The C2C Cycle Route. Jeremy Evans

12mph. That may not sound fast, particularly compared to travelling by car, but anyone reading Dylan Noble’s report in ‘Planning your itinerary’, below, will appreciate the very serious challenge that a non-stop C2C represents.

      Stretching the C2C over several days makes the riding a lot easier, and the main part of this guide describes a five-day itinerary, aimed at leisure cyclists. Although overall cost increases with each night’s accommodation, the advantage is that extra time allows more enjoyment of all that the route has to offer.

      Plan carefully and set a sensible target for each day. Do not be over optimistic. It’s better to arrive too early than too late. Allow for delays due to bad weather and give yourself plenty of time to explore the most interesting places along the route, which are likely to include Cockermouth, Keswick, Alston, Beamish Museum and Newcastle.

      A hard rider may be able to average 12–15mph on the C2C, but cyclists taking it easy, enjoying the views, stopping for snacks and riding on some of the alternative off-road sections are likely to have an average speed of 7mph or less. It sounds slow, but is not when you consider that the C2C is above all a dramatic route. And what’s the hurry? You are there to enjoy it.

      Five days

       Excellent timescale for leisure cyclists and families who like to take it easy, and a great choice for those who feel a little unsure about being able to complete the route.

       Average distance of about 48km (30 miles) a day, allowing time to enjoy each stop-over or postpone cycling due to rain.

       Four nights’ accommodation required, with the option of one or two extra nights if staying at one or both ends of the route.

      Parkhead Station serves food, provides accommodation and welcomes cyclists in a delightful isolated location at the west end of the Waskerley Way (Stage 4)

      In the five-stage route described in this guide, the fourth stage ends at Consett for ease of description because this is the point where the route splits before continuing to either Sunderland or Tynemouth. However, in practice, a good place to stay on the fourth night is The Old Station at Parkhead, about 8km (5 miles) short of Consett. It’s a pleasant place, and you can rest in the knowledge that your final day is all downhill. Cyclists taking this option may also choose to stop earlier on the third night, at the lively Pennine village of Alston, rather than at Nenthead, 8km (5 miles) further on.

      Four days

       Sensible timescale for regular cyclists and people with a good level of fitness who want to enjoy all the route has to offer.

       Average distance of about 64km (40 miles) a day – quite a bit more demanding than the five-day itinerary.

       Minimum of three nights’ accommodation, plus extra nights at either end.

      Three days

       Good choice for sporty, fit cyclists who enjoy a challenge.

       Approximate average distance of 80km (50 miles) a day is demanding, with less time to enjoy stop-overs; cyclists likely to feel pretty tired at the end of each day.

       Minimum of two nights’ accommodation plus extra nights at either end.

      Two days

       Only recommended for serious hard riders who enjoy a major challenge.

       Average of more than 112km (70 miles) a day is very demanding, with little time to enjoy the attractions of the C2C. Except for very keen mountain bikers, cyclists will have to restrict themselves to riding fast on tarmac and miss out the optional off-road sections.

       Minimum of one night’s accommodation, for some serious rest, plus extra nights at either end.

      One day

       Very high level of fitness and preparation required. This is purely a challenge ride.

       No time to enjoy the views or any delights that the C2C has to offer slower cyclists.

       But you’ll save on accommodation!

       No itinerary is required – you ain’t stopping…

      See Appendix B for some suggested 4, 3 and 2-day itineraries.

      C2C day rides

      Anyone living or staying near the route can ride the C2C as separate day trips. This has two advantages – cyclists can pick when and how far to ride, according to the weather, and may save a lot of money on accommodation.

      This works well for cyclists with a support team, willing to drop and collect by car. Alternatively, circular and linking rides (see ‘Taster routes’) make it possible to enjoy part of the C2C and then return by bike or train.

      THE C2C IN A DAY

      In Whitehaven harbour: a wet start to a long day

      Dylan Noble, a nutritionist and personal trainer, and Neil Robinson decided to ride the C2C in one day in 2010. Dylan tells the story of one hard day…

      We planned to set off from the coast of Whitehaven, about an hour from my home near Penrith, at 7.30am on Friday 16 July. But, inevitably, last-minute preparations and alterations to provisions delayed our start to about 8.30am. Howling wind and heavy rain didn’t inspire much confidence, and Whitehaven harbour, where we suited up for riding, was unsheltered from the rain. So we didn’t hang around!

      We struggled to find the cycle track that leads out of Whitehaven initially, but were soon impressed by the C2C cycle-path network on old railway tracks, where knocking off the miles seemed easy. Occasionally, these C2C paths turned into off-road sections on rocky tracks that would have been excellent and enjoyable on a mountain bike, but were a nightmare on road bikes, as we wanted to take all precautions to avoid punctures.

      As we progressed through the journey, the weather improved steadily, which was fully welcome, since the start of the ride is still up there amongst ‘My top ten worst miles on a bike’. Cycling straight into a strong, wet breeze was not a nice way to start the day. But like any negative in life, it helped to challenge our commitment and made us appreciate good times to follow. And these we certainly had – on the best country roads the Lake District has to offer, cycling towards our destination with a brisk westerly tail wind to help us all the way. Great riding!

      Highs and lows

      The first major milestone was getting up and over Hartside. Once we arrived at this point, I think we made a rookie mistake and took a slightly over-extended stay, filling bottles and stocking up on flapjacks. After an approximate 15min pit stop the weather was once again not pleasant at all. We were both stone cold and pretty much soaked through. To make matters worse I’d forgotten to pump up my tyre, so we had to stop shortly after and fix that, with me thinking, ‘This is the coldest I’ve ever been on a bike.’ It definitely was the only occasion when I wished I was riding uphill instead of downhill! But our grumpy mood soon brightened, when we arrived at the base of the valley and were greeted by a first appearance of the sun, which was, well… indescribable!

      There were further low points along the way, particularly since we repeatedly lost the route, but most notably when I raced off down a hill trying to reach maximum speed, only to be told at the bottom that we had missed a right turn at the very top! The climb back up wasn’t too much fun, but I have to commend Neil, who continued chasing me, even though he realised we were off-route less than halfway down that hill. Probably the lowest point that both of us distinctly remember was the seemingly never-ending climb out of Stanhope. I thought I could see the peak three times, only to discover a higher peak beyond.

      Fortunately, the best point followed quickly after we reached the summit of this monster and could finally set eyes upon the finish line, with a clear view of the distant North Sea