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    Can I Make It Up Crawleyside? | C2C Training Ride to Tunstall Reservoir



    On this mountain bike adventure I head out on a warm spring-like day for a scenic ride to Tunstall Reservoir in Weardale, County Durham — one of the most beautiful cycling locations in the North East of England.
    The ride begins on the Lanchester Valley Railway Path (Sustrans Route 14) before joining the Waskerley Way (Sustrans Route 7), which forms part of the famous Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle route. Along the way I pass peaceful rivers, streams, quiet villages and open countryside, with plenty of wildlife including curlews, lapwings and newly born lambs enjoying the sunshine.
    Leaving Waskerley Way, I take a rough moorland track which is perfect for bird watching before reaching Salter’s Gate, where the views overlooking Tunstall Reservoir are absolutely stunning. A steep and sketchy gravel descent takes me down to the reservoir picnic area where I stop for some food and a chat before continuing the ride.
    From there I explore hidden riverside trails along the River Wear through Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope, stopping to refill my water at the Lakes & Dales Co-op before visiting the impressive Stanhope Castle.
    To finish the ride, I tackle the legendary Crawleyside Bank climb, known as one of the toughest hills on the C2C cycle route. With plans to bikepack the Coast to Coast route soon, this seemed like perfect training — but you’ll have to watch to see if I make it to the top!
    This ride is all about relaxing cycling, adventure, scenic views and a bit of my usual talking nonsense along the way.

    #adventurecycling #bikepacking #cyclinguk #cycling #c2c #gravelride #mtbuk #cyclingadventure #coasttocoast

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
    https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/twin-ponds
    License code: UD6MEYOEPDBDIKC4

    Other music:
    Solace by by Lee Sheridan.
    Dark Momentum by Lee Sheridan.

    ———-
    CHAPTERS
    0:00 Intro
    1:04 Whitehall Moss
    4:21 View over Tunstall Reservoir
    5:55 Sketchy Gravel Downhill
    6:57 Frog
    7:23 Tunstall Reservoir
    11:46 Scenic Trails
    16:40 Stanhope
    17:50 Flapjack
    18:40 Stanhope Castle
    19:17 Starting the Climb
    23:48 Parkhead Cafe
    28:42 Sigs
    29:35 Outro

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    20 Comments

    5. @TheRealColt on

      Cracking video mate, really lovely area you rode through, done some corker walks around frosterley before. I hope to ride further afield more this year i normally just do a training route on the beamish lines. if youve ever been, what would you rate the hill me and my brother train on. its the lines (i think its called the bowes incline) kibblesworth to the engine room pub near bowes railway museum.

    11. @TheWeardale1 on

      great video – my neck of the woods too, and done that loop a few times..

      5:20 I'm sure that's private land? – the farmer hates cyclists too ha! as when you cycle on that track to tunstall @ 6:02 there's been a fair few people been caught by the farmer (he must have a camera?) – and he has a dodgy sign at the top saying no bikes or horses.. but there is another trail that runs down behind behind there and comes out at the bottom – i think you can see a bit of it behind you @ 6:55 …that said it's sketchy to ride down as it's nearly always churned up with cow hooves!

      fun fact – neil tennant lived at Fawnlees Hall which is on the right somewhere around 30:35..

      at wolsingham you can go down the causeway then over the blue bridge, then as the road turns right there's a path that goes down towards the railway line and you can continue to frosterley through the fields then follow the riverside trails to stanhope which continue along to the ford there – then you can nip over the road to crawleyside bank.. 🙂 or you can continue up the road and go via the elephant trees…there's loads of amazing tracks there that lead to frosterley and hamsterley forest!

      in fact crawley side bank was the reason i bought my emtb..

      as you may know there's a track that runs parallel to the road (around 22:30? – but leads to the parkhead cafe) – but it's harder to ride up, but amazing to ride down! when riding down it, you can branch off left and you can go to the frosterley mast (tho, some trails are private, but bikers ride them)

      and when coming up the road (where you turned off to parkhead cafe) – if you cycle up a bit further – there's a track that goes to the left and goes to rookhope (via close to bolts law) – amazing ride too!

    14. @jonphillips1541 on

      Great video Lee ,Crawleyside is a canny climb if you can do that the other big ones on c2c are quite similar ( nee ghost peppers) also loads of spots to bivvie all along the route
      did you remember to have a look at the spot i recommended that wasn’t far from the end point of your vid ?

    17. @RichardPARNABY-v4p on

      There’s a harder climb in Stanhope it’s self that not many people know about that Castle use to be a Borstal I use to live up there in the 70’s so I know all the climbs and there’s lots of Hot 🔥 Currys up in that area which makes Crawleyside look 👀 like a korma 🚴

    19. @jonathancoxhead6427 on

      Brilliant. Get yourself up Great Dunn Fell, absolute beast of a climb – and traffic free 👍🏼

      Re: C2C, the very first section of the climb out of Garrigill always catches people out.

    20. @alanhbike on

      Waskley way. Sounds like your on the wacky races or something. Calm down you will be looking for waskley wabbits next 😂 i am planing bike packing Adrian's wall C2C kind of route back packing & the official C2C route home in may bike packing. First time for me but I am sure I will find somewhere to throw the bivy up.

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