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Possibly got a window coming up for a two or three day trip. Did the Way of the Roses and really enjoyed it. Is Hadrian's Wall any good? Is the big section along the Cumbrian Coast any good, or does it feel like a pointless add-on to make the route longer? If I only had two days, I'm thinking I might just skip the coastal bit.
Depends on the weather... We started up the Cumbrian Coast in nasty headwinds and lashing rain, wasn't much fun
Cheers Clobber. What's the actual route like until Silloth/Bowness? Roads? Old Railway? Seafront? Good views? Is it interesting country to pootle through?
I'm interested in this too, on me CXbike..
I'd be interested in views on this route as well as it's on my to do list :))
I'm riding the Devon coast to coast this weekend on my road bike if my crosser doesn't turn up in time !
Enjoy the ride :))
I did it East to West about 3 years ago. It is much flatter than the other c2c routes but I really enjoyed it. The terrain is not as interesting at the Way of the Roses which overall I preferred, but not by much. The bit down the Cumbrian Coast is ok. You do get a sense that it is added on, having crossed the country but it makes for a nice change of scenery. The only section which is a bit dodgy is going past Sellafield where I seem to recall they put you across the sandy beach margin with some rubber matting to help. Not ideal road bike territory. Finishing at the steam railway at Ravenglass was quite fun and makes for a satisfying full stop.
The Cumbrian coast was my favourite bit. Some good leisurely riding with nice views. But as stated, depends on the weather, and if it's bad, you'll probably be more interested in putting your head down and cracking on.
I only started from Whitehaven, so no idea what it's like further down. The route I seem to remember was a mix of quiet roads, shared paths, and some nice coastal bits.
Once you're past Carlisle, it's quiet roads pretty much all the way to Newcastle.
Mrs Pickers and I did this last year, W to E over 4 leisurely days (Mrs Ps 1st tour).
Helped that it was sunny with a tailwind every day - had to point out that it wasn't normally like that.
We had a great time, both on tourers. Tourer or CX perfect, roadie less so but certainly doable.
Plenty of pubs and cafés en-route. Tiny signs easily missed in places.