Picking up the route where we left off. Richard and I left the gentle Eden Valley behind, unfortunately Soozy had to go to work :’(
We soon climbed steeply to the spectacular viewpoint of Hartside before beginning the traverse of the Northern Pennines. From Hartside the four mile descent took us to Garrigill and the bottom of the next climb. Soon after, we experienced the highest point on the c2c route, Black Hill. The scenery of the North Pennines became wilder and grander as we wound our way up, down and round to lunch.
After climbing away from the picturesque yet isolated Rookhope , we were told that we would have conquered the really mountainous part of the route and could look forward to some downhill cruising to our final destination.
Less than five miles later, the killer climb from Stanhope came as a bit of a surprise! At the top, we joined the Waskerley Way that brought us to the fork in the road at Consett. Left Newcastle. Right Sunderland. Before the choice, we had another puncture to repair! This time we were much more prepared :)
Physically the last section is the easiest, however navigating along the twisty route proved the real challenge. That said, the wonderful sculptures and monuments kept our interest as we cycled along the River Wear and on to the finishing point near Roker Pier.
The c2c takes in fantastic scenery. The mountains of the Lake District yield to the subtler but equally beautiful Eden Valley. The Pennines provide a starker contrast. Further on the landscape bears reminders of the defunct lead mining industry. It’s hardly surprising that, after negotiating two of the country’s main mountain ranges and at least one major city, and linking the Irish and North Seas in the process, a real sense of achievement in completing this epic journey is just about inevitable!
Distance: 79 miles
We soon climbed steeply to the spectacular viewpoint of Hartside before beginning the traverse of the Northern Pennines. From Hartside the four mile descent took us to Garrigill and the bottom of the next climb. Soon after, we experienced the highest point on the c2c route, Black Hill. The scenery of the North Pennines became wilder and grander as we wound our way up, down and round to lunch.
After climbing away from the picturesque yet isolated Rookhope , we were told that we would have conquered the really mountainous part of the route and could look forward to some downhill cruising to our final destination.
Less than five miles later, the killer climb from Stanhope came as a bit of a surprise! At the top, we joined the Waskerley Way that brought us to the fork in the road at Consett. Left Newcastle. Right Sunderland. Before the choice, we had another puncture to repair! This time we were much more prepared :)
Physically the last section is the easiest, however navigating along the twisty route proved the real challenge. That said, the wonderful sculptures and monuments kept our interest as we cycled along the River Wear and on to the finishing point near Roker Pier.
The c2c takes in fantastic scenery. The mountains of the Lake District yield to the subtler but equally beautiful Eden Valley. The Pennines provide a starker contrast. Further on the landscape bears reminders of the defunct lead mining industry. It’s hardly surprising that, after negotiating two of the country’s main mountain ranges and at least one major city, and linking the Irish and North Seas in the process, a real sense of achievement in completing this epic journey is just about inevitable!
Distance: 79 miles
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