I've been looking into options in the NE a bit more and the Waskerley Way and Derwent Walk look rather lovely. Do you know these routes, Rob? I may be mistaken but I think they would even connect up with the Sunderland - Consett - Durham City - Sunderland triangular route that you suggested?
They do connect, just west of Consett there is a crossroads, or rather crosspaths.
Waskerly (also part of the C2C route) is straight on, left takes you down Lanchester Valley towards Durham City on my route, and right is Derwent Walk, towards Swalwell and on to Tyneside.
The crosspaths even has a name, Lydgett's Junction, known informally as 'the mineral wagon' because there's an old one plonked beside the track.
This pic is taken looking back towards Consett.
Going back to the Waskerly, you could crack on from where the pic is taken up to Parkhead Station - about another nine miles.
It's a steady pull all the way up, but of course, an easy freewheel all the way down.
Worth a look, although the last few miles are bleak and uninteresting, nothing up there apart from a few sheep and even they look bored.
Also you are into out and back territory, having got to Parkhead there's no obvious loop back so the only viable option is to return the same way.
