North Pennine Cycleway - NCN68

[Danny]

Has anyone done this route from Appleby to Berwick, and do you know if it can be comfortably done in three days?

In March I did some cycling in the North Pennines and found it took a lot longer than I anticipated to cover any distance as there seemed to be a lot more "up" than "down". Or perhaps I was just very slow on the climbs

Anyway I would normally be happy to do a 150 route in three days, but wonder if I should allow some more time because of the terrain?

 

[John Ponting]

Danny, way outside my personal experience and I suspect you have already researched the web but ...


have you read this report on 3 days of the northern section ?

http://www.cycle-routes.org/penninecycleway/pauls_journal.htm

 

[Danny]

Thanks - I seem to have missed that one.

 

[P.H]

I did it in March, Derby to Berwick, taking 6 days in total and 3 for the Northern Section, stopping at Once Brewed YHA and an independent hostel a little off route at Chatton. I averaged 65 miles a day, which I thought would be an easy pace, it wasn’t. Though the sleet, hail and snow on the first couple of days may have had something to do with it. Even so it is defiantly doable, just took a little longer. The route after Wooler is pretty easy going, very pleasant but not as spectacular as the sections before. If I wasn’t able to do it all, I’d probably not do that bit, maybe Settle to Wooler (or cut the corner to Alnwick if you want to see the sea and need a rail link) If you do stick with Appleby - Berwick, maybe take a few miles off the first two days and add them to the third, My average speed after Wooler was 4mph faster and I had several hours to kill in Berwick before my train (though it was a pleasant few hours) I stayed in an excellent B&B in Appleby, forget the name, but I can find it if you’re interested, it was cheaper than some hostels and the best breakfast of the trip. If you have any specific question I’ll have a go at answering them. A few photos of my ride Here

 

[Danny]

Thanks for the useful tips PH - and I enjoyed the photos.

 

[samid]

A few photos of my ride Here

Not to hijack the thread, but I thought it was funny, here's one of P.H.'s nice photos:

and here's mine from last August:

 

[robgul]

Did the whole Derby to Berwick ride in 2004 - to do Appleby to Berwick in 3 days would be no big deal ...

The one thing I would suggest is that as you leave Appleby ignore the Sustrans route signs that take you way off course and up some steep hills ... get to Melmerby and just ride up the main A686 road to Hartside - the traffic goes slowly and the road is quite wide. It's still a tough climb but more sense than the Sustrans one.

Rob

 

[GaryA]

Did the whole Derby to Berwick ride in 2004 - to do Appleby to Berwick in 3 days would be no big deal ...

The one thing I would suggest is that as you leave Appleby ignore the Sustrans route signs that take you way off course and up some steep hills ... get to Melmerby and just ride up the main A686 road to Hartside - the traffic goes slowly and the road is quite wide. It's still a tough climb but more sense than the Sustrans one.

Rob

...except on sunny summer sundays when this road is full of kamikazi born again, pot-bellied race replica riding 'bikers' incompetantly overshooting corners and rearranging the dry stone walls....

 

[User482]

I did Derby to Berwick in 5.5 days, on an MTB with slicks. I would think that 3 days for the northern section is fine. It's only the bit over Hartside that's properly hilly - the section through Northumberland is gentler.

As an aside - the southern & middle sections are harder in my view - the south Pennines into Hebden Bridge are very tiring, and then there's the bit through the Yorkshire Dales, which is also hard work. Great route though.

 

[Danny]

As an aside - the southern & middle sections are harder in my view - the south Pennines into Hebden Bridge are very tiring, and then there's the bit through the Yorkshire Dales, which is also hard work.

Why do you think I'm going for the northern section