist.

That looks exactly the route I'd been thinking about, I rode most of it in reverse coming back, good to know just where to turn.

Just family food in Tynemouth now, and there for ease of my wife navigating to fixed spot and at around lunchtime, it now seems my 'support crew' will abandon me there with fresh supplies pies, as she needs to be in Embleton earlier now. I'm CTC so I like Chips, Tea, Cake.

 

[Pale Rider]

The B road is up and down.

I'm not sure which direction is harder, probably about even.

The seaside cafe in Whitley Bay ought to do, easy to find and park.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Route all plotted and on GPS, though I've reviewed it that many times I can probably do it from memory! Setting off a 8am and getting into Tynemouth about 1, my wife should have decided on place to eat and sent that location. Creswell for cake methinks. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Halfway report!

So I'm sat on a bench outside Priory and about to have Fish and Chips 52 miles down, 49 to go according to GPS. Easterly wind a bit horrid on first 10 but mostly OK rest of route. Station Town on road route past Shotton bit lumpy terrain wise but smoother surface. Last rail track into Ryhope smoothest and downhill ! Ryhope Rd into Sunderland via Fawcett St easy to underpass and bridge. Roker side brilliant though glass roof shut 😡 Just beat the ferry using the tunnel, would have been easily if I'd used the lifts. A girl who went for ferry was annoyed that her boyfriend had beaten her across, so I think boats can't be that often. Need to do ferry next time. After chips it's off to Creswell for cake.

 

[Pale Rider]

The ferries run about every 15 minutes during weekdays.

Something may have messed up, because it wouldn't ordinarily be possible to do the extra mileage, get through the pipe and back to the ferry landing before a ferry had chugged across.

There is a limit on the number of bikes, so if a lot turn up at once some riders may have to wait for a second rotation.

 

[neil_merseyside]

It was actually the girl riding 2-3 miles from tunnel to boat meaning she missed one? I'd forgotten the distance between! as had she as she was annoyed boyfriend got there ahead.

 

[neil_merseyside]

2nd half report.
Main Rd busy from Tynemouth so very slow so very nice to use, cyclepath overrun with people walking so no good to use! The bit I was going to use had a fairground across so stayed on coast road except beyond the Sluice. Rest of ride was as enjoyable as last year. Cresswell cafe was busy but my support team still just there as I'd made good time, so I sat down to Coffee and cake and they left. I diverted to Craster for a pint but JF was too busy so toddled off to Embleton. I overshot to make sure I got a Guinea (105) to go with my Century, Dalmatian and Hundredweight - a friend says each 100+ has a name (I don't believe him!?). 13mph average that I'm delighted with.