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
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival NewcastleAfter arriving in Newcastle and checking into your hotel, the rest of the day is yours to explore this vibrant city in England's north east. Newcastle has excellent transport links by rail, road and air to the rest of the UK.Â
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. The hotel features an on-site Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill restaurant, which is proving to be one of the city’s most popular eateries. Alternatively, the contemporary Grainger Lounge is open for lunch, afternoon tea and light evening dinners - the perfect place to unwind in comfortable surroundings.
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.
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.Â
Approximate Ascent: 917m / Descent: 798m
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.
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.
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 Stanhope.Â
Approximate Ascent: 1673m / Descent: 1602m
You can be sure of a warm welcome when you arrive at Parkhead Station House. All the bedrooms are named after the railway stations that existed along the original railway line to Consett. There is a guest lounge to unwind in the evenings, or on summer evenings you can enjoy the beautiful outdoor surroundings taking in the views of the moorland. Parkhead is also a tearoom where you can enjoy a great selection of homemade treats, snacks and daily specials.
The Bonny Moorhen is a lively country Inn. The family orientated Inn has comfortable rooms with tea and coffee and wifi.
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.
A steep climb out of Stanhope takes you up Crawley Side to join the Waskerley Way where you will be rewarded by beautifully remote moorland views. This last leg of your trip leads you through the North Pennines Geopark and countryside until reaching the River Tyne. Finally, reach the sea at Tynemouth Castle and dip your front wheel in the ocean to signal the end of your sea to sea cycling adventure.
You will be collected from Tynemouth and transferred back to Newcastle (approximately 20 minutes) to either pick up your car or to the train station for your onward travel arrangements.
Approximate Ascent: 298m / Descent: 472m
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 about how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
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.
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 in Scotland, the world renown Tour Du Mont Blanc and Germany's Moselle Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling
Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 16 Years
This tour is rated moderate to strenuous because it is such a challenging route. We have a two different route options so that you can spread the distance out over more cycling day, making it a little easier, but the daily ascents still keep this longer itinerary at the same grade. 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.
We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. All offer a warm welcome to cyclists, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.
Single Rooms & Solo TravellersÂ
This cycling holiday is bookable by solo travellers, and if you are travelling as a group but would prefer your own room we can also arrange single rooms. Single rooms are available, subject to availability and with a supplement payable. Please note that singles may not be of the same size as twins/doubles.
Meals
A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs.
Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure app which has maps, GPS tracks, and daily route info. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation will be simple, and you can’t get lost. The C2C cycling trail is also a National Cycle Network Route and well-signposted.Â
- Overnight in hand-picked B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels
- Transfer from Newcastle to Whitehaven and from Tynemouth back to Newcastle
- Baggage transfer
- Information pack
- Detailed route notes with maps
- 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
- Travel to / from Newcastle
- Bike rental (Hybrid, Road or E Bike)
- Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
- Personal equipment
- Travel insurance
- Additional nights along the route
- Bike rental (Hybrid, Road or E Bike)
The C2C is available from April through to September. Any time between these months is good to take this tour. Spring is beautiful and September will be less busy than July and August.
The Sea to Sea (C2C) cycle is very popular so it is best to book as far in advance as you are able to.
The C2C Cycling route begins in Newcastle and finishes in Tynemouth. From Tynemouth an included transfer will bring you back to Newcastle (approx 30min journey). Newcastle is a major transport hub in the Northeast of England and has excellent rail, road and air links from both Scotland and the South of England. You can plan your travel by checking Traveline.
If you are planning to drive to Newcastle, you will be able to leave your car at your accommodation. If you are doing this please let us know so we can check if there is enough space for you.
Newcastle is a major transport hub in the Northeast of England and has excellent rail, road and air links from both Scotland and the South of England. You can plan your travel by checking Traveline.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 15kg per person.
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.
Bike rental is available as an optional extra. Good-quality hybrid bikes are available, the bike will be a Giant Roam or a similar model. Road bikes and E bikes are also an option, subject to availability.
All rentals include a helmet, lock, rear panniers, rear luggage rack, water bottle holder, a pump, 2 spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit. Full details about the bike will be in your information pack.Â
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.
It is strongly recommended that you secure adequate travel insurance.
We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the Sea to Sea Cycle Route is extremely popular especially over April/May and July/August. You will find up to date availability on our website and we will always try and accommodate your plans.
We offer three itineraries so you can choose your preferred daily distance so hopefully, you will find an itinerary that suits your preferred level of activity. If you currently don’t enjoy an active lifestyle we suggest regular cycling in hilly terrain supplemented by cardiovascular exercise for at least 6 months prior to your cycle. A good gym or personal trainer will be able to draw up a personalised training programme.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 15kg per person.
You will need a bike in good condition, we would recommend a hybrid or a mountain bike with semi-slick tires. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard cycling gear such as helmet, cycling clothes warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.
Traditionally April/May has always been the most popular time of year because the theory goes that the weather is better. However, any time between late March and October offers a wonderful experience.
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