Sea to Sea Cycle Route
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| Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) | ||
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Waymark  C2C | ||
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The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) is a 140 miles (230 km) cycle route opened in 1994. Combining sections of National Cycle Route 7, 14, 71 and 72; it runs from Whitehaven or Workington on the west coast of Cumbria, and then crosses the Lake District and the Pennines in the north of England by using a variety of both on and off-road trails, ending on the north-east coast in Tyne and Wear at Sunderland or Tynemouth. Sustrans state that it is the UK's most popular challenge cycle route,[1] it is designed for the whole range of cyclists, from families to cycling club riders. Although a challenge with some hard climbs—the highest point being over 609 m (1,998 ft)[1]—the C2C is completed by an average of between 12,800 and 15,000 cyclists every year.[citation needed]
History
The C2C is part of the UK
In 2005 a complementary route was opened further to the south. This, titled the
Art
A number of public artworks have been commissioned for the route, including
On the Consett to Sunderland line, there are The Old Transformers by David Kemp below
Route
The route has two alternative start points in
From Consett it's an easy ride via
- main roads—mainly short sections through urban areas—4%
- minor roads—quiet, country roads—50%
- cyclepaths/off-road—disused railway lines, etc.—46%
The C2C is best ridden from west to east to take advantage of the prevailing winds from the west and the more favourable gradients. Tradition dictates that you start the ride by dipping your back wheel in the Irish Sea and only ends when your front wheel gets a dip in the North Sea at the finish.
The floods of December 2015 destroyed or damaged some bridges on the C2C route through Cumbria, and there is quite often forestry work which closes some off-road sections, but alternative routes are signposted and are generally shown on the C2C-cycle website.[3]
It is typically completed in 3–5 days, though it has been completed in a single day (the record is currently held by Joel Toombs and Matt Shorrock at 7 hours 53 minutes and 03 seconds west to east on 28 September 2012). The youngest person to complete the C2C in one day is Christian Webster-Reed, aged 15, who completed the C2C in a moving time of 8:56:04 and an overall time of 13:56:24 on 25 August 2013.
The youngest person to complete the C2C2C in one day, from Tynemouth to Silloth and then back to Tynemouth again, is Hal Kennedy aged 17; completing the route in a moving time of 11:27:15 and an overall time of 14:28:02 on 8 May 2022.
In September 2021, Johan Lempen and Harvey Logan became the first people to complete the route on children's scooters.[4]
The route links to other parts of the NCN so can be used as part of a longer cycle tour.
Route maps for the C2C and detailed route guides from other publishers are available from Sustrans.
See also
- Coast to Coast Walk—a similar long-distance footpath, which takes a different route between the two coastlines.
References
- ^ a b "C2C or Sea to Sea". Sustrans. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
The UK's most popular challenge cycle route...
- ^ "Beamish Shorthorns". National Recording Project. Public Monuments and Sculpture Association. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "The Ultimate C2C Guide". The Ultimate C2C Guide. Retrieved 2 March 2016.[dead link]
- ^ "Scooter C2C". Instagram. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
External links
