Coast to Coast Bike 2011,not thinking properly.

[foxy mars]

Watch this space for further updates

[SpikyPhasmid]

Whoah, aren't you biking it?

[Farplace]

If you want to take a small detour, you can camp in our top meadow - we are not far from the C2C, between Allenheads and Rookhope, and actually on the Weardale Way.

[foxy mars]

Originally Posted by SpikyPhasmid

Whoah, aren't you biking it?

Should of read: Coast to Coast Bike 2011, which is now corrected.

I have two cycling threads running at the moment, this one and the other one being a mountain bike ride.

Why two threads you may ask yourself. Well, next year, I wanted to focus all my holidays and freetime on cycling. So, in the early spring, I'm mountain biking the coast to coast - one way from St. Bees to Robin Hood's Bay using the youth hostels.

Now this thread is the same idea, a coast to coast theme, but with a lot more cycling going into it. That is, it is a fortnight's holiday and in a fortnight, I could cycle between 600 & 800 miles in that time. The trouble is, that the coast to coast is at, it's best 200 miles, there and back is 400 miles. So, I have another 200 or 400 miles to find.

One idea, is to head for the Scottish west coast via the Coast & Castles route to Edinburgh and head back south to the west of the Lake District and keep on south to Morecambe and then over to Bridlington and up the Yorkshire Coast to Saltburn for home.

Now, on this cycling thread, I'm using the touring bike, which is a cross bred of a bike. That is a bit of a mountain bike and a bit of a touring bike, but the makers classed it as a touring bike. The trekking bikes are mainly used for cycling around the world and cost in the region of £1000 to £2000, probably more. Mine costs about £700.

What's more, is I'm camping, maybe with a couple of hostels thrown in now and again. I need to transfer the cross tyres from the work bike to the touring bike and apart from that, the bike is pretty much set up. I've got the rear and front rack, along with the Ortlieb front & rear Classic Roller panniers.

The tent is not decided on, but more than likely it will be the Vango Banshee 300. A lot of the cycling gear, I've already have and with the vat increase going up to 20% in the new year, I need to get a couple more cycling shirts, probably from Sports Direct.

Cooking wise, I'm taking the Trangia 27 stove.

Anyway, the trip is not until Summer 2011, but with another 9 months to go, I need to start planning ahead and get some training done.

The training is like the Coast to Coast walk I did in September. But I'm very lucky to use my bike to work and back, that is cycling 10 miles for 5 working days, totalling 50 miles a week. Now that does not sound a lot, but every mile counts.

Next week, I will be putting the Garmin Etrex H gps on the work bike and record the miles, that including the mileage going to shops, mum's etc.

This week-end, I'm off to Osmotherley for the week-end and will cycling 50 miles getting there and 20 miles back home for work.

[foxy mars]

Originally Posted by Farplace

If you want to take a small detour, you can camp in our top meadow - we are not far from the C2C, between Allenheads and Rookhope, and actually on the Weardale Way.

I will keep that one in mine, for the Coast to Coast Mountain Bike Ride.

[foxy mars]

Not thinking properly, maybe of been having too many Stella Artois lately. Not good for training up for C2C.

[foxy mars]

Originally Posted by foxy mars

I will keep that one in mine, for the Coast to Coast Mountain Bike Ride.

Sorry, can not include your campsite. I have done my draft and seems the route is going to be Tan Hill from Kirkby Stephen to Reeth.

[foxy mars]

Been busy with the map and have come up with a draft route. I've decided to include a few lake land passes and some off-road stuff.

St. Bees - Egremont - Ennerdale Bridge - Croasdale - Ennerdale Valley to Ennerdale YH.

Ennerdale Yh - Scarth Gap Pass - Honister Pass - Borrowdale - Green-up Edge - Grasmere - Great Tongue - Grisedale - Patterdale Yh.

Patterdale YH - Hartsop - The Knott - High Street - Loadpot Hill - Keld Head - Bampton - Shap - Oddendale -Orton - Mazon Wath - Brownber - Smardale - Waitby Kirkby Stephen YH.

Kirkby Stephen YH - Barras - Tan Hill - Keld - Muker - Gunnerside - Reeth - Grinton Yh.

Grinton YH - Marrick - Richmond - Brompton on Swale - Catterick Bridge - Bolton on Swale - Danby Wiske - Ellerbeck- Osmotherley Yh.

Osmotherley YH - Scarth Nick - Scugdale - Raisedale - Urra Moor - Lion Inn - Glaisdale Rigg - Glaisdale - Grosmont - York Cross - Robin Hood's Road - Fylingthorpe - Robin Hood's Bay.

[foxy mars]

Sorry about the last post, that should be on mtb coast to coast thread, which it is now.

Anyway, there is a double whammy and that is a double coast to coast as well. I keep meaning to plan the double coast to coast for a few years now and for next year, it's on the cards and I must get back to my cycling.

Right, double coast to coast. Well, there is many to choose from.

There is the following routes:

Sea to Sea (C2C).....Whitehaven to Sunderland/Newcastle.
W2W.....Walney to Wear or Whitby.
The Reivers Cycle Route.....Tynemouth to Whitehaven.
Way of the Roses.....Morecambe to Bridlington.
Wheelwright's MTB C2C.....St. Bees to Robin Hood's Bay.
Side to Side.....Seascale to Whitby or Scarborough.
Transpennine Trail (TPT).....Southport to Hornsea.

Or I could make my own route up.

With a fortnight cycling to fill in, about 10/12 days. A double crossing would take about 8 days, that is on-roads and not off-road. So, I need to seek out another three days to fill the itinerary in.

One idea is do a end to end cycle of the Lake District, probably about 80 miles and one idea is go from Ulverston to Bowness on Solway. The route would go through Coniston, Elterwater, Grasmere, Dunmail Raise, St. John's in the Vale, Keswick, Cockermouth, to the Coast at Silloth and Bowness on Solway.

That's all fine and well, now I need to find 2 routes which will form the backbone of the tour, thence double coast to coast. One idea is to cycle the Way of the Roses and then do the Lakes link route to Bowness on Solway and use the link from Carlisle to Penrith, head for Barnard Castle and over to Whitby.

Well, that's a rough plan and just need to refine the route a bit. I'm hoping it will be finalised by the New Year and set the route into stone.

I will be camping and maybe use a hostel or bed and breakfast here and there.

Once the route is set, I then need to get a rough idea on the daily mileage and how many days to do the ride in.

I'm looking at 14 days, but probably 12 days should do it. Mileage will be around the 50/60mile mark. So, 10 days will be 500/600 miles and with a single crossing being roughly 200 across coast to coast, soit's looking like 10 days, unless I fit in 2 rest days.

Anyway, that's the plan so far.

[foxy mars]

Got the double coast to coast cycle route sorted and looking like a 14 -16 day tour. I need a name title for this tour, so any suggestions are welcomed. The best one will be used. I've included Weardale to pop in farplace's farm.

Well, the route is looking like this and one I would like to stick to:

Whitby - Scarborough - Bridlington - Yorkshire Wolds - York - Ripon - Grassington - Settle - Kirkby Lonsdale - Carnforth - Arnside - Ulverston - Coniston - Elterwater - Grasmere - Dunmail Raise - Keswick - Buttermere - Ennerdale - St. Bees - Whitehaven - Silloth - Bowness on Solway - Carlisle - Dalston - Penrith - Hartside - Alston - Ninebanks - Allendale Town - Allenheads - Rookhope - Eastgate - Westgate - Newbiggin Common - Middleton in Teesdale - Cotherstone - Bowes - Sleightholme Moor - Tan Hill - Keld - Gunnerside - Reeth - Richmond - Catterick Bridge - Middleton Tyas - Croft on Tees - Appleton Wiske - Crathorne - Great Ayton - Commondale - Sleights - Whitby.

Now I need to plot the route on Memory Map and set my daily mileage.
Should be interesting.