Newcastle - Edinburgh

Personal welcome briefing in the morning.

Your journey starts by cycling along the Newcastle quayside past the Millennium Bridge as you head eastwards along the River Tyne to the coast. You will soon find yourself passing through the heart of the former ship building area of the Tyne and at Wallsend – the end of Hadrian’s Wall you will need to keep an eye out for Segedunum Roman Fort Museum. Continuing along close to the river you soon reach the Fish

Quays of North Shields, where you will find a bustling little harbour. You are now at the very mouth of the Tyne and a few more pedal turns lead along its quayside, pass Lord Collingwood and you will reach Tynemouth. This is a great place for a late morning coffee or to stock up on snacks for the miles ahead. From here you continue along the seafront, past the Victorian resort of Whitley Bay and on to the seaport of Blyth. You will soon leave the urban surroundings behind and pass into much more open countryside and quiet country lanes. The next point of interest is the stunning Druridge Bay. With its seven mile sandy beach, nature reserve and some of Northumberland’s biggest sand dunes it is a real treat. Next comes Warkworth with its impressive 12th century castle, where you will spend this evening.

Your first stop this morning is the prety village of Alnmouth. After stopping for a quick cup of tea your route takes you towards the impressive medieval castles of Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh, as and the attractive coastal village of Craster. At Bamburgh, as well as the castle in its dramatic setting on a rock outcrop, there is the Grace Darling museum, a famous heroine of the lifeboats.

Just up the coast from Bamburgh you come to Lindisfarne, otherwise known as Holy Island, a key site in early Christianity and the place where the Lindisfarne Gospels were created in the 8th century. If the tide and time allows, it’s worth a visit by crossing the tidal causeway. From Holy Island, it’s on to the Elizabethan border town of Berwick upon Tweed, with its complex defences built up over the years of border wars, and your stopping place for the night.

From Berwick, it’s inland, along the Tweed valley to Melrose. On the way you’ll cross the border into Scotland, then back into England over the famous Union Suspension Bridge, that spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe in Northumberland and Fishwick in the Scottish Borders. At the Chainbridge Honey Farm, you can get a cup of tea and feast yourselves on yummy cakes and enjoy them on an old London red double decker bus! As the name implies, you can buy lots of honey there too. A few miles on you cross back into Scotland at Norham Castle, and on to Kelso, with the impressive Floors Castle and your first night spent over the border!

This morning you head to Melrose, famed for its impressive Gothic-style abbey, which is thought to be the burial place of Robert the Bruce’s heart! Leaving Melrose, you continue along the increasingly deep Tweed Valley, surrounded by forested hills and following the course of this famous salmon river to Innerleithen, passing Traquair House, reputedly the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. The busy little town of Innerleithen is well known for its mountain biking scene, and no doubt, you will see armoured and full face helmeted riders around the town.

Heading north out of Innerleithen the route climbs up an over the Moorfoot Hills, with views of Edinburgh in the distance. Dropping down from the hills and heading through Dalkeith and Musselburgh you make your way into Edinburgh through the Innocent Tunnel and past Arthur’s Seat to the finish point at The Mound. Here you will be met here by our guide / representative for the journey back to Newcastle. The finish point has been chosen for its close proximity to Edinburgh’s main train station Waverley, should you be departing by train.