Road Cycling – Lake District and Hadrian’s Wall

Your cycle tour starts in the city of Carlisle. You can easily reach this from airports in Newcastle, Manchester or Liverpool when you can then take a train. On the Border with Scotland and England, Carlisle is an ideal location to start your bike vacation. Hadrian’s Wall passes directly through the town, it has a medieval castle and cathedral.  It is well worth exploring before your ride starts.

Today you leave Carlisle and head west along the west section of Hadrian’s Wall and along the coast towards Whitehaven. Just south of Sillouth you start to cycle inland towards the northern Lakes. Through the market town of Cockermouth. Cockermouth has an association with several famous persons such as the poet William Wordsworth. It was also once a Roman camp with strategic access across the River Derwent. During Norman time as the castle was constructed and the town grew during this time outside the walls.  It is a lovely place to stop for at least a coffee and the last section of your ride includes the climb over Whinlatter Pass to Keswick.

Ride A  approx. 42 miles 66km

Now in the English Lake District, you can start to explore by road bike the National park. Today you shall cycle pass beside Derwent Water, through the tiny village of Rosthwaite and Borrowdale before the steep ascent over Honister Pass at around 300m, indeed some sections are 20%.  At the top, you shall find the slate mines. You now descend to the valley and cycle beside Buttermere and Cummock Water.  Maybe after a lunch stop, you continue cycling north to Cockermouth again. Visit the lovely market town before following the River Derwent to Bassenthwaite Lake and onto Keswick.  This is a lovely varied ride of climbs and undulating countryside.

Ride B approx. 51 miles 83km

Today you cycle east out of Keswick before cycling south down John’s Beck to Thirlmere. Now you cycle around Thirlmere, along a very pretty minor road.  You shall continue south via Grasmere, Elterwater and Skelwith Bridge to Ambleside. Here you can take a well-deserved break before the final push over Kirkstone Pass before dropping down to Ullswater and back to Keswick.  Kirkstone pass is a major climb, quite steep in places but will be a challenge even for the fittest rider.

Today you leave behind you the English Lake District as you cycle eastwards. Your journey shall take you through Penrith with its grand castle as you cycle over the North Pennine Hills along the Sea to Sea cycle route. It is fairly undulating passing through Penrith then after Huddlesceugh, you start climbing up the Pennine Hills to Alston. Alston is one of the highest towns in England but thankfully the wind is normally from the west and hence will push you up the climb!.

The first part of today is through a remote part of  England as you cycle across the valleys descending and climbing again. Son after passing a few Pennine towns you shall start the long gentle descent towards Newcastle upon Tyne.  If you wish tonight you could take a taxi into the city and enjoy some nightlife but remember tomorrow you also have to cycle!

Today we cycle leaving the city of Newcastle in a northwesterly direction heading towards the Northumbria National Park and Kielder forest. Cycling along quiet country lanes you shall arrive in Bellingham the gateway to the forest. This is an ideal place for a spot of lunch. This area is well known in the 13th to 17th century as the Border Reivers. This was the name given to the raids made across the Anglo-Scottish Border by the local people. Local Borders Laws meant that if you were raided to have 6 days to raid over the border to retake your goods which had been stolen.  Now heading south down-stream along the North Tyne river until you reach Hadrian’s Wall. Now we shall head east along Hadrian’s Wall cycleway towards your destination Haltwhistle. Along the way, you can stop and explore the Vindolanda Roman Fort.

Today leaving Haltwhistle we cycle towards the Scottish border crossing just before Newcastleton into Scotland. Newcastleton is a remote borders village dating from 1793. Now we climb out of Newcastleton on a remote road eastwards. We descend steeply to Langholm.  Langholm was the birthplace of one of Scotland’s best known modern-day poets,   Hugh McDiarmid. Leaving Langholm we cycle back towards the English border, but before crossing you can visit Gretna Green, with Blacksmith shop which is famous for runaway weddings of the English and has been holding weddings since 1754. Young English lovers used to come over the border as the minimum age for marriage was lower in Scotland compared to England and Wales. After maybe a romantic gesture you now continue south to Carlisle and the end of your tour.

Depart after breakfast.