Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route

The Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route (or W2W) is the name of a cross-country cycle route in Northern England. It runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland on the River Wear or Whitby.

History

The route was launched on 1 June 2005 to complement the popular Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) that runs from Whitehaven to Sunderland. It is designed to be slightly harder and longer than this other route, totalling either 149 or 151 miles (240 or 243 km). When launched, the route used sections of NCN Routes 72, 68, and 71 west of the Pennines. From Tan Hill to Sunderland, a new Regional Route was created and given the number 20, with a blue background. In 2012, after improvements to meet National Cycle Network standards, it was upgraded to National Route 70. Route signs were changed to the number 70 with a red background. Around the same time, the sections on the route that had previously been Route 71 and 72 were re-signed as Route 70. In 2007, a southern branch from Barnard Castle to Whitby was added. Originally classified as regional route 52, it was upgraded to National Cycle Route 165 in 2012. The Walney to Whitby route is 179 miles (288 km).

Route

W2W Route
mi Route 70 0 Walney Island 1   700  to E 2 Barrow in Furness 13 Ulverston 14   700  to W 25 Cartmel 25   700  to E 27   700  to W 27 Grange-over-Sands 36   700  to S 38   6  to S 40   6  to N 43 Oxenholme 53   68  to S 63 Orton 70   68  &   71  to N 7674 Kirkby Stephen 82 87 Tan Hill 530 m 1,740 ft   71  to S 95 Bowes 103 Barnard Castle Route 165 Route 70   715  to N 106 117 Hamsterley Croft-on-Tees 123 121 Bishop Auckland 126   715  to S Appleton Wiske 134 133   14  to N   65  to S 140 135 Durham Hutton Rudby 142 139   14  to S   65  to N 143 Great Ayton 150 149   1  to S   168  to N 157 Castleton 161 150 Sunderland Egton 171 151   7  to W Whitby 179 152 Wearmouth   1  to S   1  to N mi mi

The W2W is a Y-shaped route with one western leg from Walney to Barnard Castle, and two eastern legs Barnard Castle, to Sunderland (northern) and Barnard Castle to Whitby (Southern).

Western leg

103 miles (166 km) Walney to Barnard Castle

Near Tan Hill

• From Walney Island in the Irish Sea (54.1026°N 3.2627°W / 54.1026; -3.2627 (W2W cycle route (western end))) it goes on to the industrial port of Barrow-in-Furness.
• It then runs through the Furness peninsula, passing towns such as Ulverston and the picturesque Grange-Over-Sands, where the route follows the Promenade.
• The route continues to skirt the Lake District National Park towards the historical market town of Kendal.
• After this, the path continues northwards, before moving in an easterly direction towards Kirkby Stephen and through the Pennines to Barnard Castle in County Durham.

North Eastern leg

49 miles (79 km) Barnard Castle to Sunderland

Near Brancepeth

• The northerly spur passes through Hamsterley to reach the cathedral city of Durham. National Route 715 between Barnard Castle and Willington is an alternative W2W route. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) shorter and an easier ride via Bishop Auckland.
• The final 18 miles (29 km) of the W2W follows the River Wear to the North Sea at Sunderland (54.9203°N 1.3639°W / 54.9203; -1.3639 (W2W cycle route (eastern end))).

South Eastern leg

76 miles (122 km) Barnard Castle to Whitby

• From Barnard Castle, the route descends off the Durham Dales along the lower Teesdale for 20 miles (32 km), to Croft-on-Tees near Darlington.
• Continuing on flat roads for 27 miles (43 km) until it reaches the North York Moors at Great Ayton.
• Following the Eskdale for the final 27 miles (43 km) the route crosses the River Esk five times before reaching Whitby. This section includes several steep climbs and descents, some of which are on off-road tracks.

External links

• The official website of the W2W
• Wearside Sustrans website with links to details on the route in Wearside