Hadrian’s Wall

Day 1 of the Tour and all is well! The logical challenges of getting ourselves and the bikes up to Haltwhistle went smoothly and apart from actually starting on the west coast, all is on track!



First stop was to visit the historic Hadrian’s Wall. We cycled up to Walltown Country Park, where you can get some splendid views of the wall as well as the surrounding moorland. 



We left the bikes outside the little visitor centre and continued on foot up to the viewpoints and get a closer inspection of the stonework.





When we got back to the bikes, we were delight to find that the park warden had just opened the cafe - for the last day this year! Over a cup of tea, we quizzed him on the state of a small road we’d identified on the map that looked like it might be bikeable. He had no extra beta, but got the map out to check and wished us good luck! The section of ‘road’ looked like it would give us a good circular route and keep us off any main roads. We decided to go for it…



It was certainly traffic free! And passed by some interesting old buildings and remains.



Gradually, the track got worse and worse, but we had the winds at our backs and the views were great.





Black clouds were chasing us and a few drops of rain, carried by the wind, caught us up every now and then, but we stayed mostly dry.



We almost ground to a muddy halt before reaching this farm, where the tarmac re-started. Thankfully, the peddles kept turning and the tyres gripped well. We were mud splattered, but made it though otherwise unnscathed.

A fast downhill on a bumpy track off the moors necessitated a rest at the bottom, where things smoothed out again.



In Haltwhistle, we not only ‘found Wally’, but also discovered the second bold claim of the trip - the Centre of Britain!



A new road links Haltwhistle and Bardon Mill, so we had the old road to ourselves, a tail wind and some lengthy downhill sections! Happy days!



In the small town, Halloween celebrations were in full swing - especially at the local pottery.





We had another brew in the local tea shop, getting inside just as the heavens opened, then checked into the Bowes Hotel which was located conveniently opposite! A warm welcome was given, bikes stashed in a shed out the back and before long we were tucking into a giant Sunday roast. 

Total Ride: 20km