Whitehaven to Tynemouth C2C Aug/Sept 2025

[Rickshaw Phil]

Much later than originally planned I've got a bit of time to write this up.

@gavgav and I have often talked about doing a Coast to Coast ride but haven't managed to turn it into reality. This year though, Gav decided to plan it out properly and invite me along with a couple of his other friends, Simon and Paul, to do the ride while another friend, Pete, provided the logistical support which would finally make it a reality. We'd all been getting in rides through the Spring and Summer, with Gav and Simon getting in the most regular miles as training. I was fairly confident of doing the distance though as I'd been managing to do my monthly Imperial Century Challenge rides..... even if some had been more of a challenge than others.

In Shropshire we'd had an incredibly dry year up to this point but as we approached the day for setting off it looked more and more like the weather was going to break just at the wrong time for us. I'd planned on using the Raleigh but with the forecasts showing lots of wind and potentially heavy and persistent rain for the three days, I thought I might use the Hawk instead - partly because I'm less fussed about using that one in really horrible weather and partly because it has dynamo lights so I wouldn't have to worry about battery run times and getting them recharged overnight. I decided to give the Vittoria Randonneur tyres another chance and swapped them in place of the heavier Marathons that were on. I thought I'd experiment with running them at a slightly lower pressure, which in the end did give them a much nicer feel for both comfort and handling.

We made the journey to Whitehaven in two vehicles and, after a very long drive, arrived at The Chase Hotel. First impressions were that the place is a bit shabby in some of the communal areas but the rooms were clean and comfortable, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the food and drink was good. The bikes were kept overnight in their function room and on top of this they allowed us to leave the one vehicle we wouldn't be using in their car park over the weekend - a much preferred option to using one of the public car parks in the town.

Day 1. 30 August: Breakfast isn't served early at the weekend so it was a little after 9am by the time we had the bikes ready to set off down to the harbour and the official start. We got our photos and dipped the wheels in the water then set off following the slightly convoluted route out through housing estates to join up with the railway path. Initially we got on well but within a mile I was having shifting problems. I did have a rather ungenerous thought that someone had been fiddling with the bike overnight, but a closer look revealed that my gear cable was fraying just by the rear derailleur. A bit embarrassing considering I was the group's official mechanic. I had brought spare cables, but not wanting to carry everything on the bike those were in the support car along with the cutters. We pressed on and made plans to meet up with Pete at High Lorton where we'd already intended to have a cafe stop.

The railway path out of Whitehaven to Cleator Moor and Rowrah is nice and scenic but was slightly blighted by the number of tree roots lifting the tarmac which made for a rather rough ride. It gently climbs much of the way as well so we made fairly steady progress. The 9 miles that we were on this path were mostly tarmac or well-packed gravel but nearing the end of it there was a section where a deep layer of course gravel was really loose and we all bogged down in it. It's a wonder that none of us came off. After that we were onto lanes and minor roads which were nice but undulating. I was limiting myself to 3 or 4 gears to avoid putting too much strain on the cable, so it would have been nice to have had the full range available on occasion but I did manage alright and the rest of the group seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Somewhere near Lamplugh we met a couple of cyclists who had also stayed at the Chase Hotel overnight. They were also going Coast to Coast (having already come across east to west) but were taking a different route to us so we hadn't expected to see them at all. The scenery becomes really majestic around Loweswater and with my slow pace and the odd photo stop we ended up being about half an hour later to the cafe stop than we'd said. Seeing Pete waiting there was very welcome - I got him a coffee and, in between slurps of my own coffee, changed my gear cable. By this point there were just 3 strands left holding it together.

Leaving the cafe we were almost immediately into the climb of Whinlatter Pass so the cable change was well timed. The rest of the group got ahead of me as I needed to stop a couple of times to fine tune the adjustment. I could still see Paul winding his way up the steep bits though and did manage to reel him in before we got to the next junction where Gav and Simon were waiting for us. They were quicker on the next section up to the summit but Paul and I weren't quite as far behind this time. A photo stop was taken at the top then Simon and I set off first on the descent, with my heavy bike being an asset rather than a burden on this bit. I still couldn't keep up with Simon though who was on a mission, overtaking one car as he went. We all regrouped again at the junction at the bottom (which Gav had reminded everyone was quite easy to miss) and enjoyed a more leisurely ride along the lanes and into Keswick.

By coincidence, Paul's brother is holidaying in the area so it was arranged to meet up with him in town where we had another cafe stop (coffee and baklava). When we moved on again we worked our way through town to the former railway station and joined the railway path heading for Threlkeld. This is a really nicely surfaced path and also very popular so we had to be careful of all the walkers. There were the first hints of rain in the air - we'd known that we would be racing against a front coming in and we'd been very lucky so far that it seemed to be moving slower than the forecast had suggested. As always, the railway path seems to be over much too soon. We had to ride alongside the noisy A66 for a while before joining a gated lane with nice views to Mungrisdale and Murrah. There are some good views from these roads, which allowed us to see the hills slowly growing misty as the band of rain swept in across the countryside. It caught us a couple of miles from Greystoke where our next overnight stop at the Boot and Shoe was booked. We were just able to arrive and get the bikes stowed away before the heavens properly opened. A shower and change of clothes was welcome then a good meal and a couple of pints in the bar.

46.95 miles at 10.7 mph moving average. Strava says 4005 feet of climbing.

Gav, Paul and Simon at the start.

Right from the start there are sculptures which continue along the old railway path to Rowrah.

Out onto the lanes somewhere near Rowrah.

A couple of shots at Loweswater.

At the cafe stop at High Lorton where I fixed the gear cable.

Not the best photo but I thought I'd include this action shot of Gav and Paul at the bottom of Whinlatter Pass.

Second cafe stop of the day at Keswick. A few more photos to follow:

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Day 1 photos continued:

Along the old railway path from Keswick to Threlkeld.

One of the views from the gated lane en route to Mungrisdale.

Narrow lane - no traffic. Nice!

The weather is really starting to catch us up now, looking back towards Blencathra.

Arriving at our overnight stop. The Boot and Shoe at Greystoke.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Day 2. 31 August: Our overnight stop at the Boot and Shoe was good (apart from me waking up with awful cramp in the night - not their fault obviously). Like our previous stop, the food and drink was good and the staff were friendly. The place is quite characterful as it is full of Tarzan memorabilia - in the original stories Tarzan is heir to the title Viscount Greystoke.

We awoke to heavy showers and a blustery wind, so by the time we'd breakfasted and got the bikes out it seemed prudent to start with waterproofs on. That lasted for a few miles including through the strange surroundings of the closed college at Newton Rigg but as we approached Penrith the sun was coming out and it was just getting way too warm so I called out for a stop to take some layers off. While here an old chap on a mobility scooter came and insisted on warning us about a dangerous stretch of road that we would be coming up to, with particular emphasis that there had been deaths recently. I follow a Penrith based news website and i don't recall seeing any mentioned recently so I was dubious about that bit, but intended to take care regardless.

The route through Penrith avoids the town centre and was steeper than I'd expected it to be so Paul and I were lagging behind a little bit. Some nice long descents followed, which we took cautiously as the guide book for the route mentions corners that tend to get covered in gravel. We crossed the River Eden using the road we'd been warned about by the old boy at Penrith, then onto quieter roads from Langwathby. Approaching the Pennines the roads became more undulating but the hills that had looked very daunting when seen from a distance didn't look quite as scary the closer we got to them, although we were in no doubt that it was going to be hard work.

Near Renwick a gateway provided the opportunity to break for a snack and while there a screech of tyres was heard as a Landrover and a car almost collided head on. Perhaps they'll take it a bit easier next time.
After this stop we were pretty much straight into the climb of Hartside Pass. Knowing my limits I was first to ease right off to a pace that I knew I would be able to keep up for the whole climb. From the direction we were approaching the pass we were on a quiet road initially, which suited us nicely. The views were great, which was a nice distraction, and as I plodded along I realised that I was starting to catch up with Paul. Another rider overtook both of us easily - she was on an electric road bike though so I didn't feel quite so bad about it. When I did catch Paul I thought it would be better to stay together for the rest of the climb. When we reached the junction with the main road I thought that we were fairly near the top but the climb carries on for longer than expected. Thankfully we caught it on a day when it wasn't horrendously busy but the motorcycles did still make me a little nervous.

There was a photographer on the last hairpin who called out to us but i didn't make out what he said. We did look up the photos on their website later on - quite nice but I'm not sure I want them enough to pay what they were asking. Gav and Simon gave us a good cheer when we got to the top and we paused to get the all important summit photos. We did intend to have our lunch stop here too but the strong wind was bringing more rain with it so we decided to get off the hills as quickly as we could and find some shelter. The wind made it very interesting on the fast descent, with Gav in particular struggling as his lightweight bike was buffeted about. We made it down to Leadgate in the dry and a short way along the road we found a gateway that looked sheltered enough for a lunch stop. The rain did catch up with us here as we ate and we ended up sat with our backs to the dry stone wall on one side of the road while the bikes were against the wall on the other side. Paul voiced what I was thinking; "This looks like we're in an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine".

We hoped the rain would blow through quickly but when it became clear that it wasn't going to we decided to carry on and it was a very wet few miles to Garrigill where it did stop raining and the sun came out, warming things up pretty quickly. There is a village hall with facilities that were open and needed. It was a pleasure to be able to take off the waterproofs again and just in time as our next big climb was coming up very shortly. This starts off steep then eases and Paul was off the bike and pushing initially. I waited at the top of this section and tried to encourage him up the rest of the long climb. A couple of stops were needed but we got there to more encouragement from Gav and Simon. More rain was approaching so we pressed on to Nenthead. We'd really hoped to have a break as there is a community run cafe where we'd arranged to meet up with Pete but unfortunately it was closed which at this point felt like a real downer. By now it wasn't a massive distance to Allenheads where we were having our next overnight stop so we carried on climbing. Simon missed the poorly signed junction where we needed to turn off and did a good quarter of a mile of unnecessary climbing before we could call him to turn around. The left turn we needed took us over Black Hill, which is the highest point of our route then we had some wonderful flowing roads in great scenery with the strong wind helping us along. I hadn't realised how strong the wind really was until one point where we briefly had to turn into it and it was like slamming the brakes on - I'd gone from cruising easily at 30+ to having to push to manage 9mph downhill.

The gentle climb into Allenheads was taken slowly and it was good to see the Allenheads Inn come into view. The bar sounded very busy as we got there, with a group sat outside too. Always good to see that a place is popular. We got our photos then the bikes were put away and we went to claim our rooms, get showered and changed. The next lot of rain arrived just as we were settling in. Our food orders were taken in advance as we were the only ones being catered for that evening.

An epic day! 40.53 miles. 9.3 mph moving average. 5084 feet of climbing according to Strava.

Undulating lanes in the morning with the Pennines looming in the distance.

Early in our climb up Hartside Pass.

At the summit.

The weather starts to close in. Time to make a move.

Sunshine again by the time we reach Garrigill.

Another big climb on our way to Nenthead.

After the disappointment of the closed cafe we had some fantastic flowing roads with the wind sweeping us along.

Good spirits despite how tired we all were.

Another view from the same location.

At Allenheads the gang is all here: Pete, Paul, Simon, Gav and myself.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Day 3. 1 September: Once again it was a good overnight stay. I don't know what strength the beer was but it did give me a bit of a head in the morning. The landlord is a character and I think we heard his life story over the course of the evening and the next morning - he was also all set to grab his tools and help out when Pete made a joke about not knowing if the car would start.

It was a cool but dry start to the day but the forecast looked quite bad so we didn't know how long that would last. Setting off from the hotel we were into the first climb of the day right from the front door and up past the ski slope. There were a couple of squashed animals on the road - one of which appeared to be a snake. As usual, Simon and Gav were first to the summit of this climb and waited for Paul and I. The descent was very windy which made the bikes a handful on the exposed roads. On the one corner in particular it felt like the wind was going to take our wheels out from under us and we ended up taking a much wider line than intended; right up to the edge of the tarmac in Gav's case. Unlike the previous day it felt we were being held back on the straighter bits so we couldn't make the most of them. Without the wind this would have been a fantastic descent through some wild-feeling scenery.

After a pause at Rookhope, Simon and I added a bit of extra distance when we sailed past a junction. I only just heard the shouts from Gav to call us back and had to try and chase after Simon to get him to turn around. In our defence, the C2C route sign was on a taller than usual post obscured by the branches of a tree - visible if you knew where to look, but very easy to miss if it's your first time there. When we got back on track we were straight into the next big climb of the day and it was another that started off steep and got easier as you climbed. Paul was straight off and walking for the steep bit. I rode it but as we reached the cattle grid it was clear to see that the rain was coming in so I stopped to put on my waterproofs and had to catch up with everyone else.

Sheep were abundant on the descent then, after reaching Stanhope, the biggest climb of the day began. This was a slow plod. Paul walked some of it and I wasn't much faster winding my way up in my lowest gear. When a car pulled into one of the sand traps intended for runaway lorries I wondered what was wrong, but it turned out to be a Dutch tourist stopping to take photos. Eventually Paul and I reached the top of the steep bit where Gav and Simon were waiting. From here onto the moor there was more climbing but it was much easier going until we reached the point where we turn off the road and join the Waskerley Way - an old railway path. There is a cafe here which would have been the ideal point for us to have a break but unfortunately it doesn't open on a Monday, which was a little frustrating.

The Waskerley Way is the start of the long descent to the coast. It was easier going but we weren't quick as the gravel surface starts off a little on the rough side. Further along, it becomes a smoother gravel surface, then rough tarmac which improved to some pretty decent tarmac. We started to meet other cyclists, runners and walkers. The path mostly wasn't that wide so we still couldn't go too fast.

Approaching Consett the quality of the paths wasn't as good and the junctions were confusing in places. The C2C markings disappeared from the cycle route signs for a while so it was just as well that Gav had the route plotted into his phone. That did cause an issue though as the battery was draining fast due to having to refer to it so often. The weather was wet and windy still and we were all flagging a bit so when Paul spotted a sign for a cafe as we went round the edge of a newish estate, we jumped at the chance to take a look. Sweet Things was quite pink and genteel inside but the staff were completely unfazed by the arrival of four wet cyclists and did us some nice, well-sized hot drinks and toasties. The rain had even stopped again by the time we came out - bliss!
Gav noticed his back tyre had lost some pressure when we came out and it needed a top up. Possibly picked up a thorn en route?

After leaving the cafe the path was a better gravel surface but it did change quality a few times as we worked our way through Consett. We weren't far from leaving town when we encountered a couple of dog walkers. They both kindly moved out of the way for us to either side of the path but just after Gav had passed them, one of the dogs darted across straight under the front wheel of Simon who did a very impressive "stoppie" before collapsing heavily to the ground. We'd already slowed to almost a walking pace at that point but it still happened far too quickly for him to be able to avoid the incident. The dog was fine and sat there with a gormless look while given a bit of fuss. Simon picked up a selection of scrapes and bruises, adding to those picked up in a fall on Hartside Pass yesterday that I was still too far down the hill to witness. The bike has some new battle scars too.
I think the whole group are agreed that we aren't fans of extending leads.

After that we were somewhat more cautious. Some of the railway paths that we were on could potentially have been ridden quite fast, but with other people walking and cycling (plus a handful of illegal electric motorbikes) it did not seem prudent.

The rain returned giving quite a moody feel to the scenery we were riding through. It did ease off again by the time we reached Derwent Park. About an hour had passed by now since the crash and it seemed a good point for another pit stop before we got to the River Tyne. A Spitfire flew over while we were stopped which was a nice sight.

We crossed the Tyne using Scotswood Bridge then headed towards the centre using a variety of paths - old railways and paths by the river. We did talk to another cyclist at one point and I'm not sure that any of us properly understood what he was saying. We saw him again a bit further on, having obviously taken a much more direct route than we had.

Newcastle Upon Tyne is very prominent but obviously isn't the end of the Coast To Coast so we still had a few more miles ahead of us yet. A mixture of roads and paths took us through some less than salubrious areas - we smelled weed on a number of occasions and there were more electric motorcycles and suspiciously fast scooters. The GPS on Gav's phone got confused at one point as well leading to an unnecessary crossing of a dual carriageway and back.

We needed another stop to top up Gav's back tyre, which did last to the end from there. It felt like we'd been gently climbing for miles but it was all an illusion as when we did finally descend to the river again it was a surprisingly short drop. It turned out that the highest we'd climbed on all of that section was 100 feet above sea level. There was a short section by the water, alongside a marina and the river then a last climb over the headland, which brought out a final burst of energy for me.

The finish turned out to be quite badly signed and it was a sculpture of an oversized old fashioned bike and a bench. We didn't dip wheels as it wasn't as easy to get to the water as it had been at Whitehaven. The nearest slipway was closed for some work and we didn't want to drag the bikes across the beach and back as they had to then go straight into Pete's car.
The Spitfire flew past again as we were heading back to where the car was parked, which felt like a nice finish.

51.85 miles. 9.9 mph moving average. 2386 feet of climbing from Strava.

The logistics of getting to the hotel now kicked in. Pete dropped Simon and I at the nearest Metro station then went back to pick up Gav, Paul and the bikes. This turned out to be more fraught than expected - my last minute change of bike meant that the four of them didn't fit the way they had when we had done our trial run. They did go in though just about and we finally reached the Premier Inn feeling tired but satisfied.

A good meal out at a restaurant called My Dehli followed then a few drinks at a couple of nice pubs close by. The next day Simon and I took his bike on the train to Whitehaven to pick up his vehicle (I had to do a double take at the train fare - why isn't it always that affordable??) while the rest of the group and bikes headed straight back to Shropshire.

It was a stunning three days. Plenty of highs and lows and we all made it, which was great. I'd like to say thanks to Gav, Paul and Simon for the adventure and special thanks to Peter for being the support driver which made it all possible.

At the top of the first climb and about to enter another new county.

Old mine workings on the descent to Rookhope.

A brief stop in Rookhope.

A couple of pics from the top of the Crawleyside climb.

Starting along the Waskerley Way.

The view to Waskerley Reservoir.

Wet and windy on the way to Consett.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Day 3 photos continued:

Pit stop at Derwent Park.

Crossing the Tyne.

Tyne bridges.

We've reached Tynemouth.

The official finish.

The board explaining the sculpture.

 

[oxoman]

Not done your route, did the morecambe to brid ( way of the roses ) instead. Mate did your route on his mtb. Did lakes and dales loop which crosses some of your C2C last wkend. Would recommend Edinburgh to Teignmouth as well. Whats your next adventure ?

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Not done your route, did the morecambe to brid ( way of the roses ) instead. Mate did your route on his mtb. Did lakes and dales loop which crosses some of your C2C last wkend. Would recommend Edinburgh to Teignmouth as well. Whats your next adventure ?

I'm not sure about the next adventure. There will be some discussion about it I'm sure. Something that would include my brother would be nice - he's hardly been out on his bike this year so it would be good to get him fit enough for a big trip.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Great report @Rickshaw Phil, thank you for writing it up.
You had the chunkiest bike of them all!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Great report @Rickshaw Phil, thank you for writing it up.
You had the chunkiest bike of them all!

Thanks.

Yes, that bike is somewhat on the chunky side. It was the wrong choice for the job really but it still got me there alright.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Thanks.

Yes, that bike is somewhat on the chunky side. It was the wrong choice for the job really but it still got me there alright.

If you can ride 100 miles on ice tyres, you can ride on anything