With Jason away playing athlete, only John and Terry made it out on Sunday 9th July 2006. It was a dull, blowy and fairly cool morning as the two set off from John's at Cramlington around 9.30am, prepared for a wetting. We rode north through Nelson industrial estate to Plessey Woods and Hartford Bridge, familiar ground these days. This time, however, we kept going north past Hepscott and into Morpeth on the A192 at Coopies Lane.

We stopped on one of the many bridges across the river in the park for John to adjust the Saracen Awol's front brake before proceeding on the south side of the river where we even managed to find a bit of tarmac-free terrain. Unfortunately it didn't last long, but it was better than nothing. The bloke in the boat is yelling at John to get orf his bridge!

Anyway, there were compensations as today was to provide unexpected visual delights as we went on our merry way...

I wonder if there was anyone near when this huge tree was struck by lightning?

The short off-road stretch popped us out onto the bridge over the Wansbeck on the B6343 north of Newminster Abbey, and we headed west towards Mitford. We were forced to stop again at Abbey Mills Farm when John got fed up with the squealing front brake on the Awol. We spent about ten minutes fettling it when we discovered it was the rear end that was providing the audio accompaniment! So we rode on, avoiding the large roadside puddles that had been deposited some time just before our arrival. Somehow we didn't see a spot of rain at all, but where we'd been and where we went did. Lucky boys.

We managed to maintain good pace most of the way along to the Dyke Neuk pub (ta for the push, John) and stopped outside it for an early snack, exactly 14 miles as the bee flies from John's place. Ten minutes later we were off again but John was forced to wait for me as I hauled myself up to Meldon. We were joined soon after by an elderly member of the painted-on Lycra brigade who seemed quite happy to ride alongside us, stopping the following traffic as roadies do, and chatting away merrily. He didn't realise that the poor Gollum's heart rate was approaching critical mass just to keep the pedals turning, let alone hold a conversation at the same time. Luckily he left us at the turnoff for Whalton where we stopped for a desperately needed rest and transfusion of aerobic fluid. Aren't we supermen? Here was this bloke on his knife-edge shaped roadie carbon frame, all sixteen pounds of it. He didn't realise that John was pulling three of those things around with him in the shape of the mighty Saracen!

 

We coasted into Whalton with the wind now offering some assistance, and turned right, westwards towards Belsay. From East Trewick we headed east avoiding the main A696 with its' pesky cars and continued into Ogle, then south again through Kirkley March and south again at the College past the Police HQ and into Ponteland. Ducking out the back of The Diamond we at last got some dirt under our tyres at the section of National Cycle Route 10 which runs alongside Ponteland Golf Course (1MB vid). Then it was along the edge of the Army's Firing Range at Prestwick Carr where this signpost caught Golly's attention.

Turning into Dinnington Village, Route 10 is first left, and offers a bit more gravel to rest the chunkies on. Today it also offered the odd pleasantry along the way. Here's one...

and here's another (2MB .wmv vid) and another (1MB vid)

The route goes over the A1 at Six Mile Bridge then into the west side of Seaton Burn. Continuing on the other side of the B1318 this is the approach to the old Weetslade Colliery site, which has been undergoing a massive landscaping transformation for the last few years. At last the "Keep Out" signs and fences have gone, so we couldn't resist a dip in to see what's happening. At the top of the old pit heap, this sight awaits:

Pretty good view from up here, much like the Sundial at Silverlink to the south -

We plunged off the spongy, rutted top back down (carefully) to the tarmac trail below, which delivered us nicely into the south side of Dudley with the wind at our backs for the final straight stretch back into Cramlington. Surprisingly, this little trek put 36 miles on the clock and we were back at the start around 1.20pm.

Have you Killed A BIKE THIEF TODAY?