A Double Coast to Coast Cycle Ride

[foxy mars]

Having a lot of ideas on this double coast to coast and one I'm getting fed up with, that I've decided to do a one-way coast to coast. That is get the early train to Carlisle, change for St.Bees. Then I will choose a route with some nice off-road cycling, that I'm riding a mountain bike. Probably the route will look something like this.

St. Bees - Keswick - Old Coach Road - Pooley Bridge - Patterdale - Askham -
Kirkby Stephen - Nine Standards - Tan Hill - Baldersdale - Barnard Castle - Richmond - North York Moors - Robin Hood's Bay.

I hope to get back home, seeing the local Rambling Club are going to the Lakes on the Sunday, doing Striding Edge.

So with not long to go now, about 4 weeks. I need to get the kit sorted.

[foxy mars]

A old thread and one I thought I would open up again. It has always been at the back of my mind, that I would like to do this one day and it would be great to do for later this year around September or October time. Of cause, the route is not thought of as yet, that is still in the planning stage of, so looking at some idea's. One is tackling Hardknott Pass, Winlatter Pass, Honister Pass, Tan Hill, Buttertubs Pass.

It is a long time off, but my coast to coast walk is looming ever closer and that is 10 weeks to go.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by foxy mars

A old thread and one I thought I would open up again. It has always been at the back of my mind, that I would like to do this one day and it would be great to do for later this year around September or October time. Of cause, the route is not thought of as yet, that is still in the planning stage of, so looking at some idea's. One is tackling Hardknott Pass, Winlatter Pass, Honister Pass, Tan Hill, Buttertubs Pass.

It is a long time off, but my coast to coast walk is looming ever closer and that is 10 weeks to go.

.... a few gradients there then! I drive over Hardknott and Wrynose every year in the car just to make sure I'm still capable of driving I couldn't walk over it to save my life - not if you left me there for a week! Go for it matey!

[foxy mars]

I've heard that Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass is a hard one to cycle over, but guessing, I would have to walk up the steep and winding ascent and free-wheel down the descent, which sounds fun.

Had a look at the map and thought of cycling the C2C route 7 from Sunderland on the outward route to Whitehaven, then on the return route, head south to Ravenglass, over to Eskdale Green and then tackle Hardknott and Wrynose Passe's, which will take me to Ambleside, Windermere and Kendal. From Kendal, I will pick up the W2W route 52, to take me to Tebay, Orton, Kirkby Stephen, Tan Hill and head along the NCN route 72 on a south-east direction to Northallerton. From Northallerton, up north to Appleton Wiske and then east back on the W2W route 52 all the way along the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and through the Esk Valley to Whitby.

I need to work out the duration of the trip, but I'm guessing it will roughly be about 300 miles in total, looking like 6/7 days to complete the crossing there and back. I may have to book 10 days holidays to cover the ride.

[PMG]

Free Wheel? Are you crazy? The worst bits on either side are grads of 1 in 3 with hairpin bends in 'zeds' You try freewheeling here and you will be off into very thin air with a long swoop down to the bottom of the valley Better make sure your brakes are working .............. ! I remember coming down was scary on a motorbike never mind a cycle!!!

Pauline

[foxy mars]

Originally Posted by PMG

You try freewheeling here and you will be off into very thin air with a long swoop down to the bottom of the valley Better make sure your brakes are working.
Pauline

What Pauline, into thin air, that bad is it and I will have all the camping gear too. Brakes are top notch and the best brakes there is, I think and I carry spares.

I will explore Hardknott Pass on Google map with the little yellow man.

[foxy mars]

On the other hand, I could always get the train from Whitehaven to Barrow in Furness and cycle back to Whitby from there, might be a wise thing to do.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by foxy mars

On the other hand, I could always get the train from Whitehaven to Barrow in Furness and cycle back to Whitby from there, might be a wise thing to do.

I wasn't trying to put you off from doing it - its a fabulous place - a cracking ride and you can walk the worst bits if needs be - but if you brakes failed coming down you would be in severe trouble! I actually took the VW campervan over - just once - I wouldn't do it again in the camper - despite keeping in low gear I had the brakes on so much that towards the last couple of miles downhill my brakes had overheated and were spongy and not stopping me - talk about driving by the seat of the pants - not half!!! If its lovely weather you should do this route its magnificent - I'm looking forward to fitting it in for a day out in the car later in the year and so proving that I'm a capable driver for another year!!!!

Pauline

[foxy mars]

Maybe I'm a bit too pessimistic about the cycling the Hardknott and Wrynose Passes, which would be a shame not to do it. I don't think you are putting me off, I know I could do it with great care, that I can always walk down the dodgy section's and the brakes I have are really good anyway, it's probably the camping gear which will be monitored. But saying that, I will have good touring tyres on the bike and the bike has 27 gears. The bike will also have the usual camping kit, lugged into 4 panniers, 2 small panniers on the front, which are on a low-rider rack and two large panniers on the rear rack and a bar-bag. Now, that is quiet a bit of weight, I hate to think what the weight would be. I would say, the bike alone is 13 kg, then the gear would be around 20-25kg. Don't be surprised about the weight on the bike, the bike is a proper touring bike and is meant to take heavy loads, the reason why it has 27 gears on it.

I remember coming down from Yad Moss many years ago on the old tourer and had nearly hit a sharp corner near the Langdon Beck hotel, I would of been doing around the 40 mph mark, that is fast and never used to wear a helmet in them days, which I always do nowadays.

Anyway, I would like to think that Hardknott Pass would be nice to do and would be a feather in the old cap or in my case, my helmet.

I will hope to set a date once I get the dates booked and I will be camping. I hope to post a few more details about the route, once, I get the maps together.

The blog is set-up at the moment and good news is, I'm getting a new mobile phone shortly, the type that I can post onto my blogger. More about that later in the weeks to come.

[foxy mars]

Booked a week's holiday for July and thought about the double coast to coast again. But, I've altered the route slightly. I will post the details on here at some time later.

I really want to do the double coast to coast and the cycling is long overdue after a long absent from cycle-touring.