4 Days & 3 Nights

4.7

Sea to Sea (C2C) Cycle Route - 4 Days & 3 Nights

Journey across England by bike from the Irish Sea to the North Sea
Cycle the Lake District past the stunning Helvellyn mountain range
Discover the prehistoric Castlerigg Stone Circle
Climb the challenging 580m Hartside Pass
Visit Greystoke Castle, home of Lord Greystoke, inspiration for the Legend of Tarzan

Cycle from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, west to east, along the UK’s most popular long-distance cycle path, the C2C. Dip your back wheel into the sea at the beginning of your epic journey and your front wheel in at the end, as tradition demands. Pedal along quiet country lanes and cycle paths with the rugged mountains of the Lake District National Park and heather covered moors of the North Pennines as your backdrop. As you pass through Cumbria you will be in awe of the surrounding peaks of Helvellyn and Skiddaw, which provide some of the most stunning scenery in the UK.

From £759.00

Select Date Enquire Tour Brochure

Gallery

All Photos (9)

Itinerary

Expand all

Day 1 Arrival Newcastle

After arriving in Newcastle and checking into your hotel, the rest of the day is yours to explore this vibrant city in England's northeast. Newcastle has excellent transport links by rail, road and air to the rest of the UK.

Overnight Newcastle

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

nclin-hotel-indigo-newcastle-daytime-exterior

Hotel Indigo | Hotel

Hotel Indigo Newcastle is a four-star boutique hotel in the heart of the city, heavily influenced by its location within the historic Grainger Town area. Relax in their stylish bar before a meal in 'Social Bird', a brand new dining concept where guests and locals alike enjoy food and drinks to rave about. They are situated near the railway station, Grainger Market, and the Tyne Theatre and Opera House.

Sandman Signature Hotel Newcastle | 4 Star | Hotel

Located in the city centre of Newcastle, Sandman Signature Hotel is a luxury accommodation only a 20 minute drive/train journey to the Northumberland countryside. This accommodation offers a laundry service, bike storage, and packed lunch on request.

Day 2 Transfer to Whitehaven and cycle to Penrith 56 miles / 90 km

You will be collected early this morning and transferred 2.5 hrs to Whitehaven on the west coast to begin your cycle. As is the tradition, dip your wheel in the Irish Sea to mark the start of your 140-mile coast to coast journey across England. Leave the west coast behind and pedal into the beautiful Lake District National Park, where you can enjoy taking a break at the top of one of the initial gentle climbs to take in your surroundings as England’s largest national park opens out before you.

As you pass through the bustling market town of Keswick, why not stop for coffee and cake along the way to refuel for the climb to Cumbria's most prominent stone circle, the eerie 5000-year-old Castlerigg Stone Circle. After an obligatory photo, your next site of interest is only a short ride away at Greystoke Castle, the former home of Lord Greystoke who was the inspiration for the Legend of Tarzan. From here it’s a short ride to the attractive market town of Penrith sandwiched between the Lake District National Park, and the North Pennines, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Approximate Ascent: 917m / Descent: 798m

Overnight Penrith

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Glendale Guesthouse | Bed and breakfast

Glendale Guesthouse is a beautiful and extremely spacious Victorian built town house, situated in a very attractive location on Portland Place very close to the town in Penrith. All rooms within Glendale Guesthouse are en-suite and have either views of the lovely Penrith Coronation Gardens or large trees and green church grounds.

Tynedale Guest House

We welcome you to Tynedale Guest House, which is ideally situated a couple of minutes walk from Penrith town centre, with its numerous individual shops, restaurants, bars-which are award winning. Tynedale Guest House has been trading for over 30 years in the town of Penrith as a guest house. We offer a warm, clean, and comfortable stay to all of our guests in their Victorian townhouse home.

Day 3 Cycle from Penrith to Consett 54 miles / 87.6 km

Leave the quaint market town of Penrith behind for the rugged beauty of the North Pennines. This morning you'll face the toughest climb of the route to the top of Hartside Pass. However, England's Highest Cafe provides a just reward for your efforts and is the perfect place to refuel before continuing through Alston and Nenthead before tackling the second big climb of the day to the highest point on the route - Black Hill at 609 metres above sea level. The rest of the day offers a relatively easy ride to your overnight stop at Consett.

Approximate Ascent: 1785.3m / Descent: 1680m

Overnight Consett

Accommodation

A sample of our typical carefully chosen accommodation in this location. Where you stay will vary depending on availability, but will be a similar standard.

Crown & Crossed Swords

The Crown & Crossed Swords Hotel is situated in Shotley Bridge on the outskirts of Consett, Co Durham.

Renowned for its welcoming atmosphere, excellent hospitality and tastefully decorated rooms, The Crown and Crossed Swords has established itself as a notable place to stay.

The Old Mill - Knitsley

The Old Mill is a converted Mill House set in the peaceful countryside, nestled in its own valley, tucked away in 100 acres of beautiful County Durham countryside between Consett, Lanchester and a short drive from Durham City and Newcastle. Please note on Sundays they do not serve dinner past 5pm so please plan your day accordingly.

Day 4 Cycle to Tynemouth, transfer to Newcastle for onward travel 27.1 miles / 43.6 km

THIS TRIP'S CARBON SCORE

This trip has a carbon score of 11kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 11kg is equivalent to 2 Neapolitan margherita pizzas. Buon appetito!. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.

Reviews

Expand all

Other Information

Expand all

Is it for me?

Cycling primarily along quiet country lanes and cycle paths through England’s largest National Park, outstanding countryside and the North Pennines Geopark it's easy to understand why this is the most popular long distance cycle on the British Isles.

Trip Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling

This trip is suitable for:

Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 16 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Long-Distance Trails

Grade & Terrain

The 4 day/3 night tour is rated moderate to strenuous because it is such a challenging route in terms of elevation, whereas the 5 day/4 night tour is rated moderate (with one day rated as moderate to strenuous due to the elevation involved). We have a two different route options so that you can spread the distance out over more cycling day, making it a little easier. The steepest climbs and highest point are in the Pennines. However, if you pace yourself well, have very good physical fitness and are used to cycling between 30-50 miles a day on rolling terrain you will be able to do it.

The terrain covered includes short sections on main roads (mainly entering and exiting towns - approx. 5% of the route), about 50% on quiet country roads and 45% on traffic-free routes. The surface specifics are as follows: 83.8% asphalt, 14.3% "unsealed firm" tracks/cycle paths, and 1.8% "unsealed loose" tracks/cycle paths.

Accommodation & Meals Navigation What's Included

Included

Overnight in hand-picked B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels
Transfer from Newcastle to Whitehaven, the start point
Baggage transfer
Detailed trip info and mapped tracks, via the Macs App
24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
Transfer from Tynemouth back to Newcastle

Excluded

Travel to / from Newcastle
Bike hire
Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
Personal equipment
Travel insurance (required)

Extras

Additional nights along the route
Bike hire

When to go Travel & Transfers Info & FAQ

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard cycling gear such as a warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer.

Equipment

Bike hire is available as an optional extra. Good-quality hybrid bikes are available, the bike will be a Giant Roam or a similar model. Full details about the bike will be in your information pack. All rentals include a helmet, lock, rear panniers, rear luggage rack, water bottle holder, a pump, 2 spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit.

Please note that if you do want to rent a bike you need to provide us with your height so that we can make sure that the bike is going to be a good fit.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.