The second C2C Challenge took place at the weekend and Meg and I were there, along with Meg’s brother Tommy and his mate Tony. We all finished the ride in good time despite a few ups and downs – not least when Meg’s rim blew on her rear wheel and locked the brakes on!
The C2C is a 140-mile cycle route between Whitehaven in Cumbria and Sunderland on the east coast. It heads through the Lake District, climbing the Whinlatter Pass, before going through Keswick and Penrith to reach the Pennines. The big test at the end of day one on this two-day challenge is to get over Hartside’s 1903ft summit at the end of a nearly 80-mile bike ride.
Once that’s out of the way, day two begins with a cobbled climb out of Alston and continues to climb and drop steeply through Nenthead, Allenheads, Rookhope and Stanhope before one last massive climb up over the moors to Parkhead Station on the disused Waskerly railway line. From there it’s downhill (ish) all the way to Roker in Sunderland, where you dip your wheel in the North Sea.
I’m posting some photos from our trip here, hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the ride! See you again next year… maybe!
Hi Garry,
The C2C is probably the best signed long-distance route in the UK and is pretty easy to follow. However, I’d always advise carrying a map (it’s easy for one sign to get knocked or missed and suddenly find yourself off route…) Also, there are a few alternatives where you can choose between on and off-road sections etc, so it’s good to plan ahead. Take a look at http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk – it’s a great site and sells all the maps and books you’ll need for the route.
Hope you enjoy the ride!
John
hi john is the c2c well sigh posted and easy to follow,or do you need a map,thanks garry