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Cycling in Northumberland (England): Wooler, Ingram, Netherton, Whittingham, Eglingham.

July 1, 2023 by Maria Fernandez

Cycling in Northumberland, England - www.simonking.bike

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Northumberland cycling loop: map & data

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Total distance: 42.48 mi
Total climbing: 830 m
Total time: 08:58:48
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43 mile cycle in 9h from 10.25 to 19.25 – average 4.7 mph – very windy!

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Our story: Cycling in Northumberland

We left Edinburgh at 7.30 am in our camper van and headed south. Our plan was to spend two days cycling, and one night in the van, in a semi-solitary spot near Wooler, in Northumberland.

I’d checked the weather forecast just before we left. We were going to have a perfect temperature, and beautiful sunshine. And wind, a lot of wind.

After faffing about as usual in the car park, off we went on our bikes. We’d only cycled for a few minutes when we encountered the first ford. And then the second. And a wee bridge. And an impossibly narrow path. And another ford.

Gee, it was going to be slow.

Luckily, the path soon became a tarmac road. We stopped at a cafe in Ingram, where I fooled around with my camera while Simon had a snack and studied the maps.

Re-studied the maps, I mean. Which is great, because that way I could fool around without restrain.

As I’d hoped, the roads were mostly quiet, just like that time when we cycled not too far from here.

Cycling in Northumberland: a summer adventure

Along the way, we encountered a white goose, a swarm of feisty flies, a handful of baby hares, some beautiful horses, two intriguing sheep, and a pair of positively weird geese.

But the most memorable thing about this ride was the wind. Defiant, incessant wind. And just like that day at Billerwell Farm, when we cycled against the wind at 1mph, I loved it.

Lunch was among whistling trees and gorgeous thistles. Then we visited a pretty village called Whittingham, and immortalised its fountain and our creepy shadows.

In Eglingham (population 385), we basked in the sun, walked among the tombstones, and promised ourselves a winter stay at the Tankerville Arms inn.

We arrived at the van triumphant, exhausted, and with this heap of memories:

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Camera used: all the photos in this post were taken with my iPhone 13 Pro.

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OTHER CYCLING ADVENTURES

Cycle ride from Embleton to Seahouses & Ellingham (Northumberland, England): Our next day.

From Bridge of Orchy not quite to Beinn a’ Chreachain (Scotland): The first excursion in our 7-night trip to the Scottish Highlands.

Cycling to the marshes north of Les Sables d’Olonne (Pays de la Loire, France): A flat ride to an intriguing spot, crossing the Tour de France route – a bit too early.

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Filed Under: Blog, Day ride, England Tagged With: Van

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