Amble to Lynemouth

 

The section between Newcastle and Berwick-on-Tweed is said to be the most popular part of the Coast and Castles Cycle route that connects Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. If that is true, it's for good reason. The 60 miles from Amble to Berwick delivers what it says on the tin. It's full of unspoilt coastline, small fishing ports, the tidal island of Lindisfarne and a choice of castles. The 15 miles between Newcastle and Whitley Bay includes a couple more castles and another five miles of coast. Not as unspoilt as the section further north, but full of interest.

But what about the 30 miles (or so) between Whitley Bay and Amble? That's roughly a third of the distance. It's not as picturesque as the other sections, and it's certainly not unspoilt. But I think it's under-appreciated. It has a complex history. It's full of interest, and I'm now equipped to explore it in some detail. There's no shortage of potential destinations.

Today's ride covers part. At 25 miles it was my longest ride, so far, on the new bike. That was pretty much the point of it. But along the way I enjoyed passing a deer in the woods at Druridge Bay Country park and watching it watching me as I rode past. I found the footpath to Low Chibburn that I missed on a previous attempt. I enjoyed my break at the Drift Cafe in Cresswell. And the late afternoon sun was lovely.

Preston Tower

 

My ride today was from Embleton to Preston Tower, and back. 

The earliest records of Preston Tower date from 1415 and 1499, but Peter Ryder believes that it was originally the defensible south end of a 14th century hall house.  By 1719 it was no longer used as a house, and the tower needed a new roof. In 1799 the house alongside the tower burned down and had to be rebuilt. In 1864 the tower was restored and the clock inserted by Henry Robert Baker Cresswell.

It wasn't a day to hang around, but there are information panels outside, and apparently there's a display inside the tower which sound as though they are worth a return visit.

A lapse of concentration on the way back meant that I missed a turning so the return journey was a bit longer than planned. That resulted in ride of a little over ten miles. Back at Embleton the Old Vicarage is another 14th century house, with a tower constructed c.1390. It was extended by John Dobson in 1828 for Rev. George Grimes. I believe it's now a private house, so can only be viewed from a distance.

Hipsburn to Amble and back

My second ride of the year was on familiar ground. I enjoy the route between Hipsburn and Amble. It's mostly off-road with views of the coast and River Coquet. Usually I meet a few walkers and cyclists, but it's never been busy. 

The section between Warkworth and Amble is mostly a shared-use path that follows the River Coquet. The section between Hipsburn and Warkworth is mostly a shared-use path alongside the A1068 coast road. Navigation through Warkworth is straightforward in both directions. Navigation through Amble is another story, but more of that some other time.

Today the weather was clear and sunny, with temperatures hovering just above freezing. There was some frost and ice on the path. Enough to justify taking things carefully in places, but nothing too problematic. I covered just over 11 miles at a sedate pace.

The sharp-eyed will notice that I've replaced the G-Line standard G-One tyres with Marathon Plus. Between Hipsburn and Warkworth the shared-use path is almost entirely separated from the road by a thorny hedgerow. People say the thorns cause punctures and in my experience the reputation isn't entirely undeserved. I've used Marathon Plus in the past and had very little trouble with thorns. This is likely to be a favoured route in future - so we'll see how these cope.

First ride of the year

 

On thursday I had to take the car to Newcastle for a service so I decided to take the bike for it's initial check at the same time. This was originally planned for Monday but had to be rescheduled after heavy snow.

While I waited for the car to be ready I rode into town, and dropped the bike off. I pottered around for a bit, had some lunch, then collected the bike. I rode down to the quayside then along the Tyne. 

Only eight miles, in total, but it's a start. I had been a bit apprehensive about the weather, the traffic and finding my way round. But all went smoothly. The bike and the car are both fine.

Six years later

The grumpy old man returns.

 

AVR

Alnwick has been the only town in Northumberland without a connection to the National Cycle Network, so the opening of an off-road cycle path along the Aln Valley Railway is an important step forward. 

A short ride, and today was cold, but a lovely afternoon to try it out.

Kielder

Earlier this week I rode from a few miles outside Bellingham, to the Kielder dam, and Falstone. My route touched on parts of NCN10 (Reivers Cycle Route). It was a good choice: beautiful scenery and demanding enough (for me) to feel I had stretched myself, without overdoing things.

Today the plan was to complete a circuit of Kielder Water using the Waterside Path. That's a recreational route for walkers and cyclists. We've had heavy rain, and there were a few muddy patches, but on the whole it's well-paved with fine gravel. I was expecting a ride of about 26 miles: something that would stretch me again, without being unrealistic.

It was a good plan, but things didn't turn out that way. I started from the dam, working anti-clockwise along the north shore towards Kielder village. So far so good - it's a lovely ride, and although there was a blustery wind, most of the trail is sheltered by trees. Showers threatened, but didn't arrive.

Then, two-thirds of the way along the north shore I had a puncture. It shouldn't have been a problem - I carry a spare inner tube, and a repair kit. However, I haven't had to repair a puncture in the last ten years, and I made a mess of it. Somehow I managed to wreck the valve on the spare tube, and although I found and fixed a couple of holes in the old tube it still wouldn't hold air. I couldn't work out why.

I had no choice other than pushing the remaining distance to Kielder, where the wonderful people at the Bike Stop helped me out. By then I was running late, and getting tired. I was expected back by now, and there was no mobile signal, so it was difficult to share what was going on. So I chose the main road along the south of the reservoir to finish the loop and return to the dam.

The end result: I completed a circuit of the reservoir and covered 22 miles. However, my idea of a circling the reservoir along the waterside will have to wait for another day. It's a lovely route, so maybe that's not such a bad thing.