How I cycled coast to coast avoiding crossing any major UK river – day 4 (stormy weather)

C2C: The Quiet Way — Wirral to Cleethorpes (Avoiding Major Rivers)

Join me on a coast-to-coast cycling adventure across England — from the Irish Sea on the Wirral Peninsula to the North Sea at Cleethorpes.

This isn’t the classic C2C — it’s a custom route designed to avoid major river crossings and keep to quieter, more scenic roads. The journey crosses the country from west to east through the heart of England, following five relaxed but rewarding stages:

1️⃣ Wirral → Chester — rolling out along the Dee Estuary with views of North Wales before turning inland through peaceful lanes.
2️⃣ Chester → Telford — a mix of Cheshire countryside and Shropshire market towns, following quiet backroads and canal paths.
3️⃣ Telford → Coalville — crossing the edge of the Midlands via the Wolverhampton canal network and leafy lanes through rural Staffordshire.
4️⃣ Coalville → Newark — riding through Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, tracing gentle hills and historic villages with old railways and abandoned canals.
5️⃣ Newark → Cleethorpes — a final flat run across Lincolnshire farmland, finishing with sea air and fish & chips on Cleethorpes beach.

Expect footage from the saddle, and reflections from each day’s ride — perfect for anyone planning their own coast-to-coast or looking for a low-traffic, scenic alternative to the main C2C routes taking in canals and old railways.

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#C2C #CyclingUK #Bikepacking #WirralToCleethorpes #CyclingAdventure #CoastToCoast #CycleTouring

full route:
https://www.komoot.com/collection/3934859/-c2c-no-major-rivers?ref=collection

Day 4 route:
https://www.komoot.com/tour/2635972176?share_token=a8iFun9AxuTXPmMfc4nwBK1zLmYbSPyBT2fzzaDDaIlNtUuRLr&ref=wtd

komoot: https://www.komoot.com/user/1681213145680
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/1057497

https://www.instagram.com/bike_ventures_uk/

This is grim. Oh, good morning. It’s a very windy and wet day four. I’m just at this travel lodge just outside Leicester close to the M1 cross under that and hit the country lane. So today we’re coming very close to the Trent. We’re within heart of Newark where we’re finishing today. The Trent and the WHIM are within half a mile, but I’ve kind of got to squeeze up through that gap. Keep the Trent over to my left. The WHM we’re all right cuz that kind of converges in. So, we’ve got no railway line to finish into Newark, but it’s windy today. It’s cold. I’ve got my skull cap on. I’ve got my winter gloves, and we got 60 mi. I’m not looking forward to this cuz it’s forecast to be about 70% headwind today. About 30 mph winds as well, the gust. So, uh let’s see. We’ve been here before. And bizarrely, I didn’t want to come out of my room today. It’s only 10:00 a.m. Actually, earlier today than I have been any other day. There you go. Right, let’s crack on and get this done. Well, well, that’s that done. Don’t know why the bike path ends there and they don’t give you an option to cross. I know it’s a busy dual carriageway, but I’m out into the countryside already. Happy days. So, I’ve got the poncho at the top of me pa today just in case I need it. Got me jacket on. It is cold though. It’s only 8°. Very chilly and a a biting northerly wind. Oh, legs are heavy today as well. So, it is forecast to brighten up by about lunchtime and then there’s another weather front of heavy rain coming in about 4. So, I should hopefully miss that second wave. I’d love to show you some views, but there ain’t any. It’s a gray, miserable, cold, windy, wet day. Right, we’re just coming into Anste. So, so far they’ve been quite nice quiet roads. cuz I did have to cross the A50 once on foot and once around the roundabout, but after that it’s been nice and quiet. Right, let’s get going. So, we’re heading towards side. There’s a sign there for great central railway one mile. I think that’s the bit where there’s a heritage line in they about reunifying it. I think they put a bridge in and reunify some sections. First puncture and it will be painted down. I might get under a tree so it’s not too bad. Always the bloody back wheel in it. Right, let’s get this challenge. I tried to find some shelter. I can’t find any. So I’ve gone under a tree. Joy. All right, so that’s puncture fixed. Back on the way. Glad they had that tree cuz it did start to rain a lot heavier. So that tree kept me protected from a lot of it. Really, I’ve got no idea where I am. Probably melty, couldn’t it? No, I lost. I don’t know. No idea where was that lovely little subway when I when I had a flat to repair. Always the way about 2 minutes after I’d set off again, found a bus shelter. I did look as well like there’s nothing there. And as soon as I’d gone down the road and around the corner, there was a bus shelter. Never mind. Eh, whole pile of fun, which is nice little uh river to my left. Not sure what river. Could be the me. This is me Park. So, could be that. This is Waterme Park. Still heading towards Siston. That is cool, isn’t it? This is Burst Lock. I think we’re on the outskirts of LRA. I can’t be 100% sure. I’m just following the thing. Yeah, it’s cool. I think this could be the river saw. I said the me. I think it might be the saw, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we’re following this cycling hour. It’s really cool, actually. It’s really good. Whatever town or city we’re in, I think it’s a city, so I’m going to guess Lra. Lra is well known for it cycling, isn’t it? So, let’s say it’s Lra. actually lovely though. I think this is a river. I know you’ve got a couple canal boats on it. Could be a canal. We’re going on the Grandanthm Canal today. So, this could actually be it. I know parts of the Grandanthm Canal are abandoned. Thermost and siz ahead. Oh, this is very pleasant meandering though, I must admit. Lovely. It’s been good I don’t know six seven miles of meandering with just a tiny bit of uh side roads. Yeah, it’s been nice this actually. Pass you please. I tried ringing my bell. It’s water logged. It’s not making a noise. Thank you. Have a good day. Thank you. Morning. Something’s water around here. I don’t just mean the stuff from the sky. This water park’s lovely. This guy didn’t get the memo. Oh, pair of shorts. Lovely. Morning everybody. Morning. Yeah, it was Leicester. We went round less than six miles back there. So that’s about right in it. So we were right on the outskirts of Leicester. Yeah. Lovely. Still amling down here. Look. Don’t know if this was an old railway. It’s got that feel of it, haven’t it? Whoa. Oh, I’m into that headwind now. It’s coming from the north. Oh, that’s cold. Oh, it’s really chilly. All right, another canal. No idea what this one is either. In fact, the other one I don’t know. This could possibly be the Grandantham Canal now. Oh, that’s uh headwind strong. Said it was going to be a strong nory today, didn’t it? They’re not wrong. These swans and the young look using the wind to their advantage. Good morning. Lovely to see. It’s nice when they’re not wanting to snap your legs off. They assume they puff the feathers out like that to act like as a sail, but they ain’t going to do anything. It’s cool to see. A bit like a cyclist would, I suppose. Tailwind, you want a nice big back to push against. Headwind, you want to get as compact as you can. In principle. Yeah, I enjoyed that section. Nice. Apart from a flat tire. Know what? There’s worse things in there. So this is the A46 below. I’m cold. I’m wet. Can’t get any wetter, I don’t think. So that’s a good thing. My computer says it’s 6 and 12° and it feels so cold. They even put an extra jacket on over the top of the other one just to keep that wind chill off. That wind’s biting. But we’re making progress. 22 miles. Quite a few little lumps and bumps around here around the Veil of Beaver, but we’re getting there. If I find a cafe, I’m diving in it. I’m getting peckish. I’ve had snacks, but I need something a bit more substantial, I think. This is grim. Oh, that wind is so cold. I’m about uh two or three miles from Melton Mberry. Wow, look at this here. Wow. How nice is that? It’s cool, isn’t it? All right, just in Melton Morg just stopped at the Morrison’s. I think it’s stopped raining, but god, I’m cold. That wind is about 7°. It’s freezing, but I think it has stopped raining. It was forecast stopped about 11ish, and it’s about 11ish now. So, fingers crossed. I’ve got 35 miles left. Hopefully I might stay dry now and hopefully I can warm up. Let’s see. So this is Melton Country Park. I’ve just left Melton Moberry at Morrison’s there. Change of gloves as well. I’ve only got my spring gloves where I have got some liners. So put them on cuz they’re dry. The others are you can squeeze the water out of them. While they were my hands were warm while I had them on. Now I’ve took them off. I’m putting wet cold gloves on. So my fingers are cold as it is and a little bit brighter behind. So I’m not going to take a picture of it cuz it’s freezing. I have to take a still off me video. It’s too cold. Look at that. As mass go. It’s pretty tall. There’s a church there. Just for reference. That’ll be 100 odd foot. Yeah, it’s like three or 400 feet tall. No idea what it is. TV probably on mobile phone. The rain stopped, but the wind’s really picked up now. Especially when you start going north. Oh, it’s horrendous. Anyway, we’ll keep going. I got about 25 to go, but it’s a slog. Just about starting to warm up as well. This is called Dirty Duck Lane. What a cool name for a road. And this is going to take us to the Grandanthm Canal. So, we’ve got 17.8 miles to Newark. Thankfully, been a bit of a trudge at times today with that weather when I was cold cuz a good 2 hours I was absolutely I was cold. So yeah, never been on this stretch of uh canal. I hope it’s not a slog fest. I really do. Right, just being had a walk up there. There’s no way I get my bike up that little path cuz it’s really steep and slippy. I’m just going to have a quick trundle along the canal here. Might be able to get up onto it here. It is rider, but it’s a gravel path. Just need to work out how to get up to it. There’s a lock here. Look. Oh, it’s here. I could have told you that. Come here. Oh, look. Lucky, lucky. Oh god, I’m sad. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Aren’t I lucky? So, this is the uh this an old railway line. Now, I don’t think I could be wrong. I don’t think this is the one I plotted into Newark. I tell you what, if it is and this goes all that way to Newark, I’ll be well. Going to say it’s probably not though. No way. Nah. No. It does look like it comes off. So anyway, let’s enjoy this one while we’re on it. Oh, this is lovely, isn’t it? Oh, just what I needed after mile a mile of country lanes in wind and rain. Once I got out of the outskirts of Leicester, out of them country parks today. After I got that flat, it’s pretty much been country lanes, but I don’t think it’s been anything but. I mean, some of them just long straight roads for like 3 miles. Now, this one’s nice, bro. Not the one I thought it was, but take it. Coming up to a little place called Stanworth. Not how far this line goes. Looks like it might curve, but we’ll see. Yeah, it’s a lovely little corridor this. Oh, it’s per me up a bit. Not that I have much to show you today. Yeah. Either because I’ve been freezing cold and wet or there literally has just been country lanes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’ve been lovely country lanes. If the weather was nice, would have been appreciating them a little bit more. It’s not their fault the weather was grim, is it? But yeah, there was some nice views at times through the veil of Beaver. Quite pretty. This is nice. It’s not deep. E, that’s concrete. All right. I’m guessing. I mean, this could have been. Guessing this wasn’t like it during the railway era. Could have been, couldn’t it? Chuck it up quick. Yeah, maybe. I’m still following the canal. The canal bends left. So do we in a second cool nonetheless. So Nottingham’s 26 milesi. We’re not going that far cuz if we went that far, we’d be crossing the Trent, wouldn’t we? And we don’t want to be doing that. That would be challenge over and that would be disappointing. So, we’re very, very close. Getting close to the Trent now and the W with them. So, put a little graphic up on screen. So, the Trent’s coming in from our left and arching up to head out towards the uh the hull. The Wii’s coming in from the right towards Newark. A bit like a pinser movement. And I’m going up the middle of the two just avoiding either. Then tomorrow as I head out of Newark, I’ll be 100 m from it. Something like that. The Wii I get very close to in Lincoln as well. was that uh I’m going to keep to the left of the rhythm right of the tren heads off right down towards Boston I think and the Trent heads off up to Hull and I head over to Cleopols where I’m hoping in get a nice fishmanship meal before I get my train back home Friday afternoon. So that’s the plan. 60 mi again tomorrow just to finish it off. I think it’s forecast to be a little bit better than today as well which is good. 12 miles left now. That wind’s battering. As you can see, I’ve not took one of me hoods down cuz it’s just so cold. That wind’s absolutely biting. I mean, sun’s come out in places. Look, sun’s up there and there’s some blue skies, but it’s just such a cold wind. But we’re nearly there. We’re nearly there. We have definitely got an old railway to go on soon. Once we turn right up here, I’m not sure how long it is, but into Newark is definitely on no railway. Right. Got out of breath. That wind’s killer. Let’s come carry on. Look at this. Is there any more anything more soul destroying into a headwind? turning a corner and seeing that. Look at that. It looks about 1,000 miles long. My next cues in 2 and 1 half miles. Oh, we’re getting there. I think the the railway into New 6 and 1 half to go and we’ve got nine left from here. So, Oh, yeah. Let’s crack on. Heat up here. That bridge we just come over Here we go then. Promise you an old railway. Got an old railway. Not sure how long it’s been open and I don’t know the name of it. I’ll pop it up on screen. But yeah, straight away. Nice bridge. That’s a bridge we’ve just ridden over and come down. So it says 5 miles to Newark. So yeah, let’s crack on. Hey, get that done. I’m beat. Oh, right. Here we go. Get this done. So, I am dead. Tarmac as well. It’s tarmac all the way. Don’t think it’s a full 5 miles cuz my hotel is only 4.8. So, but the sign did say 5 miles to Newark. So, we’ll see, won’t we? There you go. So, some info there. Sustrans Route 64. I know Sustrans have changed the name now. It’s part of the Newark to Botasford Railway, which was open to passing traffic between 1878 and 1955. So you could get to Nottingham and Leicester and at one time it ran directly to Northampton. Yeah. Cool. Ah, so the railway apparently takes you through the town under the A1 through Winthrop into open countryside. Wonder if I’ve plotted that in for tomorrow morning then cuz I want to go north tomorrow, don’t I? I’m heading through Lincoln tomorrow. Keeping the wither them on my right and the Trent will be hooking up left. So I think once I knew it, Trent’s pretty much a done deal. It’s the rhythm I’ve got to be careful of cuz where I’m going the old railway line which is the Fledra line which I’ve ridden before. Did a video tail end of last year I think that one that is a beauty part of the Jukaries trail. Um that comes in towards Lincoln Warf with them just the other side of Lincoln. So again, I miss it by probably half a mile. Oo, three down. I don’t think I can move that. So I shall be going around it. I shall let local council know. Although if it is a sustrand route or whatever they called these days, walk wheel ride walk. I don’t know. It’s a daft one. Anyway, um then it might be their responsibility. got that cold wind. So that this old line starts at where the former Cotm station was or just past it. And as I came down the ramp, I had a look at the old line. Nothing of it. Totally overgrown. Careful on apples. Sometimes they squash. Sometimes they like marbles. Oh, tell you what. I don’t know if it’s the cumulative fatigue on top of the weather today, but pretty beat. I don’t think the weather helped. I mean, I was cold for a couple hours. I mean, really cold, which never helps, does it? Cuz your body’s trying to warm you up by using up energy stores. Um, and then just the wind. So, once the rain stopped, the wind really picked up. It was breezy this morning, but it was nowhere near as gusty as it has been. Car straight that is. Well, there’s no point in me leaving you on the entirety of that. So, I will turn you back on when we get further down. Just I say that a nice arch bridge appears. So yeah, there you go. There’s two of them. There’s one at the beginning and this one here just outside Newark. So I’m getting off in a minute. So I’m good to my hotel. The line does carry on for a bit. I might jump back on it in the morning. I’ll have a look at what I’ve plotted. That’s day four done. That was a slog today. That really was a slog. But it’s done. You know, there was a couple of nice bits. I mean, the country lanes were nice. They were just exposed, windy, and wet today. But yeah, a couple of nice little railways. I quite like the bit down the side of the Grandm Canal. I’m not sure what it were called, but yeah, I’m done. my gloves that I changed at lunchtime. Absolutely soden. Just rang them out. So yeah, that’s day four done. 215 miles done. 60 left tomorrow to cleops. And I’m going to have a nice brew, a shower cuz they’re in a bath and then I’m going to get some to eat and I’m going to get some stuff tomorrow cuz I don’t really want to be stopping tomorrow. I’ve got to get trainer. So yeah. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for joining me. See you in the morning.