HC2C Itinerary Title
The Cycling - Introduction
Experience the feeling of achievement as you cycle right across the UK on this superb alternative to the main Coast to Coast cycle route. The Hadrian’s Wall C2C cycle ride is set to become a classic, taking a lower level but longer route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth. Total ride length is 151miles.
Highlights
• Road bike friendly
• Housesteads Vercovicivm (Roman Fort)
• Quiet backroads and traffic-free cycleways
• Bag transfers so you can cycle light
• Logistics planned for you, so you can focus on the cycling
• Emergency mechanical breakdown support
Hadrian's Wall distance and route elevation
Total distance
Total height gain
151 miles or 243km
6416ft or 1955m
Terrain:
The Hadrian’s Wall C2C route is a fantastic way to cross Britain on a fully signed and waymarked cycle journey. The hills are more rolling and slightly less demanding than the main C2C route, but the scenery is just as impressive, the historic interest is there too, and fit riders do have extra ride options open to them.
If you want to find out more about the cycling, the route or anything else about the Hadrian's Cycleway C2C, then please contact us and one of our team will get back to you.
View route
Ride Description
Your trip begins when you arrive in the Cumbrian market town of Penrith. Once you’ve checked in and received your rider welcome pack, you're free to try any of the numerous bars, cafes and restaurants in this bustling town. With guesthouses just a few minutes walk from the centre of town and the North West mainline train station a 10-minute walk it’s an ideal start location. If you came by car then you can park it in the long stay car park, as you won’t need it till your return.
After breakfast you and your bike will be transported out to the start point of the Hadrian’s Wall C2C, in Whitehaven’s tranquil harbour, on the West Coast.
This first day of the route takes you north up the very impressive and flat coastline of Cumbria and into the Solway estuary, an area designated for its outstanding natural beauty.
The Solway Coast has an abundance bird life and with its west facing aspect is renowned for its spectacular sunsets. You'll cycle through a great number of traditional Cumbrian villages, such as Silloth with its cobbled main street, where you can pick up supplies to see you through to the cathedral City of Carlisle.
With the coast to your back, you are now heading into Northumberland’s National Park and from the offset, following the course of Hadrian’s once impressive Wall. The Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site was inscribed by UNESCO as the most complex and best-preserved of the frontiers of the Roman Empire and today you can fully appreciate these attributes on your ride through Hadrian’s Wall Country.
The scenery takes a dramatic change, with the landscape becoming hillier you ride through the Roman fort of Vindolanda, scribed into the history books with many a bloody battle and directly on the route. The North Pennine small towns of Newbrough and Haydon Bridge offer us great cycle friendly accommodation to rest tired legs.
The final leg of the journey takes you through the last of the Northumberland National Park and onwards to the North Sea. You wind down through the quiet villages towards the outskirts of Newcastle, where a network of carefully planned cycleways ensures that you stay away from any major roads as you follow the Tyne River into the city.
This is a superb ride in itself – passing along the bustling waterfront where the famous Millennium Bridge, Baltic Gallery and The Sage are all located.
The last 20km of flat terrain fly by, with the impressive Castle and Prior in Tynemouth signalling the finish of your cycle ride and a celebratory ice cream or portion of chips very much in order.
If you are starting your onward journey from the finish, then you can collect your bags from the CycleActive van, otherwise we will start to load the bikes for the 2hr return transfer back to Penrith.
