C2C day 3 Allenheads to South Shields

A day of two halves

Our morning started with a lovely breakfast at 8am. Lots more chat with Phil the landlord and the lovely cook. We both really liked Allenheads Inn, friendly staff and a quirky 18th century building steeped in local history. The inn is off the water grid and is fed by water direct from the fells - you can taste the difference.

After a lot of faffing and finishing the blog from the previous day, we finally got on the road at 9:45. No time for a warm up as we were straight into the first climb. Tracy was not impressed.

Leaving the inn

The first climb - water store for Allenheads in the background 

Riding up in the fells we were struck by the local road features - flattened rabbits. Not sure why they were so numerous, but our morning ride followed a familiar pattern, dead rabbit, flat rabbit, tough climb, flat rabbit, rabbit skin, another climb. Rinse and repeat. Not sure if the leporine population is suffering from depression or if they lack any road-sense. I guess where the roads are so quiet, they haven't gotten used to traffic and stand there like a rabbit caught in the headl... Oh.

After a 4.5 mile run descent into Rookhope, we suddenly realised that we weren't supposed to be there. Apparently I had planned a side quest off the main C2C route on a quiet road - part of the National byways. We had to backtrack a mile into a strong headwind that we hadn't noticed when it was at our backs. Another climb up to the fells and despite some steep sections we still managed to avoid the lowest gear - no walking the bikes. We left Northumberland behind, entering county Durham. 

Summit of a challenging climb

Leaving Northumberland (famously not Scotland) and entering the Land of the "Prince Bishops". No I don't know either.

Tracy slaloming the climb - the strong wind making her zig much faster than her zag

On a positive note, my detour missed out Crawleyside bank - a notorious climb with 254m height gain. Tracy was happy. We also realised that we were heading to Roker beach by Sunderland, an alternative C2C finish, rather than direct to South Shields, adding about 7 miles. Tracy was not happy. 

Once more with feeling - approaching the last climb of the day

Even when surrounded by such natural beauty...

...some people are still dicks.

After the final of the 3 climbs of the day we arrived at Parkhead station - the beginning of a disused railway and a completely different second part of the day. There was a lovely coffee shop in the old station house - but it was closed. Lack of caffeine was to prove an issue today.

Parkhead station - wish it was open!

One of many sculptures on the railway 

The railway was a welcome change from climbing the fells

Looking East we could see that the land would become very flat. Pancake flat. In these parts you might even say rabbit flat.

Hownsgill Viaduct

Provides a fabulous view - apart from the anti suicide fence

Following Waskerley way, the old railway, provided easy riding, mostly a gentle descent that required minimal effort. Tracy decided that this was the type of riding that she wants all day.  We passed another railway-side cafe, again closed on Weds, it's a conspiracy!

Terris Novalis - site of the Consett steelworks

King cole sculpture 

We stopped for lunch in Consett. Ignoring two Greggs, we settled in at Maddison's cafe in Consett. Jacket potato for Tracy and a toastie for me. We both went with cold drinks rather than coffee - again missing out on our caffeine.

Welcome refueling in Consett

We continued on the old railway at 2:30, loving the downhill sections and increasingly becoming annoyed by any gentle incline. The route, crossing roads on bridges, avoided all traffic, instead we had to contend with dog walkers with canines on extendy leads.

Ironmaster sculpture 

Matador! Beamish shorthorns.

Not a flat rabbit 

As the day wore on, I could detect Tracy getting increasingly grumpy. It came to a head when she got lost after ignoring a C2C sign because "It didn't look right" Apparently it was my fault for going too far ahead. I did wonder if Tracy's closet caffeine addiction was affecting her mood. I felt it prudent not to voice my theory. 

We stopped at the Washington Wetlands Centre at 4:30, to make use of the coffee shop. The centre is committed to preservation of wetland birds. Cold drinks, coffee and Tracy deciding that she wanted an ice-cream instead of cake. We continued on route with Tracy feeling refreshed. She wondered aloud if maybe she needed coffee and that was the problem. Who'd have thought?

Technically and actually not a cake

Wetlands centre is all about the bird conservation. Except pigeons. Pigeons are bastards. They can bugger off.

Our route took us along the river Wear and through the regenerated shipyards. I wonder how much the character of Sunderland has changed since the last one closed in 1988. A brief photostop at the Starmap sculpture, the official end of C2C at Roker beach, before ironically riding north to South Shields.

Northern spire bridge - finished in 2018

Stadium of light - Apparently home of a football team according to Tracy

Sculptures on the shipyards

Ridden the C2C...

...Yep, done!

North up the coast. These extra miles were psychologically difficult 

We passed so many runners on the coastal route, must have been an event or club run or something. We finally arrived at our apartment at 7pm. The ground floor apartment was lovely and Tracy immediately became one with the sofa. She was too knackered to venture out to any of the numerous restaurants, so I took on the role of hunter-gatherer. An incredibly long 5 mins walk to Morrisons before returning with Chicken, Chocolate, Chorizo and Choleslaw. Day off the bikes tomorrow before the second half of our trip - a 3 day ride back to Whitehaven along Hadrian's Cycleway.

Total miles - 61

Elevation - 2973 feet (all in the first 18 miles)

Average speed - 9.3mph

Cake of the day - Minty Magnum 6/10. (Points deducted for not being a cake, but still very satisfying) 

Tracy whinge factor - 5/10. Caffeine deprivation induced grumpiness