C2C Brenda and Martins epic trip!
It seemed such a good idea at the time – a good meal and several bottles of wine in the company of a bunch of people who had done the C2C ride last year and hey presto – we found ourselves committed to doing it all again in September. I wasn’t 100% confident that I could manage it, never having tackled that scale of climbing before, much less wife, daughter and future son-in-law, the last two on borrowed bikes and little cycling experience.
The AA route planner tells you it is 5 hours driving, but assumes no breaks for any natural function – like eating – so a group of six eventually set out from Whitehaven at about 2.30pm to accomplish the 30 miles required on the first day. The C2C route starts either there or Workington, further up the Cumbrian coast, but Whitehaven has the twin advantages of being closer to us and having a proper marked obelisk to get the first photo as you dip your rear wheel in the sea in traditional fashion. A bit of internet research found a number of places to leave the car at little cost, and once we had taken the obligatory photos, a few minutes cycling found us diving down an unlikely looking path behind Homebase and onto the route proper. There is an official Sustrans map which is useful to put your location in context, but the signage is excellent and it is well-nigh impossible to lose your way.
If you think 30 miles doesn’t sound very far in an afternoon, you’re right, but the Sustrans routes are mixed cycling/walkways and well used near to population centres so there is limited opportunity to ride very fast, even if you want to. Once you get out into the countryside, there is even less reason to speed, as the first few miles lift you gently into the foothills and the views become progressively more impressive. There is no ideal length of time to do this ride. We took four days, but it’s manageable in three or perhaps less with an experienced group. Some lunatics even do the whole 135 miles in one day, a marvellous achievement but one which does present the question why you would want to cover some of the most spectacular scenery in the country without bothering to look at it. Apart from the views to enjoy, the route passes through some lovely villages and interesting industrial archaeology, so it repays taking some time.
The first day took us to Keswick for the first stop, well into the Cumbrian Mountains and having been diverted onto a forest trail for part of the route. This area was hit by torrential storms last year which washed away many of the smaller bridges – Workington was virtually cut off for a time – but diversions have been re-signed. While the normal route is overwhelmingly on roads and solid trails, there are spots where your brakes and handling skills will be put to the test. It’s great for a mountain biker, but less comfortable for anything else. Having said that, our mixed group coped fine and nobody came off. A mountain bike is not necessary for this trip – our group also used hybrids, which coped well – but a lowest gear the size of a dinner plate was a definite advantage.
The second day was 45 miles and included the climb to Hartside – four miles ending at over 1900 feet – and a very pleasant stop in the village of Greystoke. At this point I should admit to having a support vehicle available for food stops, but there are plenty of villages and tearooms or pubs on the route. We stopped overnight at Alston – the highest town in England, but not a lot of people know that – with a vertiginous cobbled high street which made for an interesting start to the next day. This was to be the real test – a series of climbs including spots approaching 1 in 4, plus others where the top merely reveals the next peak. On the other hand, if you like long downhills – and who doesn’t? – then this is the place. A final night was spent in the country near Consett, and the last day was a long descent into Newcastle, along the newly developed Tyne and the final 10 miles to Tynemouth, where we had pre-booked a lift back to the start after the ritual dipping of the front wheels into the North Sea.
Altogether a great experience, but a word of warning. We had four days of unbroken dry and sunny weather – somewhat unusual for these parts. It was never windy, but on the top it can be windy even when it isn’t, if you know what I mean. Just make sure that you book good weather along with your accommodation.
Martin Jauch