A picking of collective brains please
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I have a plan. Not a cunning plan, but one gradually taking
shape for the Unfit Family Cycling World Tour (Whitley Bay
to Wendling) Summer 2004.
Getting the bikes to Whitley Bay in Tyne & Wear - starting
point to be by St Mary's lighthouse (mainland side) and then
cycling home to Wendling. Have got and am getting the
various Sustrans maps that I'll use as a guide to the route.
The maps are the Three Rivers Cycle Route, The White Rose
Cycle Route & the Hull to Fakenham one. Have to say, to give
credit to Sustrans on this one, the maps look quite
comprehensive. BUT, I want to be able to avoid any bits only
doable with a mountain bike, as the bikes being used will be
tourers loaded with panniers.
At this stage, I'm looking at maps, musing, mulling things
over in my brain cell and thinking of likely daily
distances, stopping points etc.
So, those of you that have experience of the above cycle
routes (all on NCN I think) can you give me the benefit of
your local knowledge on bits that are okay, btis to be
avoided, possible problems to plan to try to avoid, good
places to stop off at and the like?
Cheers, and thanks in advance, helen s
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On 02 Apr 2004 11:57:58 GMT, dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
<wafflycathcs@aol.comcomcom> wrote:
> Getting the bikes to Whitley Bay in Tyne & Wear - starting
> point to be by St Mary's lighthouse (mainland side) and
> then cycling home to Wendling. Have got and am getting the
> various Sustrans maps that I'll use as a guide to the
> route. The maps are the Three Rivers Cycle Route, The
> White Rose Cycle Route & the Hull to Fakenham one. Have to
> say, to give credit to Sustrans on this one, the maps look
> quite comprehensive.
I think this is one positive thing about Sustrans, I do like
their maps and they are, for me, well designed for cycling
by being turned into strips.
> BUT, I want to be able to avoid any bits only doable with
> a mountain bike, as the bikes being used will be tourers
> loaded with panniers.
I'll have a look at the Three Rivers map at the weekend and
let you know of any bits that I know are dodgy.
To be honest one of the worst bits will be Whitley Bay
towards Newcastle, there are some stretches which are just
plain horrible and it might be worth working out a road
route. There's one bit on the C2C which involves steps!
(somewhere near Tynemouth) And there are some off road paths
around Wallsend which are usually glass strewn. I'm not sure
of the overlap between the C2C and the Three Rivers but I'll
take a look at let you know.
Colin
--
>I'll have a look at the Three Rivers map at the weekend and
>let you know of any bits that I know are dodgy.
Thanks - I appreciate that.
>To be honest one of the worst bits will be Whitley Bay
>towards Newcastle, there are some stretches which are
>just plain horrible and it might be worth working out a
>road route.
Luckily I grew up in the North East and I should be able to
get round any dodgy bits fairly easily.
>There's one bit on the C2C which involves steps! (somewhere
>near Tynemouth) And there are some off road paths around
>Wallsend which are usually glass strewn.
Eeeeeee, bonnie laad, Waallsend can be a bit dodgy like.
Aahll be tekkin care roond there like. Aah winnit be stoppin
much roound there.
Mind you, I am thinking about the possibility of the ferry
at North Shields to South Shields, as there's supposed to be
one every half-hour.
Cheers, helen s
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On 02 Apr 2004 12:27:29 GMT, dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers
<wafflycathcs@aol.comcomcom> wrote:
> Mind you, I am thinking about the possibility of the ferry
> at North Shields to South Shields, as there's supposed to
> be one every half-hour.
I think that would be a very nice option.
Colin
--
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dirtylitterboxo
Luckily I grew up in the North East and I should be able to
get round any dodgy bits fairly easily.
Mind you, I am thinking about the possibility of the ferry
at North Shields to South Shields, as there's supposed to be
one every half-hour.
Cheers, helen s [QUOTE]
The North East Rules!
All my family are from there. Geordie's are the best.
As for cycling along the cliffs by the former Marsden Rock (sadly partly blasted into oblivion) - fantastic. (The Marsden Rattler did a brilliant pint).
"dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers"
<wafflycathcs@aol.comcomcom> wrote in The maps are the Three
Rivers Cycle Route, The White Rose Cycle Route & the
> Hull to Fakenham one.
There's a story of one rider's trip on the Hull to Fakenham
route here.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ron.strutt/rrncn2.html
To avoid the trouble he had getting lost at the Humber
Bridge, you might need the Hull cycle map available from
here. If you followed the wrong NCN 1 signs, you would end
up at the Rotterdam ferry in a dead end instead of going
over the Humber Bridge.
http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/maps/index.php
Simon M.
Simon M.
>To avoid the trouble he had getting lost at the Humber
>Bridge, you might need the Hull cycle map available from
>here. If you followed the wrong NCN 1 signs, you would end
>up at the Rotterdam ferry in a dead end instead of going
>over the Humber Bridge.
>
>http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/maps/index.php
>
> Simon M.
Thanks Simon.
Much appreciated.
Cheers, helen s
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dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
> So, those of you that have experience of the above cycle
> routes (all on NCN I think) can you give me the benefit of
> your local knowledge on bits that are okay, btis to be
> avoided, possible problems to plan to try to avoid, good
> places to stop off at and the like?
>
> Cheers, and thanks in advance, helen s
Not sure if the routes you mention pass through Hartlepool,
my home town. There is a NCN route passes very close to
where I grew up and where my parents still llive, it keeps
as close as possible to the coast. If you want I could
suggest a route from somewhere North of the big H to
somewhere south of the Tees. Passing through these places is
not very picturesque unless you like industry and industrial
wasteland but it would be the quickest way to the superb
North Yorkshire Moors. The transporter bridge across the
Tees is very interesting if you are into bridges like I am,
it is the one used in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ! and one of only
two or three in existence. I
>Not sure if the routes you mention pass through Hartlepool,
>my home town.
Not sure if it does yet - I'm waiting on that particular map
from Sustrans. I've been to Hartlepool once as a child,
indeed my first ever competition for highland dancing was
there (I was seven years old) and I got a silver medal for
the sword dance :-) I actually find old industrial sites to
be quite fascinating in their own way and if the route does
go via the transporter bridge, then so much the better.
>If you want I could suggest a route from somewhere North of
>the big H to somewhere south of the Tees.
I may take you up on that later, please. I'll have a look
at the Sustrans stuff when it gets here and mull it over in
the brain.
Cheers, helen s
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correct one remove fame & fortune
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is switched off--
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
>> Not sure if the routes you mention pass through
>> Hartlepool, my home town.
>
> Not sure if it does yet - I'm waiting on that particular
> map from Sustrans. I've been to Hartlepool once as a
> child, indeed my first ever competition for highland
> dancing was there (I was seven years old) and I got a
> silver medal for the sword dance :-) I actually find old
> industrial sites to be quite fascinating in their own way
> and if the route does go via the transporter bridge, then
> so much the better.
>
There is a NCN route through the town, it keeps as close as
it can to the coast and goes very close to my parents house
and past my old schools. The transporter bridge is a much
better alternative than the other Tees crossings in
Middlesbrough or Stockton-on-Tees. It is far more
interesting and gets you out of the centre of Middlesbrough
very quickly into the industrial wastland of Port Clarence -
don't breath in too heavily passing the plants, particularly
Tioxide. The roads on the Hartlepool side are pretty good
and wide, very exposed and usually very quiet. The only real
traffic is trucks going to the scrap yards, chemical plants
and the nuclear power station. There is actually a nature
reserve around there and there used to be a visitor centre
in the power station, not sure if its still open. In
Hartlepool the old docks area has changed very dramtically
in the last 10 years with Harltepool Historic Quay which is
a maritime museum type thing with some old ships, I have not
been, but they say its pretty good.
>> If you want I could suggest a route from somewhere North
>> of the big H to somewhere south of the Tees.
>
> I may take you up on that later, please. I'll have a look
> at the Sustrans stuff when it gets here and mull it over
> in the brain.
Send me a mail if you need help, I may miss it on here.
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