I’m in newcastle every second weekend with my daughter who is 9. Typically we do indoor climbing but santa is delivering her a new mountain bike for xmas so next year, each second sunday, I’m wanting to take her biking.

I grew up in newcastle so know the area well but I’m trying to figure out some suitable tracks/trails to take her on.

Initially I was thinking about the usual fall backs of the old railway lines out towards wylan and consett but I was also thinking about some slightly more technical routes and for the world couldnt think of any. the criteria is not too steep, no big hills which counts out chopwell in my mind, probably excludes anything like thrunton/simonside, anybody else think of nice flowing not too steep singletrack in the north east? Glentress blue is too far for a day trip before its suggested. any ideas? ideally a little wood/forest near newcastle. its going to end up as the top end of chopwell isnt it? 😉

Beamish/Causey arch?

Blaydon railway track into the stuff at the monument end of gibside?

Waskerley way is a must do for the summer – cafe at the top for ice cream

Maybe a variation on one of the old Purdy routes – one starts between Prudhoe and Crawcrook, – up the lane, a bit of an explore through nutters wood and over the ford, past the gliding club with several byways there, cheeky trails though guards wood and back in via coalburns, jackys plantation and coalway lane

How far you want To drive? Gallagher park beddington has some small trail centre type routes being built deliberately to get local kids into mountain biking so not too gnar at all, plus there’s a BMx track to roll around on.

ooh, you could build something nice out of the ROW around whittonstall, fantastic Ice Cream place at wheelbirks that would be a good place to take her

Some good bridleways around seaton deleval hall

Years ago did a ride south shields down past whitburn along the coast path, that would be nice

Blanchland – she might like that due to the wolfblood link 😀 – which might reignite her interest in chop well too, as a lot of the filming was by the eggs, the hands, the eagle and down the bottom by the base of the pylon lines, (good summer swimming spot here too)

I really must go back home sometime….

Chopwell has a bit of man made stuff. Short but fun. I’ve only been a couple of times, I’m sure there’s other bits and bobs there.

for now I want to do a few railway lines and get her used to it, then have a bit of fun on tracks in the woods, nothing too gnarly for now, just again get her used to it. Waskerly way is nice and remote so more a summer trip defo -I recall freezing my ar4e off on that route many years ago and it doesnt have much shelter.

wheres the gibside stuff? I know the railway that goes up to consett and the section around hamsterley mill, I assume its near there somewhere?

oooh hamsterley forest? theres an ides, are there any blue routes. will check.

I used to live in allendale and know blanchland well, too exposed and steep in places to introduce her to just yet.

eddie – I assume you mean bedlington?

you could head down the coast to whitley – park at St Mary’s, plenty of coastal tracks or head up round past Deleval Hall etc, stop for ice cream, nothing taxing but a nice day out for you both 🙂

Maybe a variation on one of the old Purdy routes – one starts between Prudhoe and Crawcrook, – up the lane, a bit of an explore through nutters wood and over the ford, past the gliding club with several byways there, cheeky trails though guards wood and back in via coalburns, jackys plantation and coalway lane

That Derek Purdy route is horrific – the section through the fields near Hedley on the Hill is an utter bogfest even in the middle of the driest summer anyone can remember, and I find the Coalway Lane Descent so rocky it’s unwalkable, never mind unrideable.

The loop from Newburn to Wylam and back using NCNs 72 and 14 on each side of the river is flat and easy and a lovely ride.

From my memory of the blue route at Hamsterley – it’s all fireroad and quite hilly (my other half had a spectacular tantrum one memorable Saturday afternoon as I was trying to introduce him to cycling…)

The Beyond Hamsterley guide had a good loop round by Beamish that isn’t too technical: http://www.strava.com/activities/27946806

Slaley woods has a good easy fireroad loop with great views and lots of options for singletrack if you spot it.

Chopwell has loads that would be ideal so long as you avoid dropping right down to the bottom.

Coast up from Alnmouth. Keilder Blue route. Park at Rothbury and follow the Coquet up across the haughs. You can then cycle around the Caistron bird park and look in the hides and back the same way. Wave to my dads cows and calves. Hopefully they will not be too friendly.

Pinman – the gibside stuff, years since I did it, but I remember we used to go in through derwent walk, up the bridleways to the side of wickham golf course, then into the top of snipes dene (the national trust bit) through that for a good old cheeky explore, then out the bottom and over a field to hollinside manor, which puts you back on the bridleway

DWCP would actually be quite nice

http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/DocumentLibrary/Leisure/CountrysideWildlife/countryside/Derwent.pdf

lego – yep, that bit was a nightmare, which is why I would cut it back to the glider club – never found coalway lane that bad myself, never cleaned it either mind 😀 – but it might have got worse over the last few years

It got really bad after last summer’s rain and was a boulder-river the last time I tried it (a couple of months ago)

Chopwell is difficult to navigate & there’s no real flatish circular route. You can go up the hill behind the main car park and make a route there, but that’s currently being used as the car exit while they sell Christmas trees.

Hamsterley is good: follow the forest drive from the visitor centre and hang a left onto the blue about 300 metres on the left, over the bridge and up the hill. You do a v.short sharp climb before dropping onto the blue which contours gently up along the valley. Look out for red squirrels! There’s a small diversion in place at present at the end. You may be better off turning around here. The old skills loop is still about at the start of the blue if you look hard enough.

Kielder’s blue is miserable: wind swept, dull and the precipitation will just demonstrate exactly why they built Europe’s biggest reservoir here.

Holywell Dene: Park at Seaton sluice next to the inexplicably popular chip shop. The path goes off up the dene from behind the recycling bins. Keep tot eh right to avaoid ending up on the road. Ignore the “no cyling” codswallop. Have been riding here for the past 25 years. Nobody’s ever said anything.

Blyth beach: park at the North end next to Coastline Fish and chips. Follow the dune path down to Seaton sluice. Take a break for a pint at the king’s arms or head back to coastline for properly amazing fish. The gellato is unbelievably good. you could also do the route from St Mary’s island up to Blyth and back again if you wanted to go further.

The Derwent walk is great. We usualy park at the Rowland’s Gill car park and ride up to the Derwent Walk pub on Ebchester hill. Great for a Sunday afternoon pootle with a decent roast at the pub.

Kielder’s blue is miserable:

Hugely disagree with this. The fireroad bit’s not great but the singletrack stuff’s as good as any blue I can think of.

Ok, so Borderline and Lakeside are miserable. Osprey might be ok if they haven’t decimate the tree cover. But 9/10 times it will shant it down.

Park at Seaton sluice next to the inexplicably popular chip shop

BURN THE HERETIC. Best fish and chips going 🙂

Shhh, it’s already impossible to get though the door.

oops, yes bedlington

looks like the derwent walk is the first route followed by out to wylam from newburn or vica versa. then next time, pop to hamsterly and maybe pop to chopwell and explore. I know chopwell intimatly having been part of a team 15 years ago looking for race routes. its a bit hilly for a 9 year old but we should manage.

its the ice cream not the fish and chips we usually go for. 🙂

If you go up the river from Rothbury you can try to find my sculptures.