Newcastle to Edinburgh Cycle Epic
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3 days
A three day journey by cycle, taking in the spectactular Northumberland coast, castles, Berwickshire cliff-tops and Firth of Forth.
Saturday: Our route will follow the Sustrans 'Coast and Castles' route 1 along the north bank of the Tyne before heading northwards along the coast through Whitley Bay, Blyth and Amble to our first stop over at the youth hostel in the large market town of Alnwick (approx. 55 miles)
Sunday: We'll rejoin the coastal route through Seahouses, past Bamburgh Castle with a possible option (dependent on tide times) of a detour to visit the Holy Island (Lindisfarne) accessible at low tide via a causeway. Our destination for that evening will be the youth hostel in the historic Berwick-upon-Tweed - England's most northerly town (approx. 50 miles plus an additional 8 miles or so if including the Holy Island).
Monday: Our final day is our longest day, so after a reasonably early start we'll leave Route 1 shortly after Berwick, cross over the border and follow the Sustrans 'Round the Forth' route 76 northwards through the fishing port of Eyemouth, past the fine beach at Coldingham, through the East Lothian towns of Dunbar and Haddington to arrive in Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh by late afternoon / early evening (approx. 65 miles).
Following marked cycle routes for the entire route, much of it will be on minor roads with a few well-surfaced off-road and traffic-free sections. The trip is best suited to road cycles or hybrids.
What to bring
Apart from your bike, food and drink, remember the following:
Spare inner tube and tyre levers
Also any special tools that your bike needs.
Eye protection
Impact from a bee, grit or even a fly at speed is extremely unpleasant, sunglasses may do if not made of glass and not too shaded.
Clothing
Choose suitable clothes and footwear for the weather forecast and time of year. You will be exercising so lightweight layered clothing is best. Shorts are best even in rain, as they allow free movement of your legs. Jeans are useless if it rains but tracksuit bottoms need to be not too baggy or they may snag in the chain and cause an accident. You'll need trainers or similar with grippy soles for standard pedals.
Cyclist's helmet
Outdoorlads policy asks you to wear a helmet on events.
Cycling water bottle
If you don't have one, you will only be able to drink when we stop and may get dehydrated.
Food & drink
The cost of this trip only includes our beds at Alnwick and Berwick youth hostels.
Both hostels offer breakfasts which we can book on arrival and there are a choice of places to eat in the evenings in both Alnwick and Berwick.
As we will be passing through a number of towns en route, there will be opportunities to either buy food for lunch or eat in pubs / cafes along the way, however it would also be a good idea to carry a small amount of food with you in case of unforseen delays.