And you're off! After an early morning safety briefing, you head towards the shore where you have the opportunity to dip your bikes wheel in the Irish Sea. It’s then time to get pedalling as you venture towards the village of Cleator Moor and into the stirring landscape of the Lake District National Park.
Home to England’s highest mountains and deepest lakes, the region has inspired writers, artists and poets for generations. But your main focus this morning are the challenging hill climbs that you need to cross in order to reach Loweswater and then Braithwaite and Keswick. You stop in Threkeld for a hard-earned lunch, before pushing on across Cumbria’s rolling hills and past Greystoke and the historic market town of Penrith. Finally you reach Alston: your home for the night. Dinner will be followed by another briefing and the chance to reflect on the day’s events.
Recharged and ready for action, you start the day by heading towards Northumberland National Park and the ancient ramparts of Hadrian’s Wall. The route ventures upwards through Halfwhistle and on to Homestead’s Fort, dramatically located on a high escarpment of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site. The fort, which offers spectacular panoramas, once housed about 800 men and is supposedly the site of Britain’s oldest toilets!
It’s then time to head east towards your final destination. Bypassing Newcastle-upon-Tyne, we head for our final destination: St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay. Exhausted but triumphant, you complete the ride by dipping your wheels in the North Sea. There will be plenty of time for group photos and celebrations at the end of this spectacular ride. Participants can either make their own way home or be transferred back to Whitehaven if they wish to book the additional transfer.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE