On Ya Bike! Northumberland Provides Beautiful Cycling Routes.

Northumberland can sometimes be an overlooked county. Just south of the border, Yorkshire has its magnificent moorland – while Edinburgh and Glasgow can draw the eye away from Warkworth and Alnwick. But for a cycling holiday, Northumberland fits the bill beautifully. It has a number of great routes to keep your legs pumping and eyes wandering up and down the scenery for a long as you stay south of the Scottish border.

The Coast and Castles Cycling Route is part of the National Cycle Network Route 1, and it runs up and down the coastline of Northumberland – between Tynemouth and Berwick upon Tweed. Entering Northumberland at Seaton Sluice, the route is flat but incredibly scenic, which makes it a perfect choice for a lot of cyclists.

The attractions it passes include three castles (Warkworth, Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh), while it also passes the Woodhorn Museum, Holy Island of Lindisfarne and the Druridge Bat Country Park. The website for the route recommends doing the Newcastle to Edinburgh route first, as it ends with a more picturesque finale in Scotland as bikers pass Arthurs Seat, instead of Byker and Wallsend on Tyneside.

Another cycle route that could be taken the Hadrian Wall path – but at 150 miles long, it might be better suited to the more experienced cyclist. It does leave Northumberland and go into Cumbria as it follows the length of the wall.

Inside Northumberland, it runs along the Tyne Valley between Gilsland and Wylam – unsurprisingly, it brings a follower in contact with a number of Roman forts, sites and museums. A great route for someone after a little bit of the region’s history. For those who would rather take a mountain bike down a dirt trail, the Deadwater Trails in Kielder Forest are one of the best in England and offer breathtaking views. The Red Trail is the highest in the country, and climbs to 1900ft (580m).

Northumberland also offers a variety of other mountain biking spots, including Hexhamshire Common and the Cheviot Hills near Wooler. The National Cycling Charity organises rides that leave every Tuesday at Merton Hall in Ponteland. Rides leave at around 10:30am and return by 4:00pm. Riders normally bike around 35-50 miles, and stop for lunch at a café or pub. Worried about the pace? Don’t be, it’s easy and nobody is left behind.

From April to September, on the last Tuesday of every month, an ‘away day’ is arranged. This just means that the group leaves from a different location, instead of Ponteland. Barneburg CC also offers Saturday and Sunday morning rides, for cyclists of all abilities. Based in south-east Northumberland, they are open to people who want to ‘race, tour, or just potter through Northumberland.’

You could combine your biking holiday with self-catered accommodation with Tidal Holidays. 

Tidal Holidays offer a high class experience in beautiful cottages. It would be the perfect base from which to begin, or think about beginning, a cycle tour through the coast and countryside of beautiful Northumberland.