Northern England Bicycle Tour Spring 2016

April 26, 2016

After buying my new bicycle I thought it best to give it a run out across the north of England from the West coast to the East coast with a trip up to Berwick then down to York. I camped on my first night after leaving Preston. Luckily it was a £5 campsite called the Crossfell Caravan Park in Ousby which had a pub just outside the gate. I set up the tent and went in for a beer and some food. Once in my tent the temperature really dropped so it was good that I had some winter camping equipment. The next morning I woke up to a snow covered campground so taking the tent down and packing away was a bit cold.

 

Once on the bicycle I took on the Kirkstone Pass down into Hexham then on into Newcastle Upon tyne to stay with my cousins.

Over the next few days I cycled north along the coast following the route called the Castles and Coast tour route. I stayed with warmshowers hosts both nights. The first in Alnwick and the second just outside Lindasfarne. The host in Alnwick worked at the castle and gave me a free pass to take the guided tour. This is the castle where the Harry Potter quidich game was filmed. I did my broomstick training then set off further along the coast. On my second day I went over to Lindasfarne then pushed onto Berwick where I caught the train back down to Newcastle. 

The second part of my trip was south to York going via the set of the TV programme Heartbeat. It felt quite strange having a beer in the Aidensfield Arms which is really called the Goathland Hotel. I eventually made my way to York to see the Cathedral then catch the train back to Preston. On the Journey south from Newcastle to York I stayed with 2 more warmshowers hosts who were both fantastic.

On the whole my 1 week tour of the north was superb and well worth doing, maybe in the summer next time though strangely it didn't rain but it was pretty cold.