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Sea to Sea Cycle Route
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{{Short description|Cycling route in the UK}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}} {{Use British English|date=December 2013}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox cycling path | name = Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) | embed = | cellstyle = | photo = Sea-to-Sea route marker, Whitehaven - geograph.org.uk - 126624.jpg | photo_size = | photo_alt = | caption = Route marker at [[Whitehaven]] | title = {{ubl|part of [[National Cycle Route 7]]|part of [[National Cycle Route 14]]|part of [[National Cycle Route 71]]|part of [[National Cycle Route 72]]}} | established = | length = {{cvt|202|km}}{{endash}}{{cvt|222|km}} | location = | designation = | trailheads = {{ubl|[[Whitehaven]] or [[Workington]] (west)|[[Tynemouth]] or [[Sunderland]] (east)}} | use = <!-- May be mixed use, e.g. cycling, pedestrians, horse trail, etc. List all approved uses. --> | elev_gain_and_loss = | elev_change = <!-- Use elev_gain_and_loss if the gain and/or loss is known. Use this field when only the change is known. --> | highest_m = 609 | highest_name = Black Hill (near [[Allenheads]]) | lowest = | grade = | difficulty = | season = | months = | waymark = {{UK NCN route|C2C|reg=y}} | sights = | hazards = | surface = | ROW = | certification = | website = {{Official URL}} | map = | map_name = | map_caption = | map_size = | map_alt = | route = | route_state = }} The '''Coast to Coast''' or '''Sea to Sea Cycle Route''' (C2C) is a {{convert|140|mi}} [[Bicycle|cycle route]] opened in 1994. Combining sections of [[National Cycle Route 7]], [[National Cycle Route 14|14]], [[National Cycle Route 71|71]] and [[National Cycle Route 72|72]]; it runs from [[Whitehaven]] or [[Workington]] on the west coast of [[Cumbria]], and then crosses the [[Lake District]] and the [[Pennines]] in the north of England by using a variety of both on and off-road trails, ending on the north-east coast in [[Tyne and Wear]] at [[Sunderland]] or [[Tynemouth]]. [[Sustrans]] state that it is the UK's most popular challenge cycle route,<ref name=sustrans>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/c2c-or-sea-to-sea/|title=C2C or Sea to Sea|access-date=2020-03-06|website=[[Sustrans]]|quote=The UK's most popular challenge cycle route...}}</ref> it is designed for the whole range of cyclists, from families to [[cycling club]] riders. Although a challenge with some hard climbs{{emdash}}the highest point being over {{cvt|609|m}}<ref name=sustrans />{{emdash}}the C2C is completed by an average of between 12,800 and 15,000 cyclists every year.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}} == History == The C2C is part of the UK [[National Cycle Network]] (NCN), and was developed by [[Sustrans]] in partnership with various [[local authorities]], [[Groundwork West Cumbria]], [[North Pennines Tourism Partnership]], [[Forest Enterprise]] and the [[Lake District National Park]] amongst others. The route was opened in 1994 running from Whitehaven on the west coast of [[Cumbria]] to the north-east coast at [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]]. A northern branch splits off from the main route at [[Consett]], following the route of the [[Derwent Walk]], passing through [[Tyneside]] and ending at [[Tynemouth]]. In 2005 a complementary route was opened further to the south. This, titled the [[Walney to Wear]] route (W2W), is designed to be slightly tougher and longer. It runs from [[Walney Island]] in south-west Cumbria to Sunderland via the [[North York Moors]] and [[Durham, England|Durham]]. == Art == [[File:Shorthorn cattle sculpture at Beamish, County Durham - geograph.org.uk - 141447.jpg|thumb|Roadside sculpture by Sally Matthews]] A number of public artworks have been commissioned for the route, including [[Tony Cragg]]'s ''Terris Novalis'' at [[Consett]], sheepfolds by [[Andy Goldsworthy]] at various points in Cumbria and [[Alison Wilding]]'s ''Ambit'' in the [[River Wear]] at [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]]. [[Eduardo Chillida]] had been commissioned to create a work for [[Whitehaven]], but the project has not been completed. On the Consett to Sunderland line, there are ''The Old Transformers'' by David Kemp below [[Pontop Pike]] mast near [[Annfield Plain]] and four steel cows by [[Sally Matthews (sculptor)|Sally Matthews]] near [[Beamish Museum]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/9732/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417024138/http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/9732/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 17, 2018 | title=Beamish Shorthorns | publisher=[[Public Monuments and Sculpture Association]] | work=National Recording Project | access-date=April 17, 2018}}</ref> == Route == The route has two alternative start points in [[West Cumbria]] at Whitehaven and at Workington, before travelling through the stunning scenery of the western and northern [[Lake District]]. The Workington route runs via [[Cockermouth]] to Keswick, while the Whitehaven route runs via Loweswater to [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] before passing through [[Penrith, England|Penrith]] and the [[Eden, Cumbria|Eden Valley]] with its lush valleys and [[sandstone]] villages. It then starts the climb up to [[Hartside Pass]] and onto the [[Northern Pennines]]—the "roof of England". There then follows an undulating ride as the C2C meanders through old [[lead mining|lead-mining]] villages, such as [[Garrigill]], [[Nenthead]] and [[Rookhope]], and down into the [[Durham Dales]] before crossing [[Waskerley|Waskerley Moor]] and entering the old steel town of [[Consett]] via the [[Hownes Gill Viaduct]]. From Consett it's an easy ride via [[Leadgate, Cumbria|Leadgate]], [[Annfield Plain]], [[Stanley, County Durham|Stanley]], [[Beamish, County Durham|Beamish]] and through one of Britain's old industrial heartlands to the [[North Sea]] and [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]]. There is also the option of starting at [[Workington]] and/or finishing at [[Tynemouth]] and also a link route at Penrith to join up with the [[Glasgow]] to [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]] section of the [[National Cycle Route]]. The route is made up of approximately: *'''main roads'''—mainly short sections through urban areas—4% *'''minor roads'''—quiet, country roads—50% *'''cyclepaths/off-road'''—disused railway lines, etc.—46% The C2C is best ridden from west to east to take advantage of the [[prevailing winds]] from the west and the more favourable gradients. Tradition dictates that you start the ride by dipping your back wheel in the [[Irish Sea]] and only ends when your front wheel gets a dip in the [[North Sea]] at the finish. The floods of December 2015 destroyed or damaged some bridges on the C2C route through Cumbria, and there is quite often forestry work which closes some off-road sections, but alternative routes are signposted and are generally shown on the C2C-cycle website.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://c2c-cycle.com/c2c-news/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307214941/http://c2c-cycle.com/c2c-news/|url-status = dead|archive-date = 7 March 2016|title = The Ultimate C2C Guide|website = The Ultimate C2C Guide|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-02}}</ref> It is typically completed in 3β5 days, though it has been completed in a single day (the record is currently held by Joel Toombs and Matt Shorrock at 7 hours 53 minutes and 03 seconds west to east on 28 September 2012). The youngest person to complete the C2C in one day is Christian Webster-Reed, aged 15, who completed the C2C in a moving time of 8:56:04 and an overall time of 13:56:24 on 25 August 2013. The youngest person to complete the C2C2C in one day, from Tynemouth to [[Silloth]] and then back to Tynemouth again, is Hal Kennedy aged 17; completing the route in a moving time of 11:27:15 and an overall time of 14:28:02 on 8 May 2022. In September 2021, Johan Lempen and Harvey Logan became the first people to complete the route on children's scooters.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.instagram.com/scooterc2c/|title = Scooter C2C|website = Instagram|language = en-US|access-date =April 24, 2022}}</ref> The route links to other parts of the NCN so can be used as part of a longer [[Bicycle touring|cycle tour]]. Route maps for the C2C and detailed route guides from other publishers are available from Sustrans. ==See also== * [[Coast to Coast Walk]]—a similar long-distance footpath, which takes a different route between the two coastlines. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * [http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/ The C2C Guide website - a resource centre for those planning to tackle to the route. Where to stay, eat and drink etc.] * [http://cycle.travel/route/c2c/guide C2C route map] * [http://www.cycle-routes.org/wearsiderangers Information on the C2C and W2W routes in Wearside] * [http://www.europebicycletouring.com/european_trips/C2C/C2C.html Biking the C2C Sea to Sea Route England] at Great European Bicycle Tours, David May, July 2011 {{Authority control}} {{NCN}} [[Category:National Cycle Routes]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Cumbria]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in County Durham]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Tyne and Wear]] [[Category:Cycleways in England]] [[Category:Transport in Cumbria]] [[Category:Transport in County Durham]] [[Category:Transport in Tyne and Wear]]
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