Wooler trip

Tuesday 8^th April 2025

I’d arranged to go to the Wooler Hostel in Northumberland in late September last year, but after arranging both the accommodation and a few cycle routes for ten friends, I managed to fall off a mountain bike a couple of weeks before which meant I couldn’t go!  Everyone else managed it but sadly I had to remain at home with my arm in a sling whilst arranging appointments with the fracture clinic.  Yet I was determined to see what I missed, and so I rebooked the accommodation (just for me) for a few days this week.  

I couldn’t have asked for better weather (so far – let’s not jinx it!).  Today, after a smooth 3½ hour drive, I parked up by the coast near Seahouses and went for a ride up to Bamburgh to seek out a recommended coffee hut on a little car park just out of town.  And here was my first disappointment.  The owner was in attendance, but he was wielding a paint brush and not a frying pan.  It must only be open in summertime which was disappointing.

Never mind, there were other options, and I found good value in the Bamburgh Walled Garden.  The place was packed and looked rather expensive, and with cappuccino at over four quid, it was.  But the scones looked delish, so I ordered one without knowing the cost (look at me; now I’m drawing my pension, I’m feeling rash).  When the large, warm scone arrived it was accompanied by two pats of butter, a jar of jam and a portion of clotted cream!  The price for that and the coffee turned out to be £7.85 which I judged to be good value.  Normally, clotted cream sends the price spiralling.

Whilst I gorged on my scone, I considered my objectives for the next four days – I still like to have reasons to do things and targets to aim for.  This week, the plan is to ride some splendid new and quiet roads that I know are here and link up some rides with previous ones which currently only reach as far East as Jedburgh.  I was in this region with Geraldine two years ago and we saw some lovely villages along the coast that I want to revisit.  And of course, I will be tile gathering.  Every mile will reward me with at least one new tile since this is a completely new cycling region for me.

The wind was light, unlike the past couple of weeks, and so the riding was lovely.  After Bamburgh, I headed inland and looped back to Beadnell before following the coast road up to Seahouses to where I’d left the car. From there it was just a short drive over to Wooler and the hostel.  

Although the hostel was open when I arrived, I couldn’t check in until 5pm, so I unpacked the bike and set off on a short trip to ride one of Simon Warren’s climbs in the Northeast region.  It was only 2 miles from the hostel so I’d no excuse not to ride it.  Simon Warren rated it 7/10 for difficulty but it didn’t seem that hard.  The surface was rough and gravelly (which was much more of a problem coming down) but the gradient appeared less steep than its posted 20%.  Simon Warren gives an approximate climb time of 5 minutes, so for me taking 5m 53s wasn’t disgraceful.

When I returned to my accommodation I was greeted by Hannah who had recently taken over as manager and she plied me with a huge pot of tea and a bowlful of custard creams.  It is such a friendly place.  I spent half an hour chatting to Hannah and the guy who was doing the garden before I could get to have a shower.  

And the shower was amazing!  Although I’ve never experienced it, I guess it would have felt the same if I’d stood beneath a fire hose.  A very warm fire hose.  Any dirt didn’t stand a chance beneath that deluge and it cleaned me in the same way a Karcher cleans the dirt off your patio.

The Anchor pub was recommended to me as providing good, nourishing fare so I went there, but initially I wasn’t too hopeful in this choice.  The beer was good, and although the landlord appeared a bit gruff and abrupt and the menu on the blackboard was very limited, I received a truly huge meal.  The Hunters Turkey was marvellous (the menu board advertised Hunters Chicken, but there is no way that was a chicken) and since it was accompanied by a large salad and a mountain of chips I really struggled to finish it.  I took it as a personal challenge from the chef, and so I was determined to leave a clean plate.  I hope he was impressed.

The music in the pub suited me too.  It was 1970s vintage and since I’m presently reading a book by Paul McCartney explaining some of his lyrics, I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate the old stuff.

Since the food was so plentiful, I was thinking of returning here tomorrow but then I read in the local newsletter that the pub hosts a ukulele night each Wednesday and “all are made welcome”, so I might have to find an alternative.  There’s supposed to be a good Italian restaurant in town.  But then again, that food!  I have to balance a little assault on my eardrums whilst stuffing my face against what could simply be an overpriced pizza in a bland restaurant.

When I returned to the hostel, a couple of old gents from Newcastle who I’d spoken to earlier were playing a guitar and singing along with the hostel owner. They were working their way through a Beatles song book, so I could use the book I’m presently reading to sing along with the lyrics.  It was a lovely evening.

I met several dogs this evening.  The hostel has a little shih tzu (which really needed a haircut), there was a very friendly spaniel in the pub, and some residents at the hostel had a golden retriever and a collie.  So I’m now covered in various colours of dog hair.

I’m sleeping in a large eight-bed dormitory tonight but there’s just one other guy sharing so we’ve lots of room.

Wednesday 9^th April 2025

It was much colder and cloudier when I awoke this morning.  The forecast is for it to peak at about 10°C which will feel like 8°C in the NE wind.  Not the day to wear shorts, but, optimist that I am, that’s all I’ve brought.

I’d pre-ordered breakfast all this week at the hostel and I was delighted to be asked alongside the usual tea or coffee and white or brown toast, whether I’d prefer a hen or a duck egg.  I chose the latter.  I can’t remember when I last had a duck egg: it’s just something that isn’t really offered any longer.  I grew up with ducks on my parents’ farm, so duck eggs weren’t a novelty, but it’s now decades since I last ate one.  I really enjoyed it, along with the rest of the breakfast which was freshly prepared to order using excellent ingredients.

I set off at about 9.45, which was a touch later than I would normally leave in the naïve hope that the temperature had risen.  It hadn’t.  In fact it hardly increased all morning, staying stubbornly below 6°C.  

Personally I was pleasantly warm, however.  The NE wind helped to blow me along all morning and without the wind chill, the temperature felt fine.  After lunch by the time I began heading into the wind (which I did for 25 miles), the day had warmed up to the relatively balmy 7°C, and even 8°C at times and fighting the wind kept me warm.

I had arranged for all the climbing to be in the first half of the ride which, with the wind assistance, was a good move.  In the morning I took a slight detour to cycle up Barley Hill which is another of the recommended climbs in this region.

I took my usual coffee and scone in the Abbey Bridge Coffee House in Jedburgh and although the scone was inferior and the coffee smaller than yesterday, the bill was only £6 which was appropriate.  I then cycled down the Teviot and Tweed valleys through Kelso and Coldstream before turning back down to Wooler.

When I was close to Wooler, I passed a gliding club and it was obvious that I was cycling beside the perimeter track of an old military airbase.  I’ve subsequently discovered that RAF Milfield was built during the first world war and arguably was one of the most significant airfields in the country since here were trained many pilots who played a major part in the WWII Normandy landings.

I spent a long time watching a chap fly fishing just at the confluence of the rivers Teviot and Tweed.  I was hoping to see him catch a salmon, but I’d no luck and neither, it seems, did he.

Today, over a long-sleeved vest, I wore my Prestwick Cycle Challenge top which featured a saltire as an acknowledgment that I spent half of the day in Scotland, although to be truthful, for much of the time I’d no idea which country I was in.

At present (6pm) I’m minded to try The Anchor again tonight for tea and risk sitting through the Ukulele Friends meeting.  Who knows, I might enjoy it?

Well it’s now 10pm and would you believe it, the ukulele group were even worse than I’d imagined?  They strummed along to old songs such as Country Road (take me home) and Matchstalk men.  They also thoroughly ruined a couple of Beatles and Beach Boys songs.  The ukes were just as I expected, but what made matters worse, the group sang along, in very strict tempo, but rarely in tune.  It was excruciating.  And to cap it all, they were in a side room of the pub with no door and where I sat, the sound system was still playing the likes of Donna Summer, Blondie and Chic.  I’ve heard of fusion food, but fusion music?  Nah, forget it.  

The food made up for the racket, however.  Tonight I chose crispy chicken served on a flatbread with a curry sauce.  Once more, it was over-facing, and this time, I submitted, leaving part of my flatbread (which started out overhanging the plate).

Tomorrow, I want to be away straight after breakfast since I’m visiting Holy Island and the tide covers the causeway at 12.30, so I’m on a deadline.  I should have plenty of time, however.

Thursday 10^th April 2025

The sun streaming in through the window woke me today which was great after yesterday’s clouds but it was still a shock when I went out to find the car covered in ice. 

The day had warmed up considerably by the time I set off at 9.30.  I needed to be away earlyish today since I was heading across the causeway to Lindisfarne and the rising tide cut off access to the village at 12.30.  This still gave me plenty of time (it’s only 25 miles away) but I still felt the urge to press on to reach the coast.  This leg included a climb up Lyham Hill (in the NE climbs book).  This hill was only rated 5/10, but this time I agreed: it was just a very pleasant ride up through a pretty gorse-verged road.  It was very tempting to stop and admire the beautiful views to the West, but I didn’t until I’d reached the top.

I use a Garmin device to guide me on the routes, and recently, the company has been indicating where hazards have been reported. I often see potholes mentioned, occasionally temporary road closures, but today was a new one. It appears that in December 2024 an animal was reported near Beal on my route. I can now report (if I knew how) that the animal was no longer there causing a hazard.

The wind had switched to a Westerly today, so it was a speedy wind-assisted run to reach the causeway.  The ride out to Lindisfarne was sublime on a pan-flat road (obviously) with a smooth surface and very little traffic.  Once over the footbridge (with its refuge tower) I was a bit surprised to note that I was still over three miles from the town. 

Although the car park wasn’t full, the town was very busy with many pedestrians who weren’t looking out for cyclists (I might have been the only one there) but I managed not to run anyone over.  The usual problem with dogs on twelve-foot leads on one side of the road with their owners on the other was negotiated without incidents.

I wanted to ride in all the Veloviewer tiles I could on the island, and one of them could only be accessed by riding along a beautiful footpath heading North.  There were no pedestrians on this stretch, so even though my bike was wearing inappropriate tyres, I still made good progress.

Just before leaving Holy Island, I diverted to see the Snook.  I’ve previously used the small car park there but at that time I failed to realise that the two properties just beyond it were made famous by a TV programme called Vera which I’ve never seen.  One of the buildings sports a small tower, but they are otherwise nondescript, and indeed private houses, so I didn’t venture too close.

In planning the route I had nursed a slight worry that since I was leaving the island just before the causeway closed, the traffic might be heavy with everyone leaving at once.  I derived comfort from the thought that since the road would be closing soon there would be very little incoming traffic.  I was wrong on both counts.  There seemed to be just as many cars heading in each direction and this was with less than an hour before the tide isolated the village from the mainland.  As it happened, both incoming and outgoing traffic wasn’t too high and the drivers were courteous.

I then took the back roads up to Berwick, arriving about 1.30.  Before entering the town, I took a slight diversion to Spittal which has a beach and I was amazed to see it very busy!  It was warm, but I didn’t think it was that warm. 

My suggested route went over the new bridge into town, but I didn’t fancy this, much preferring the old bridge which was apparently built in 1624 on the request of James I (England) / James VI (Scotland).  The problem was the bridge is one way only – the wrong way for me.  So I walked across. 

On the opposite side was a little café perched almost beneath the bridge and alongside the river so I sat on a bench outside and enjoyed my usual fruit scone and coffee.  Whilst the setting was ideal (and the price was fine) the fare wasn’t as good as previous days.  The scone was pleasant but there was no jam, and insufficient butter, but those omissions didn’t amount to a complaint.  Once refreshed, I resumed my journey, finding my way out of Berwick on fairly quiet roads and cycle tracks. 

After Berwick, I entered Scotland for a few miles and to re-enter England, I passed over a splendid chain bridge over the Tweed which was apparently constructed in 1820. It was refurbished in 2022 and plenty of information boards told me all about it.

I had arranged to cycle through the villages of Ford and Etal since they always appear in the tourist handbooks and I’d never visited either before.  They are very pretty (well, Etal certainly is) but rather too ‘touristy’ for me.  One thing I found amusing was that Etal has a spectacular ford but Ford appeared to lack such a feature.  Ford is also a bit too ‘manufactured’; it looks like a facsimile of a village rather than one where people actually live.

I relied on Cycle.travel to arrange my routes and I’m always careful to specify the ‘paved only’ option, especially when I’m on a road bike with skinny tyres.  Generally, the software is fine, but from Doddington village I was diverted firstly along a very rough track with the surface comprising the sort of rocks you find beneath railway sleepers.  When I checked the map, it appeared that the route was indeed a Sustrans-approved one (NCR 68) which, just at that point, improved and became a path with hard packed soil, which, after the recent dry spell was fine.  The diversion took me off what was in fact a fairly quiet B-road, even at rush hour.  

I arrived back at base soon after 5pm and dived straight into the shower to remove the road grime.  I’m getting used to the Karcher experience now: I think I’ve developed calluses on my shoulders.

Tonight, I gave the Anchor a miss.  The quantity of food is certainly substantial, but the variety was very limited and since tonight I was looking for something more than just calories, I opted for the Italian restaurant.  Oh, and another thing, at 8pm the Anchor were hosting a quiz night which added a further reason for me to find a new venue.  

The Milan restaurant was recommended to me and their website advised booking ahead.  I didn’t do that reasoning that a table for one on Thursday evening in a sleepy town couldn’t be difficult.  Of course, when I arrived and replied in the negative to the inevitable question, it took a few minutes for them to rearrange the furniture to accommodate me.  The restaurant was very large but surprisingly busy at 7pm and it was a delicious meal and no-one asked me any questions on sport that I couldn’t answer.

It’s my last day tomorrow when I will visit Alnwick and tackle Corby’s Crags, another of Simon Warren’s climbs.

Friday 11^th April 2025

I knew that I’d a 3½ hour drive home later, so today’s ride to Alnwick was suitably shorter.  It wasn’t suitably flatter, though.  I just had the one climb from the NE climbs book, which was another 5/10 and that felt appropriate.  Prior to that, the road was just a bit lumpy with no big climbs or descents but through the day they all added up to make the ride the hilliest (per mile) of the week.

The first stretch was very interesting.  My planned route directed me down a rough dirt track to a ford.  This wasn’t very deep after the prolonged dry spell, but it was deeper than I was happy to ride through.  Usefully, there was an extraordinarily high and narrow footbridge spanning the river.  I don’t understand why it was so high – it must have been 15 or 16 feet higher than the river level – and I can’t imagine any tall sailboats navigating that far. 

Once I’d cleared that hazard, the roads were great, if a bit gravelly, on the way to Alnwick.

Alnwick is a town I’ve visited before, primarily to visit the spectacular gardens there.  Once in the town centre, I was surprised to find that nothing seemed familiar.  If I’d been there before, the main square certainly didn’t make any impression on me.  

I found a quiet table at a café in the square and since they only had cheese scones and no fruit ones I had to find alternative fare.  This came in the form of a huge slab of carrot cake which was much darker than I expected but just as delicious.  I chose this café mainly because of its ethos; it honours the legacy and celebrates the rich heritage of some remarkable women.  And the coffee looked good too.

I took an unintended tour of the town whilst trying to leave.  I wanted to visit the Lion Bridge, but each direction I tried seemed to take me further away.  I persevered and eventually found it.  When I arrived, the sun was in the wrong position for a good photo, but I was just delighted that the sun was there at all and took the snap anyway.

Once I’d broken free of the town I began heading Northwest to return to Wooler.  There were no sights that I’d earmarked to see on the way so I just cracked on, arriving back at the hostel just after 2pm and was home by 6pm after a smooth drive.

A few stats.  Total distance cycled was 255 miles, climbing about 7,300 feet.  In contrast, I drove 390 miles which, from an environmental perspective, makes me feel a little guilty, but the roads and scenery in that part of the country are marvellous and makes me want to justify all the driving.  For those who are interested, I also claimed a further 313 tiles, nearly 300 of which I’d never entered before.  The map of the UK which indicates all the routes I’ve cycled now has less of a gap in the Northeastern part of England which was one of my objectives.