Coast & Castles

Thursday: Newcastle to Ashington

Early start for train to Newcastle. Change at Ipswich and Peterborough. Took packed lunch with us to save time and money. The train Peterborough to Newcastle on East Coast had cycle stands very close to each other, hardly any room to get through as well. Unbeknownst to us at this time, but the conductors didn't ask to check our cycle reservations so got on ok, not so good coming back (see later on return journey from Edinburgh).

Once in Newcastle, got straight to the National Cycle Network without much trouble and followed very well posted signs with not much problems. Route was a combination of on road and off road track by mostly off and very pleasant to not be in traffic. Got to Tynemouth where we stopped for lunch, windy and cold.

Stopped at co-op in Blyth and picked up food for dinner. Near Ashington we turned off the route to head to the campsite (Wansbeck Park). The path was a bit rough in parts and more suitable for MTBs, but we got to the campsite eventually. Pitched tent and made dinner before it got dark. Toilet and showers were in a shabby old portacabin and were not clean. Booked a B&B for Sunday night in Kelso as there were no campsites nearby.

Friday: Ashington - Dunstan


Decided to take a different route from the campsite to get out of the town to avoid the path from yesterday. Got to Amble and there were a few possibilities on the outskirts but decided to keep going to Warkworth where we were stopping to see the castle. On way out of Amble, we missed a turning and ended up on the high street which looked like there were lots of nice places to eat so we decided to have lunch there after all. A gentleman saw us pull over and came over to say hi. Had a lovely chat and he recommended a cafe around the corner - Jaspers. Went in there for a nice lunch obviously frequented by the locals. Rain started while we were in there. Got on way and rain had eased.

Stopped and went into castle at Warkworth with an impressive keep with lots of stairs. Cold and windy again. Warkworth village very small and no obvious eating places. Been on mostly cycle paths which was great. On way past Alnwick we saw two cyclists (who had started the same time as us in Newcastle) but going the other way. Not long later they came past us again, going faster than we were. We thought they would be way ahead give the pace they were going and the amount of stops we have. We passed them again a bit later on as they had stopped by an inn/pub? We then stopped for a snack a bit further on and they came past us and that was the last time we saw them. Probably worth noting here that Andrew spotted them at the same campsite we were at on Thursday night.

We eventually made our way to the campsite at Dunstan and put up the tent just before the rain started going quite heavily. Attempts to cook didn't go very well in the wet, tent zip got partially broken. We ended up having only rice flavoured with stock powder as cooker got too wet to cook with. Not happy campers that night. (Andrew's version - cooking rice, tent zip stuck, tried fixing zip but rice needed to come off, cooker got wet, zip not fixable, rice getting over-cooked. Lighter wouldn't light, matches wouldn't light, cooker wet and wouldn't light.)

Some lovely coast line views today.

Saturday: Dunstan to near Holy Island

Did not make it to Dunstanburgh castle (near Dunstan) but saw it on way out of Dunstan going north. Late start (11am) after a wet night. Bright sunny start. Just wanted to make progress and get to next stop before rain set in again as forecasted.

Stopped in Seahouses for food - bakery and co-op. Continued north, terrain getting more rolling. Quick stop in Bamburgh to answer a BCQ question and find out a little about famous heroine Grace Darling. Bamburgh appeared to be a quiant village.

About 5 miles out from the campsite, the rain started. We pulled to cover at a fuel station where in a short time, the rain got heavier and started hailing! We decided to carry on when it had eased. Grace knew the route turned into an off road track but had no idea that it was going to be a "route" across a farm where in some parts was just a narrow rut. At one point as we struggled along, Grace looked to the left and saw a group of sheep staring at us with their black faces (white bodies). It was hilarious as they were looking at us like we were mad! Pity we were too concerned with getting to our destination and getting dry to take a photo!

Campsite had very uneven ground and facilities pretty average. Had washing machine and dryer though! Hand washed and machine rinsed some clothes. Dried everything while we had dinner.

Too late to go to Holy Island today as the causeway floods with the tide.

Sunday: Holy Island to Kelso

Weather improved and managed to dry tent but just as we came to put down the tent, it started pouring with rain again! Luckily we had put away the inner already. Everything else got wet though. Spoke to a guy with a Van Nicholas titanium bicycle. He was not overly impressed with it but has a Thorn Audax also and it's great. Set off in light rain but it cleared. Through golf course and rolling hills. It wasn't long before we hit another patch of farm land for the route into Berwick. As it had been raining quite a bit it was a bit muddy and mucky and slow going. Lovely views though.

First stop of the day was a Spar at a suburb in Berwick for some lunch food. Then loo stop in the town centre by the Co-op where we picked up more water. Out of Berwick we went with next stop at the Union Suspension bridge near Horncliffe for a BCQ question. After Berwick we were heading west/south west straight into the wind so it was hard going. We were grateful that we had a B&B booked for the night for a bit of reprieve from the weather. Lunch was at Norham where we took a couple of snaps of the castle. Saw a family on 2 tandems one of which was a Thorn Voyager. Sat by village hall for lunch and had a few spots of rain. After that it felt like a long and hard slog to Kelso. Went through a village called Eccles on the way but not where the cakes are made.

Made it to B&B before 5, the man who ran it was very welcoming and recommended a place for dinner - The Cobbles Inn. We had a relaxing couple of hours, cup of tea and showers before going out for dinner. When I made a reservation over the phone for dinner and after hanging up thought the guy sounded like a Kiwi and yup when we turned up could hear a NZer with a strong accent. Lovely large meals, we tried haggis for a starter and enjoyed it. We had tried black pudding at lunch on Friday in Amble. Cold short walk back to B&B where we happily slept in a warm room.


Monday: Kelso to Innerleithen

Nice cooked breakfast (including haggis for Andrew and black pudding for Grace). Quick stop at bakery in town then set off for lunch at Melrose. Quite slow going, into the wind quite often and getting hilly. Crossed footbridge over the River Tweed. Arrived in Melrose, cute village/small town with nice centre, paved area with seating. Cold but sat out and had PB&J sandwiches. Boots & toilet stop. Onward to Innerleithen. Busy road crossings and eventually onto quiet roads. nice view from small bridge. Gradual incline and headwind made everything seemed like hard work. Even gradual declines needed pedalling! Arrived at campsite/caravan park with small boggy grass area next to the pods. Put up tent just before rain started and sheltered under the pods. Went into town to Co-op and bike shop across the road. By that time all the cafes had shut so no tea and scone for Andrew. Used pod to cook under on the park bench. It was very windy that night and the bikes fell over but the tent stayed up.

Tuesday: Innerleithen to Edinburgh

Made a good start today, on the road by 9.15am, with great expectations for the big climb ahead. We started a gradual ascent almost immediately and that continued for 8 miles. It was reasonably easy going at a steady pace and a slightly steeper 2 miles took us to the top with great views to the north and south. Nice long descent, some short but steep hills and cold wind. It felt like harder work than the big hill. The final section after leaving NCN1 was a very busy road. Wanted to stay in a wigwam, got the price wrong but decided to stay in it anyway which was worthwhile because it was windy and cold, with added bonus of fridge, tv and kettle. Visited the campsite shop for lunch supplies and beer.

Wednesday: Edinburgh

Caught bus into centre and stopped at Edinburgh Cycle coop shop. Looked at bike stuff and then walked into town. Looked at cashmere shops x6 or more, bought some items including a rug. Managed to dodge some heavy rain showers, had a nice leisurely lunch, tea and cake at Hula cafe. More shopping at White Stuff, dinner at Wok and Wine - very quiet.

Thursday: Edinburgh to home

Packed and away by 9.30am, found a quiet route to the station with an hour to spare. Saw other cycle tourers. Got to platform just as train was arriving, conductor asked for cycle reservations but we didn't have a paper ticket. Luckily he had a copy with him and let us on. Tight changeover at York, with conductor being an ass and almost not letting us on train as we didn't have a paper reservation even though there was plenty of room on the guard's carriage for the bikes. Managed to get on and eventually made it home...