C2C - Anyone done the Sea to Sea Sustrans route?

Any advice accepted - any experiences/pitfalls etc???

On the route, bike advice not needed.

I did it a 15 years ago, so accommodation etc obsolete now. The North Pennine part from Hartside westwards can be awful in bad weather, take the necessary kit.

I did it last summer. The route navigation is a piece of cake - we had maps and GPS but it's really well signed.

Terrainwise it was a lot easier than expected. We did the old coach road bit which was great but the rest of the the terrain is non-technical generally. I know you weren't asking for bike advice but my hardtail Litespeed with 80mm sids was more than enough. I wish I'd taken a rigid bike.

We did Whitehaven to Newcastle for ease of trains home. Whithaven in truth is a bit of a hole but easy to get out of!!

Make sure you stop at Hartside cafe for some great cake! Make sure you explore a bit around Winlatter for some good offroad stuff. Keswick is lovely.

I did it back in 2005, there's a write up here: www.gravityengine.co.uk

Thanks!

I'm planning on doing it on my road bike so will avoid the off-road bits, plus I will be staying in B&B'S.

I'm thinking of doing it in 2 days but not sure if its a bit ambitious.

I've tagged onto a group that are doing it this May Bank Holiday - so doing it over a 3 day spread. I get the impression that this is the most popular spread and is reasonably leisurely for the recreational standard that our group is. Reports are that a lot of the off road sections are rutted by scramblers/4*4 so, like you, we have decided to stick primarily to the road/ old railways lines route. Day 1 is Workington to Penrith (75km), Day 2 Penrith to Allenheads (53Km), Day 3 Allenheads to Sunderland (75Km). Bought some rear panniers for my hybrid, loaded it up and went out for trial ride last week - first lesson I learnt was how quickly a loaded up bike stalls when riding up a steep hill. I had one of those classic 'fall off sideways still clipped in' moments, giving my right knee a damn good grazing. To top it, my mate, who was just behind me, ran over me. Think I might put flats on for this one.

If you are doing it before May then I will be interested in hearing of your experience.
If you are doing it after May I will post an update on my experience.

Another Rob

Thanks very much. If the days are of a reasonable length I can't see why I can't do it in 2 days. I've ridden to York and that's 60miles and did that in 3h20m , about 16mph average. If u knock that down to 10mph average which is quite slow and takes into account a slightly higher load on the bike (won't be taking too much) then I'm only going to need 14hrs on the bike over 2 days.

How hard can it be? ;-)

Meeting up with the group for the first time next week, for a chat. I suspect our group will be planning about 5hrs in the saddle and 2 hrs stopped per day for 3 days, at a pace of about 9mph. A little slower, but not too dissimilar a pace to your plan of 7hrs in the saddle for 2 days at 10mph. Personally, my 'bot' get uncomfortable at 5hrs in the saddle (I'm more used to 3hr/40km MTB routes). Our group will be on a mix of hybrid and MTB bikes.

The only other comments that I came across were references to weather. Got the impression that a significant number of people were disappointed by the weather in the Pennines - eg. fog, cloud and cold at the top. So it looks like a few bulky items going in my pannier for 'going over the top'.

Rob J

Rob Atkin":997n3omc said:

Thanks!

I'm planning on doing it on my road bike so will avoid the off-road bits, plus I will be staying in B&B'S.

I'm thinking of doing it in 2 days but not sure if its a bit ambitious.

Click to expand...

Just completed the Sustrans C2C route at the weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed it, better than I expected. Our group of 10 were on a mix of MTB and Hybrid.

The route we followed was a mix of old railway line, road, and some bridleway, so unlikely to be the route you intend to do on a road bike.

Day 1: Workington to Penrith (75Km). Old railway line is a mix of tarmac and hard pack. Bridleway through Wythop Wood down to Bassenthwaite Lake has steep short sections of rocky outcrop and softish ground which is likely to be a bit 'tetchy' on a road bike.

Day 2: Penrith to Alllenheads (55Km). All on the road. 4 climbs. Hartside cafe was very busy (Bank Holiday). Fine for a road bike.

Day 3: Allenheads to Sunderland (75Km). Almost all on bridleway or old railway line. Bridleway through Stanhope Common would not be suitable for a road bike. Old Railway line (Waskerley Way) is a mix of hard pack, tarmac, loose pea gravel, so not really suited to a road bike.

So not much help as I can only assume you are planning an alternative route.

Rob J

Might be useful - I might do it on my Kona instead with some narrow mixed use tyres. Not sure yet - road bike will be more comfortable over a longer distance but the Kona gives me more options.

How was the route finding?