UKC

Thinking ahead to the weekend - I'm going to be in Haughton Le Spring on Friday night and taking the push rod with me for a jaunt out on Saturday morning. The only thing is I don't know the area at all.....

looking to do a 50 miler on the road bike before heading home, does anyone have any good routes round there ? or, can advise me on which direction is worth heading ? good climbs etc

my second idea was to bail from Haughton early, park up then ride out from Reeth / Richmond direction as its on the way back ……. ish but I've ridden round there before and i like exploring new roads ( just don't want to explore rubbish ones if I can avoid it )

thanks in advance, TFL

Its a bit urban around haughton - you'd be dodging in and out of towns all the time, but theres plenty of decent scenic routes up and down the coast. Or instead of heading down to Richmond, how about going through durham / crook and heading up and around weardale / teesdale area? If you've been around richmond / reeth i assume you are ok with uphill bits.......Or head down the A19 instead of A1 and do a circuit on the north yorks moors. Plenty of choice.

Houghton Le Spring.

Pedal around Hartlepool and take in the sights.

I wouldn't stop though if I were you, and have a shave before you go, just in case.

I'd head inland on the C2C cycle route, then turn north at Consett and drop down to the Tyne (I say drop down but there's a bugger of a climb back out of Ebchester). Then follow the Tyne cycle route back east. I did something similar from Sunderland about a year ago - it was about 65 miles. Starting from Houghton le Spring might shave a few miles off.

Getting up to Weardale and onto the moors above Stanhope would be even nicer, but probably a bit further than what you're after.