[Closed] Coast to Coast

Which coast to which coast?

If you're talking Whitehaven - Sunderland/Tynemouth. As long as you avoid any 'alternative off-road' bits, most of the tracks are just fine on a road bike.

If you want to hammer through it as quickly as possible, then that's possibly different. I would certainly continue over Killhope Cross and follow the main road through the Pennines (there's a back road from just after St John's Chapel that I would follow to Stanhope, as it's just as quick)

I supported a guy doing Whitehaven to Sunderland. All on road. No problem for him. He's not a fast guy and it took him approx 12 hours.

Interestingly we met a guy at Hartside going for the record on a single fixie. Unsupported. His legs weren't half pumping on the descent to Alston!!!

2nd half is a bit bumpier than first half, and roads are not quite as good, but overall it's a relatively straightforward route.

There's another slightly longer one also mainly on good roads that starts just up the road from here and finishes near Hull.

There are variations on the theme starting at several places on the West Coast and over a variety of terrains. You can even make one up yourself if you can read a map.

We did it over 2 days, stop over in the pub at Alston. The first climb of the day was character building....

I was on a saracen hack with panaracer gravelking 28c tyres, all fine.

Cheers all. 2 days sounds like it would be perfect. Getting to Whitehaven from Glasgow is the issue and getting back from the East coast too...

Train - Glasgow to Carlisle, change and get the train to Whitehaven or St Bee's depending on your start preference, various hotels available.
There used to be a bag transfer service, most likely going where they just shuffle them to the pub or town you are stopping at next.

If you finish in Newcastle there are trains direct to glasgow from there

Nice one Mike. 🙂

That's why I got roped in. Drove two of us, and bike, up on Saturday. Travelodge on Saturday night. Drove to start v. early Sunday morning, and drove home from Sunderland Sunday evening.

Can you not find a "volunteer" to help?

Has anyone done the C2C2C? Ie, there, and back again, over two days? Thinking about it as a fundraiser ... Tips?

@sarawak

Was thinking about driving to Ncastle on the Friday. Train to Edinburgh then Glasgow.

Saturday morning train to Carlisle onto Whitehaven. Cycle to halfway point (suggestions welcome) Sunday onto finish, drive home.

I see your thinking. But my mate is far from a regular cyclist and he easily did the route in a day. I had all his food, clothes and spare gear in the car. When he had a puncture I had spares and track pump. He carried nothing which must have helped his ride.
Then I drove him home while he slept!

I’m doing Whitehaven to South Shields in June. Can’t wait. The old man has volunteered to help with car support and I’m doing it over two days. Hartside (out of Penrith) was the worst climb from memory!

Just bear in mind, when we were there a few years back you couldn’t officially take a bike on the Metro, so need to cycle back in to Newcastle from the coast if getting the train.

Was thinking about driving to Ncastle on the Friday. Train to Edinburgh then Glasgow.

Eh? Train from Newcastle to Carlisle direct. Do you need to go to Glasgow?

I’m doing it in two days in the next month or so, stopping in Alston. 2 guys from my club are setting off with me but doing it in the day.

Has anyone done the C2C2C? Ie, there, and back again, over two days? Thinking about it as a fundraiser … Tips?

I think it was the lads from cyclewise at whinlatter who did it both ways in a day. Just keep riding 🙂

This is on my "realistic adventures" list for this year ,a bit easier for me as I come from very near to the start! If I were you I'd double-double check the train details from Carlisle to the start , my brother gets that train every day,very mobbed and he regularly sees disappointed cyclists hoping to get on. Not like back in the day when we had a guards van full of bmxs! 🙂

looking to do the coast to coast in a day so would
be interested if anyone has a gpx or tcx file
of a decent route for road bike with 25 tyres?

I'm planning the ‘classic’ Lôn Las Cymru route from Cariff to Holyhead using mostly NCN8. Going with my bro and the plan is to take it easy over five days/four nights, staying in B&Bs/pubs and enjoying the view rather than trying to get it done as quickly as possible.

Just bought the guidebook, so I think that makes me committed! Prob go early to mid July. I will need a new bike for the trip of course.

looking to do the coast to coast in a day so would
be interested if anyone has a gpx or tcx file
of a decent route for road bike with 25 tyres?

I'll ask my mate what he's got, but he's in Turkey till the end of the month so there may be a delay.

Has anyone done the C2C2C? Ie, there, and back again, over two days? Thinking about it as a fundraiser … Tips?

I know one guy from Kendal who did Morecambe-Scarborough-Morecambe in a day in the mid 1980s so I would imagine it's a fairly regular thing given the distances some of the Audaxers do in a day.

Does anyone have,or can point me in the direction of road route gpx file? I’m starting from Whitehaven

Me and a couple of mates rode this route a couple of years ago. It's a great route, taking in Hardknott and Wrynose early doors just for shits and giggles.

https://www.opencycling.com/coast-to-coast-in-a-day/map/

We were lucky with logistics. We had one guy drive us over to Whitehaven the night before and another pick us up from Whitby on the day of the ride.

Tough day out but well worth it.

Has anyone done the C2C2C? Ie, there, and back again, over two days? Thinking about it as a fundraiser … Tips?

If you arrive on a bad (and by that, I mean typically average) day, the headwind on the first 50 miles east to west may well kill you. And you've only just reached the North Pennines. Personally I think I'd want to get that one out of the way with on the first day.

looking to do the coast to coast in a day so would
be interested if anyone has a gpx or tcx file
of a decent route for road bike with 25 tyres?

The main bit I would change for doing it in a day, is actually the road section. Rather than meandering around, and up and over every climb in the North Pennines, hammer straight through. Alston, Killhope, veer off onto back road at Westage and down to Stanhope. On a tailwind day, once you're over Killhope Cross, it's actually super fast all the way to Crawleyside, which is your last climb.

Just bear in mind, when we were there a few years back you couldn’t officially take a bike on the Metro, so need to cycle back in to Newcastle from the coast if getting the train

You can now take bikes on the metro at certain times. https://nexus.org.uk/metro/guide-metro/cycles-and-dogs
Not all the way to Central Station but to within a couple of miles.

I've done the mostly road route a couple of times in 2 days and even the gravelly bits are ok on a road bike.