I’m down in Newcastle in a few weeks for 4 days and looking for suggestions of where to go biking. I see Hamsterley isnt too far away but not much else. Can someone point me in the direction of where to head please? Thanks.

Hamsterley; Chopwell Woods; Thrunton Woods. Lots of trails on/near Blanchland or Hexhamshire common, Edmundbyers etc. More again north into Cheviots etc. Derek Purdy’s books of routes in the area are very good, but we do lovingly refer to him as Derek ‘The Bas***d’ Purdy haha

If you are only in toon for 4 days how much opportunity are you going to get? Some of the suggestions above might be better if accompanied by an in-the-know guide! (Not me I have the navigational sense of Mark Thatcher).

Can guide you round Chopwell most evenings

You can ride from Newcastle on the Keelmans Way then head up the Derwent walk cycleway to Chopwell woods. Maybe about 5-6 miles.

Keilder? A little further than Hamsterley, but a quicker driving route to get there

Keilder? A little further than Hamsterley, but a quicker driving route to get there

Reckon the reverse is true, the drive to Kielder is slow – hour and a half. Hammers is much more worth it anyway.

But Thrunton is great and quicker still, particularly if you’re north of town. Nothing waymarked though, so you need a local/Strava hunting, or just time to explore and follow your nose.

As above, or if you have a gravel bike, lots of good old railways line routes, or ride inland up the Tyne.

You could ride out to Whitley Bay for some fish and chips. It’s not exciting in the slightest as it’s the C2C route but you’ll get deep fried food by the seaside. Personally I’d jump on the ferry and go to Colmans in South Shields though.

Keilder? A little further than Hamsterley, but a quicker driving route to get there

Reckon the reverse is true, the drive to Kielder is slow – hour and a half. Hammers is much more worth it anyway.

You could be right. I based my reply on Google Maps route, which regularly told me it would take 40 minutes for my commute (27 in real life)

Personally I’d jump on the ferry and go to Colmans in South Shields though.

Nice little ride along the cliff tops, if a little flat, to Seaburn. Though it might be a little walker infested if it’s a nice day/weekend

(Smith’s Chippy is better 😉 )

As well as all the places above, there is good, but potentially questionable from a legal point of view, riding along the Blyth river between Blyth and Plessey woods; along the banks of the Wear between Rickleton and South Hylton (South bank above Cox Green is riddled with secret stuff); Beamish woods / Causey Arch (look on Strava).

The off piste bits of Chopwell are truly superb as well.

The problem is you’re spoiled for choice and you’ve only got 4 days.

I’d go to Hamsterley as it’s got the most trails packed into a small area. You can go on your own and easily find all the good stuff. You can also follow your nose for some nice surprises and can’t really get lost.

Chopwell is really close to town, good for shorter trails and general arsing around type riding. Easily done in an afternoon.

Echo the above, it depends where you are in Newcastle too, or if indeed you end up in Gateshead!

Chopwell is surprisingly good given there are only 2 (?) official trails. Its so compact you can just follow your nose and find stuff. If you decide to head that way then you can see most trails on strava or I can send you a link to rides I’ve done round there.

Hamsterley is a trail centre. You can bomb round it quickly and short cut for a quick ride or extend it out onto the moors, look for the “secret” stuff and make a day of it. Again, I can send you some links to longer day rides. The shorter options are all signed.

Kielder could be miles away but is also good, more XC than hamsterley in my experience.

Other stuff I’d want a guide unless you are happy to follow a GPX. I could send you routes around Newcastle. Not very exciting but entertaining for a few hours in the evening. Probably all footpaths (I thought Plessey was?).

Interesting a few places mentioned above I don’t know about so I’m looking at maps now!

With limited time on your hands I’d use 45 of your previous minutes to get to Hamsterley.

Lots of well marked and maintained trails, and plenty of friendly locals.

Thats brilliant lads, thanks very much. Its actually courses i’m doing so with any luck i’ll be finished by four each day and with the car loaded up i can just head off somewhere. I’ll probably hit Hamsterley a couple of days, a day in chopwell and then Kielder on my way back to Glasgow.

@seadog101 I’ve been riding at Hamsterley for 20+ years and would previously agree with your friendly locals comment. However in the last year it just seems to be full of ignorant and rude riders. Still a great place to ride.

@sbtouring, yes I know what you mean, but I don’t think it’s a Hammers thing, more rude riders, and those who have no trail etiquette / knowledge of the unwritten rules all over the place.

Luckily, I get to go there outside of the weekends, and get the place to myself!

Interesting about the lack of trail etiquette / rude riders at hammers. I’ve noticed something similar in the last year, ranging from a general lack of friendliness to downright hostile ish behaviour. Also combined with a real variety in bikes being ridden, even saw a brompton style commuter going down accelerator the other day, complete with rear view mirrors.

The other side of the coin however, I’ve also seen lots of very obviously ‘new’ ‘noob’ ‘covid’ (delete as appropriate) riders, absolutely loving their day. Can’t be a bad thing.