As title really, has anyone done this newish trail from Berwick upon tweed to Hexham.
Have done the coast to coast and a couple of other longer trails and looking for something next summer.

Cheers dave.

Yes. Earlier this summer. Did it on my rigid 29er with two mates, in two days. Great route. Not really MTB but some lovely scenery and pretty easy to follow. I can send you my strava info if you PM me.

A fortnight ago. South to North. 80 miles the first day and then the remaining 40 the morning after. I’ll not be rushing back (living in Scotland there are better rides to do) – the first third was death by a 1000 gates; farmers field / gate / farmers field / gate / farmers field / repeat. Rigid 29er although I slightly wish I’d used my CX

I did it on a touring bike with cycle-cross tyres over two days. You might want a mountain bike for some sections though esp in the Cheviots but there’s a range of route options to pick how gnarly you want it.
It’s a pretty ride in some beautiful countryside, doable in a day of you’re really fit but if I was to do it again then I’d go for three days and take a few diversions to do the tourist thing – cup ‘n ring markings, holy island, pubs etc

Rode the first ‘half'(ish) of it earlier in the year with my Dad, Berwick-Wooler-Rothbury. Lovely route, as Reggie says, fairly easy to follow, nice scenery (Ingram valley is lovely), a few decent climbs. Some bits could be a pig if the ground’s wet but we had nice dry conditions and it was a pleasure. I rode my ‘cross with 40c tyres, my Dad took an MTB with semi-slicks and they were both fine.

We overnighted in Wooler and got a pickup from Rothbury, and for the second half we’ll overnight in Bellingham and get a pickup from Hexham. Even though it makes for shorter days (30-35 miles) we split it that way as it sits better for accommodation on route, since longer mileage days land you in the middle of nowhere (and also my Dad’s 71 and not up for riding 40+ miles off-road).

Why wouldn’t there be gates? This is the countryside.

Did it a couple of years ago, south to north. At the time it was better signed going N-S but this may have changed. When I say signed, think along the lines of something the size of a small beer mat that may or may not be visible depending on the amount of vegetation or whether a road sign has slipped! Definitely worth getting a map, ours didn’t arrive in time so the first half to Rothbury where we bought another was a bit hit and miss with the route finding. There are different route options depending on which direction you are riding it.

We did it over three days at the August Bank Holiday: parked at Berwick on the Saturday, train to Hexham and left there about four in the afternoon. Got back to Berwick for lunch on the Monday. Doing it at this time of year means the heather is in bloom (but so are the nettles 🙁 )

Forgive me for plugging the OpenMTB site for the third time today, but you guys might be interested in this…

Waymarkers: Ted Liddle of Tyne Valley MTB Cycling Club

Thanks for the replies guys, may look for something else.

So what exactly are you after? Have a look at some of the ITT routes on selfsupporteduk, you don’t have to do them as an ITT.

I do a ~40km loop around rothbury on a hardtail taking parts of north and south routes, worth it for the hepple whitfield DH.

Is that still part of the official route? the signage is not quite clear around there, would be a bit sketchy for those of you on CX bikes? and are there any other parts like that on the full route?

considering doing the full one early next year and debating CX or hardtail

The Whitfield Landy track is not part of it, as people have said stunning country but not a challenging mtb route, it’s like taking a time machine back to the eighties, when fire road was as gnar as it got.