C2C - The Fantastic Journey!

Not enough time to write it up fully now, but my colleague and friend Tim and I completed the C2C bike ride last weekend (Sept 22-25 2011).

133 miles from the west coast to the east coast, through Cumbria and the Durham Dales, and out past Newcastle to Tynemouth - albeit after two punctures (one on each tyre for me) and the complete overhaul of my brakes (twice - at one point the back wheel's brake pads were jarring against the frame, essentially applying brakes constantly for about 25 miles). My bike, a faithful servant on the streets of Durham for two years, has surely had its swansong, and it went down screaming!

We had perfect weather - not much sun (several plus points), and not much rain (94,000 plus points). Overcast but not too foggy = optimal, and that's what we got.

Here are some of the pictures, and videos, from each of the completely magnificent days - a spectacular new entry in the Top 20 list of Most Fun I've Had With My Clothes On:

Day 1: Whitehaven to Langwathby (just outside Penrith): about 55 miles
















Day 2: Langwathby to Stanhope (County Durham) via Hartside: about 42 miles




















Day 3: Stanhope to Tynemouth via Newcastle/ Gateshead: about 30 miles











I'm now completely addicted, and cannot wait for next Spring to have a go at The Way Of The Roses, and the real beastie - Glasgow to Inverness!