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Coast & Castles

The Coast & Castles cycle route has become one of Britain’smost popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Coast? Check.Castles? Check. Little fishing villages? Check. Hills? Nope.Sounds good, doesn’t it?

The full route continues north to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, butthis, the section from Newcastle to Berwick-on-Tweed, is themost popular. The Tyneside start is colourful and bracing, butthe true enjoyment comes as you head onto the unspoilt coastand the famous little ports of Alnmouth, Craster and Seahouses.Time your arrival carefully, and you can cross the tidal causewayto Lindisfarne, the ancient monastic settlement.

And then there’s the castles: the glorious ruin of Dunstanburgh,the startlingly well preserved Warkworth, and the bulk ofBamburgh.

What sort of bike?

To get the best out of the Coast & Castles, you’ll want a hybridbike or even a mountain bike. The most dramatic coastalsections are little more than grassy tracks, where you’llappreciate the comfort of a more rugged bike. Still, if yourchosen mount is a road bike, diversions are readily available andthe route will be plenty enjoyable nonetheless.

How do I get there?

Newcastle is easily reached by train on the East Coast MainLine, which continues up the coast to Berwick. Most trainshereabouts are run by East Coast and CrossCountry; bothcompanies are sticklers for bike reservations, and offer gooddeals if you book in advance. Bear in mind that Berwick is as farnorth as England gets, and factor the long train trip into yourtravel plans!

Is it suitable for a first-timer?

Definitely. You’ll feel a real sense of achievement havingcompleted it, but you’ll never be desperately out of puff. Theterrain is never too wild, the countryside never too remote.

How long does it take?

A first-timer could easily complete Newcastle to Berwick in threedays (33 miles a day); more experienced riders will do it in two. Ifyou have days to spare, there’s much to see along the way:lively Newcastle, quaint Alnwick, and historic Lindisfarne with itsboat trips to the Farne Islands. You could easily spend a weekambling from one place to the next.

What’s it like further north?

The coastal route from Berwick to Edinburgh has some glorioussections but is a little unfinished as yet: several sections follow Aroads, albeit moderately quiet ones. Consider the inland route ofNCN 1 as an alternative; it’s a gorgeous ride through the finestBorder towns. The route continues up the coast to Aberdeen as‘Coast & Castles North’.

Newcastle to Blyth

The famous bridges of Newcastle are a spectacular start to theride. The newest, the ‘winking eye’, is reserved for cyclists andpedestrians, and brings another National Cycle Network route tomeet us. We stay on the north bank, climbing to a high railwaypath (watch for broken glass) with excellent views over to thedisused shipyards.

Approaching North Shields, you’ll see a burst of North SeaCycle Route signs, welcoming continental cyclists who’vearrived on the ferry to Tynemouth. North Shields itself has alively street of restaurants, fishmongers and cafés – a goodplace to stop for lunch. Maritime-themed NCN sculptures markthe end of the C2C and Reivers routes, but we continue northpast the Priory and to old-fashioned Whitley Bay with itsmarvellous seaside ice-cream café.

As Tyneside recedes, the route switches between roadsidecycleways, green paths and quiet roads for the five-mile run toBlyth. This town was until recently the low point of the Coast &Castles, a rambling set of urban cyclepaths touring featurelessestates. The new coastal route is greatly improved, even if still alittle indirect.

Blyth to Alnmouth

Setting off through East Sleekburn and Cambois, the route hasa wild, post-industrial charm, even though rural Northumbriaseems distant still. The A189 cyclepath and the Lynemouthaluminium works may not be dream holiday material, butpersevere: good tmes are just around the corner.

For this is the end of the prologue. This is where we leave theNewcastle overspill and settle down for 60 miles of coastal cyclecruising. The coast road is gloriously quiet, offering intermittentviews through the dunes to the North Sea. An unsurfaced trackat Druridge keeps the cars away – but don’t get lost in theconfusing car park at the north end, by Ladyburn Lake.

Amble isn’t as picturesque as the harbour villages further north,but it’s a friendly place with shops, takeaways, and a smallamount of accommodation. We liked the Wellwood Inn and theZecco seafood/pizza restaurant.

And then, the first castle of the route – and to some eyes, thefinest. Warkworth Castle’s keep is superbly preserved; itdoesn’t take much imagination to transport yourself back to the14th century, when it withstood two sieges by the Scots forces.You can rest your bikes under the portcullis!

An exemplary roadside path takes you to the edge of lovelyAlnmouth. Do make the detour into the town, with its threegood pubs and the Dandelion Café on the waterfront.

Alnmouth to Seahouses

At tiny Boulmer, four miles north of Alnmouth, the Fishing BoatInn offers another chance to eat and drink looking out to sea.The main route heads inland briefly, but we’d stronglyrecommend the off-road option. It’s not too tough, with just oneshort section where you need to push because of the sand, andthe views strongly merit it. Any hybrid bike should be capable.

At Dunstan, stray from the route for an hour to visit Craster, theprettiest of Northumberland’s fishing villages. Yes, the touristshave discovered it, but no matter: it’s almost compulsory to havea kipper (smoked locally) in a bun, accompanied by a cup of tea,looking over the harbour to the fishermen’s cottages. Then, onemile up the coast on a grassy path is the wild ruin ofDunstanburgh Castle, an impossibly romantic sight. Cycling isforbidden on the path but usually tolerated. Don’t be tempted tocycle on past the golf course; the footpath is too rough forcomfort.

After this we bid farewell to the coast for a while, taking awinding, low-lying inland route. Note the tiny railway station atChathill, rather incongruous on the fast East Coast Main Line. Abranch line once ran from here to the coast at Seahouses: itclosed in the 1950s, but we roughly follow its course on quietlanes.

Seahouses is Northumberland’s seaside resort, its centre acheerful mess of amusement arcades and fish & chip cafés. It’scalmer and rather more authentic down by the harbour, with topquality B&Bs on nearby North Street. The front bar at the OldeShip Inn is a must visit.

Seahouses to Berwick-upon-Tweed

With a busy B road hogging the coast, the cycle route takes amore circuitous inland path for the next 17 miles. But we returnto the sea at Bamburgh, whose castle is a world away from thepreserved dereliction of Dunstanburgh and Warkworth.Bamburgh’s walls are solid, its heating copious, its lawns mown;it is still, very much, an aristocratic seat. Don’t miss thesurprisingly entertaining aviation museum.

More lanes take us over the busy A1 to the one hill of the entireroad, the short, sharp climb into Belford. Once a coaching stopon the Great North Road, Belford looks like it has changed littlesince its bypass was built. It could well be the quietest town onearth, with its wooden toy shop, old-fashioned hardware store,and the timewarp of the Blue Bell Hotel.

Beautiful quiet lanes run parallel to the busy trunk road until theturn for Holy Island and Lindisfarne. This is another of themust-do detours on Coast & Castles, but time it carefully. Thecauseway is only accessible at low tide – and there’s aheadwind pretty much all the time.

This isolation grants the island a real sense of peace. The 7thcentury monastic foundation is dutifully explained in the EnglishHeritage visitor centre, but do lock your bike up, go for a strollout onto the headland, and cast your eyes out to the North Seabefore turning back.

The last ten miles of Coast & Castles are arguably the finest ofthe entire route. The surface is erratic, the signage sporadic, andthe facilities non-existent. Tiny coast roads give out into roughbyways and grass footpaths along the cliffs. It’s a little rougherthan the previous three days, a little wilder; it’s simply ten milesof coast. But that’s the beauty of it. Don’t be tempted to take theeasy, flat road option; follow the coast and we guarantee you’llenjoy it.

Berwick is notionally in England, but its architecture has adecidedly Scottish feel. If you have time, the town’s pubs andrestaurants merit an overnight stop. National Cycle Networkroutes lead up the coast, into the Borders, and south into wildNorthumbria from here; there’s plenty of opportunity for furtherexploration. But the Coast & Castles route is reward enough initself.

A130

0

A101

A194

A19

A19

A184

A19A1

058

A19

A105

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A105

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A19

A189

A19

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A189

A167

A184

A1147

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B1304

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B1316

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B1516

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B1600

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A1171

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B1321

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LE U P O N T YN E

G AT E S H E A D

BLYTH

WHITLEY

BAY

JARROW

SOUTH

SHIELDS

WALLSEND

TYNEMOUTH

NORTH

SHIELDS

BEDLINGTON

HEBBURN

Shiremoor

Seghill

SeatonDelaval

East Cramlington

High PitNew Hartley

SeatonSluice

Holywell

Dudley

BedlingtonStation

HolystoneNew York

Burradon

OchreYards

West Harton

Mount

CleadonPark

Pelaw

Hedworth

BiddickHall

BrockleyWhins

Whiteleas

Byker

Heaton

BentonSouthGosforth

High Heaton

East Hartford

Old Hartley

ScotlandGate

Fellgate

Walker

Monkseaton

orthsforth

Jesmond

Shieldfield

ForestHall

Killingworth

KillingworthVillage

Camperdown

Choppington

11

1

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14

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72

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Lynemouth

Woodhorn

WestSleekburn

Bomarsund

BedlingtonStation

Hirst

Cresswell

NorthSeaton

1

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155

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Alnmouth

Warkworth

Boulmer

Hipsburn

Lesbury

Embleton

Dunstan

Longhoughton

Denwick

Sea

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Rennington

Craster

1

1

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1

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1

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12

12

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ChattonparkHill

HangwellLaw

FoumartKnowe

BrownridgeHill

CampHill

Hay Hill

HepburnCrags

Kay Hill

Ros Castle

LyhamHill

SEAHOUSES

Belford

Warenford

Bamburgh

Lucker

Ellingham

1

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ShepherdskirkCairnHill

CarrowHill

WindmillHill

BERWICK

UPON

TWEED

mouthSpittal

Scremerston

Ancroft

Lowick

Bowsden

Fenwick

1

1

1

1

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12

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