Today’s ride was a repeat of yesterday’s only on this occasion I was joined by Chris and Ian. Chris met me near Seaton Sluice and we cycled up to Seghill to rendezvous with Ian near The Spoon.

Eat For England Spoon

Ian was having his first ride with new clipless pedals so we set off at a steady pace to complete the route. In contrast to yesterday the weather was cloudy and cool with a brisk South Easterly wind.

On reaching Blyth Quayside we called in at the River Cafe for coffee and a scone. When we left, just after 3 pm the light was fading fast and rain was threatening so a brisk ride through the dunes got us home just before the weather broke.

Ride Stats

• Time 02:37:04
• Elapsed Time 03:23:46
• Avg Temp 50°F
• Max Speed 27.5mi/h
• Avg Speed 9.2mi/h

In contrast to yesterday, which was cold, cloudy with heavy overnight rain, today was fine and sunny with temperatures reaching 15 °C. I decided to do the Seghill, Cramlington, Bedlington, Blyth route I’d done a fortnight previously. I’d recorded the route on my Garwin 800 so my first task was to convert it into a course which would give me turn by turn directions. This was important for finding my way through Cramlington which is a maze of pathways. I downloaded the .tcx file from ridewithGPS.com and installed it on the Garmin. This proved successful and I only strayed off course twice and was able to quickly find the right direction without getting hopelessly lost.

Thursday’s Route

The route is a mixture of cycle paths, bridleways and waggonways. Parts of it were quite wet and muddy which was hardly surprising given the amount of rain we’ve had over the last few days.

Since I was riding on my own I took the opportunity to take my camera and record some of the more interesting features of the route. the results can be seen in Gallery 2. In particular I wanted photographs of the Wildspace Network Art Trail.

Eat For England Spoon

By the time I reached Blyth Quayside the sun was beating down and suspecting (correctly as it turned out) that my usual coffee stop would be closed, I chanced upon a new venue for cappuccino and cake before I headed for home.

Yesterday’s wind and rain ruled out a cycle ride but today was much improved. The rain had stopped and the wind calmed down to a moderate 14 mph from the north-east.

At 10.15 I set off to do 35 miles on a course similar to Friday’s route. As expected, the path into Holywell Dene was wet as was the old railway line along to the Avenue. There were a few puddles around but these, for the most part, could be avoided. The ride through Seaton Sluice and New Hartley was uneventful and the only problems I encountered involved negotiating my way around the groups of walkers on the path towards St Mary’s Lighthouse.

St Mary’s Lighthouse

From there on through Whitley Bay, Cullercoats, and Tynemouth en route to North Shields.

There is a section of the route which crosses over the A19 near the Tyne Tunnel which is currently being repaired although there was no sign of any work being done on Friday or today. Sustrans advice is,

Following damage to the cycle track by heavy plant repairing a main sewer the track is to be fully re-constructed. Two diversions are possible and will be signed.

B/B1 to A: across a grassy mound which is OK if weather is dry OR

B2 to A2 via roads and cycle paths to and from Tunnel.

As usual I opted for B1 to A1. The grassy mound is now bereft of grass and has become a slippery mess of mud. On more than one occasion I came close to parting company with the bike, but my luck held out and I completed the diversion successfully, albeit with a very muddy bike.

The journey onwards to the Cycle Hub was straightforward and a cappuccino and a piece of chocolate cake was the reward. Similarly, the return to North Shields was uneventful.

At the Royal Quays I turned north on the Reivers’ Route and as usual it was into a strongish head wind. Once through Shiremoor I turned east towards Earsdon and South Wellfield before cycling down Monkseaton Drive to join the old railway line back to Holywell. Tired legs mad the last mile or so hard work as did the head wind.

The weather forecast promised a strong wind from the North but none of the heavy showers which had been a feature of the previous day. I met my cycling companions Chris and Ian outside the Delaval Arms and we headed South towards Tynemouth with the wind pushing us along. From there we went West along Route 72 towards Newcastle Quayside. As expected, and as hoped for, the route was sheltered so the effect of the strong wind was minimal. A steady ride along the river, with a slight diversion from the route down into St Peter’s Basin before stopping at the Cycle Hub for a coffee and a bacon sandwich.

Suitably fed and watered we returned to the Royal Quays via Route 72 where we turned onto the Reivers Route to take us up to Shiremoor and Backworth. It was this section which was head on into the wind. At Backworth we chose to take the path through to Seghill where Ian left us to go home. Chris and I cycled along the road through Seghill to Seaton Delaval then down the Avenue to the Hartley crossing. The last mile took us along the old railway line until we reached the footpath where Chris turned left to Seaton Sluice and I turned right to Holywell.