Being dragged to a birthday gathering next weekend not far from prudhoe,and have the day time to ride both days,if anyone has any routes they could share i’d be most grateful,i’ve done a bit of googling and found one on mbr-blanchland northumberland route which looks ok but after a bit more around 100kish i don’t mind linking stuff up with tarmac.

Can you travel to the trail head by car? If so, Bolts Law is close enough and is a cracking natural route.

but after a bit more around 100kish

Edit: do it a few times

My part of the world, but I mainly muck about in Chopwell rather than all-dayers.

yeah i can drive out if needed,just found a gpx for that route thanks.

is it worth riding over to chopwell on a 100mm hardtail? it’s not far from where i’ll be at all.

Chopwell is great – was up there this morning where we (Chopwell Trail Builders) have been putting the finishing touches on the new Black.

It’s compact, but there’s loads of “off piste” if you know where to look or have a local to guide you. I’d offer but I’m away next weekend.

Out over Slaley, Ladycross, Pennypie, Baybridge, Bolts Law – then back in via chop hardy and Edmundbyers is lovely, or for something epic you can link it in with the waskerley way, which potentially gets you all the way over there via Chopwell woods and the DW

thanks, I’ve just thrown this together I know there’s loads of tarmac on the way back, but is there anything decent I’m missing out ?

https://www.strava.com/routes/8815180

The hill past the gliding club is great going down if the gates have been left open. It’s a **** going up though!

Could also use some of the trails in Hyons Wood, and the old Prudhoe Hospital grounds.

Whittle Dene over the other side of the Tyne also has some nice single track going up to the A69.

There’s a few routes around Blanchland, as mentioned…Bolt’s Law, Slaley forest, etc, and can all be linked up to make a ride length of your choice. Some of it can get boggy, so best in the drier weather.

Chopwell is small, and again can get boggy but you can spend a day finding new trails, and because it’s small you’ll never get lost.

https://www.strava.com/routes/8815676

Add this on in place of some of the road and you’ll be reet. Chopwell is bone dry at the minute (well, it was today) – to the point where it’s becoming very dusty.

thanks, I’ve just thrown this together I know there’s loads of tarmac on the way back, but is there anything decent I’m missing out ?

https://www.strava.com/routes/8815180

Just had a look at your route. Looks pretty decent. I think most often, people would take the descent from Bolt’s Law all the way down into Edmundbyers. And for that reason I’d be tempted to do your route the other way round, heading to reservoir first, Blanchland, Slaley, then a straight descent from Bolt’s to Edmundbyers.

It’s fairly standard what you have though. There’s a couple of Bridleways across Hexham Common along to Allendale and such, which could make a big day. If you;re just out for the views and stuff, the Waskerley Way can be nice, with an offroad section of the C2C towards the end of there, along to the Rookhope incline, and if you head up through Rookhope towards Allenheads. Not much option of squeezing it in to your route without Sacrificing Bolt’s Law though, or making it incredibly long. And be warned. There’s plenty of climbing around those parts.

Be twenty years since I rode some of these trails, but try this:

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/20170521170241-26230-map.html
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/download/20170521170241-26230-map.html

That should give you about the best climbs and descents

I was sure in the back of my head that there was a decent footpath that took you along the riverside from the reservoir towards Blanchland but I can’t see it on the map

Wow, thanks a lot everyone, looks like I’ll be kept busy this weekend.(mostly listening to my garmin telling me I’ve gone the wrong way

Bolts Law to Edmundbyers is one of the best moorland routes in the region. Enjoy.

ninfan, are you riding this clockwise or anti-clockwise? Also do you have a GPX for the route please?

If anyone fancies doing it one day give me a shout, my house is only about a mile off this ninfan’s track.

@aandy its worth noting that the tracks on the N pennines are about as remote as you will find in England. I drove up and over the top from the lakes yesterday evening and reminded myself there is nothing out there except sheep, millions of rabbits and birds of all types. You can go miles and not even see a wall, fence or even a tree, let alone a house. Its very much wilderness, so take everything you might need.

I’d be up for that mid June.

Thanks, And yeah I’ll be doing it Saturday morning, just need to make sure I’ve got a full water bottle before getting up on the moors , looking like it’s going to be hot!

Ben, second link in my post should download the gpx, but I will email it over tonight to make sure. Definitely clockwise so you climb on the mineral lines and descend on the moors – waskerley way is a lovely way to get up to the tops – but I would say there’s several potential nice loop routes in there

ninfan’s route drops down to Derwent Reservoir on a path which is not a RoW and which might be frowned upon on a Saturday afternoon. I would stay on the top road or head further into the forest at Ladycross then drop down towards Slaley and collect some bridleways down there. There’s talk of making a Lime Kiln way or something which would run from near Whitley Chapel to the quayside in Newcastle (the idea of the bloke who did the Sandstone Way).
Have fun!

@ninfan – the second link downloads the html page (unless I’m being stupid, which is possible!) Thanks for the offer of the email 😀

That route looks epic. Bolt’s Law has been on my list for a while but never got round to doing it despite having been over to Edmundbyers a few times. I’d be up for a group ride some time this summer.

Paul4stones, you are very probably right – there was definitely a track that came out somewhere along that road though, but as I said it was from memory.

Perhaps more importantly, staying on the road and then through minsteracres puts you on track for ice cream at wheelbirks 🙂

Ben, I will mail over when I get home

ninfan could you please email me the gpx file also?
thanks. andylindley @ Hotmail. com

done

Don’t suppose I could get the GPX too?
Simoncardwell999 at gmailc dot com

Thanks in advance.

Si

Email rec’d – many thanks!

Ended up staying in Edmondbyers and doing a shorter ride to avoid the rain which didn’t really happen, the descent from boltslaw was awesome so went up again, will probably check out chopwell tomorrow for a couple of hours before heading back , thanks again.

Check out “Morning May 27th” on Relive!

Descending the red at chopwell today and caught up a mother with baby in pram walking 😯 other than that it was brilliant.

Really? The red’s pretty, well, red with doubles and berms and stuff to be walking on- you didn’t confuse the red walk with the red ride, did you? 😆 It’s really good fun though and some of the off-piste gubbins is cool.

The new black, Article 50, is mint at Chopwell btw. All natural goodness.

yes really she was walking over a jump when i first spotted her,hard to believe i know! i just repeated the red until i got bored and a black once that peeled off to the right found it hard to follow further down as there were lines everywhere, the other black i spotted was closed, i could see lots of other unmarked trails knocking about but didn’t fancy exploring today,i’m guessing there’s some gnarly stuff in there? as there were many riders on big bikes with full face helmets.

That’s the beauty of the black. All those multiple lines bring you to the same short, steep descent.

Thinking about doing some/all/variation on this route tomorrow. Anyone want to join me? I’ve forgotten what mud looks like 😀

What time are you thinking? Might make a change from Chopwell.

Probably try and make a reasonably early start, maybe 9ish.

Not sure whether to do the whole route above, starting in Prudhoe, over to Chopwell, and the road/C2C path slog backwards and forwards to do the Blanchland/Edmundbyers/Slaley bits, or just to start in Edmundbyers and do the bits round there for a shorter ride.

Well…Starting in Prudhoe would be handy for me!

Ha, suits me. It’s a reasonable day out (~60 miles or so) and quite pedally but I’m OK with that.

I’m keen to try some of the more local bits on that Strava route you posted, Whittle Dene, etc. Looks like it could make a full morning, could be an option if you don’t want an all-dayer. Any preference?

Sent you an email. Hopefully.

I’d just like to thank everyone here for suggesting Bolt’s Law – despite having lived in the area for 20 years or so, I’ve not ridden it before. Went out yesterday up through Slaley Forest and back over Bolt’s Law , and it is indeed one of the finest bits of moorland singletrack!