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Hadrian's Cycleway

If you’re tempted by a coast-to-coast ride, but fear that the hillswill be too much for you, Hadrian’s Cycleway is the one tochoose.

Never too difficult and with great scenery along the way – fromthe wild coast to the rugged beauty of Northumberland – it’s theideal short-break tour. Market towns such as Brampton andHaltwhistle are lovely places to stop, and the bright lights ofNewcastle round off your stay.

It broadly follows the route of Hadrian’s Wall, which started nearCarlisle and ended at Tynemouth, near Newcastle. Whereas theC2C climbs 600m above sea level, and the Way of the Rosestouches 400m, Hadrian’s Cycleway doesn’t go much above250m.

Yet there’s still a taste of the Northumbrian wilds, particularlyaround the Roman forts of Birdoswald and Vindolanda. Theroute darts back and forth from the wall, preferring quiet roads tohistorical fidelity, but if anything, that makes it more enjoyablyvaried.

The full Hadrian’s Cycleway starts on the Cumbrian Coast atRavenglass. We concentrate here on the coast-to-coast section,from Carlisle to Newcastle, which has the best scenery and isthe easiest to get to. If you have more time, you might consideradding the 87 flat, coastal miles from Ravenglass to Carlisle toyour holiday.

How long does it take?

It’s 83 miles from Carlisle to the mouth of the Tyne, so two orthree days for most cyclists. Add another two days if you’restarting at Ravenglass. (But the really keen have been known todo it overnight!)

What bike do you need?

Any bike: the route is mostly on tarmac. There’s just one shortbumpy section at Vindolanda, and a gravel path shortly beforeHaltwhistle where the road runs parallel.

How do I get there?

It’s an easy route to access by train, with mainline services ateither end. Virgin’s express services run from north and south toCarlisle, from where local trains pootle down the coast toRavenglass. You’ll need to book in advance on the Virgin trains,both to secure a cycle space and to get an affordable ticket. Thecoast line is friendly and the guards are used to bikes.

Newcastle has connections to most parts of Britain. Again, you’llneed to book in advance to get a good price and a cycle space –particularly on the CrossCountry services, which have very poorbike accommodation.

The entire route is paralleled by local railway lines(Ravenglass–Carlisle and Carlisle–Newcastle), so you caneasily catch a train back to your starting point or bail out halfwayif need be.

Carlisle to Haltwhistle

Arriving at Carlisle, Hadrian’s Cycleway eases you into yourcoast-to-coast challenge. It’s traffic free for the first mile, with theroute well signposted from the station; it then settles down ontolittle roads along the Eden valley. There’s one hill just beforeBrampton, a friendly market town with a good range of cafés.

The priory, church and cycle-friendly café at Lanercost areworth a stop before the route climbs up to our first glimpse ofHadrian’s Wall. (There’s a short one-way split in the route, butit’s clearly signed.) The route runs alongside the wall for the nextthree miles, with impressive views over the Irthing valley to thesouth.

Birdoswald Roman fort is tamer and more manicured thanVindolanda (coming later), but it’s still remarkably well preserved2,000 years on. There’s cycle parking in the main car park.

A new traffic-free path runs beside the railway line afterGilsland, after which comes the steepest hill on the whole route.A gravel path has been built alongside, but to be honest wefound the tarmac surface on the road more comfortable. Thecorollary is the two-mile descent into Haltwhistle, which is purefun.

Haltwhistle is an old-fashioned town with a particularly goodline in butchers’ shops. The Tourist Information Centre is nowhoused in the library, but is closed over the winter.

Haltwhistle to Corbridge

The Pennine Cycleway meets Hadrian’s Cycleway atHaltwhistle, and the two routes share a common path for thenext seven miles. At first it’s fairly uneventful, but at Bardon Millit kicks uphill, climbing back towards Hadrian’s Wall.

The two cycleways split at a lonely T-junction known as SmithsShield. Note that there’s a pub, youth hostel and theNorthumberland National Park visitor centre at Once/TwiceBrewed, half a mile further along the Pennine Cycleway.

Vindolanda is the real deal, the most impressive site alongHadrian’s Wall by quite some margin. So much wilder thanBirdoswald, this remote outpost of the Roman Empire has beenextensively excavated. A small number of new-build woodenstructures help you imagine what life must have been like for theGauls who received a (no doubt unwelcome) posting to thiswindswept fort. A vast number of relics – coins, leather, and thefamous tablets – are housed in the newly renovated museum.

The road is roughly surfaced past Vindolanda, preventingmotorists from using it as a scenic cut-through. Half a mile ofclimbing later, you reach the highest point of Hadrian’sCycleway.

It really is all downhill from here. Six exhilarating miles ofdescending on a largely straight road take you to the banks ofthe River Tyne, which the route will follow closely all the way tothe North Sea. A path beside the railway provides a safeapproach to Hexham.

Hexham is perhaps the finest town on the route. Its magnificentabbey dominates the town centre, though the most impressivefeature is buried below – the Saxon crypt. St Mary’s Chare is aparticularly appealing street with cafés and a handy bike shop.

Leaving Hexham requires crossing the river on a busy mainroad bridge. Still, it’s not far to Corbridge, a smaller, attractivetown, uniform in its stone buildings and slate roofs.

Corbridge to Tynemouth

One of the delights of Hadrian’s Cycleway is the gentleapproach to urban Tyneside. From Prudhoe to Tynemouth, theroute is almost entirely traffic-free, following the north bank ofthe River Tyne. Motorists have to contend with roundabouts andretail parks, ring roads and red lights. The cycle route glidesserenely into town – sometimes green, sometimes built-up, butalways interesting.

First comes seven miles of quiet lanes from Corbridge toOvingham. Then the route briefly crosses the Tyne on a ricketyroad bridge, to join the Wylam Waggonway – a tramroad datingfrom the 1740s, well before the railway age. This has become ajustly popular route, and is usually busy with cyclists. You’ll see acouple of boats on the river here, too. In fact, cars are the onemode of transport which are conspicuous by their absence –apart from a brief tangle with the roads at the derelictWhitehouse Enterprise Park.

Newcastle’s riverside panorama is famous the world over, withseven bridges in the space of a mile. The newest, theGateshead Millennium Bridge, is reserved for cyclists andpedestrians: you could choose to cross here and follow thesouthern bank to South Shields for an alternative finish. Stayingon the north bank leads you to the Hub, a new riverside cyclecentre with café, workshop and a programme of events.

The final miles of Hadrian’s Cycleway see it climb above theriver onto a railway path – watch out for glass. There aredramatic views back down to the river and the site of the oldSwan Hunter shipyard.

Tynemouth marks the end of Hadrian’s Cycleway, but the startof several more adventures – Coast & Castles and thenotoriously challenging Reivers route among them. You cancelebrate your achievement in local style with fish, chips and apint, or return to Newcastle to paint the town red. Bear in mindthat bikes aren’t allowed on the Tyne & Wear Metro, but youcould take the Shields Ferry across to the south bank, andreturn along NCN route 14 for a change.

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