This is my last day and I have a relatively short ride to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the Railway Station. I headed north along the Coast Road in pleasant sunshine but hadn’t been going long before stopping to photograph the magnificent lime kilns on the left.

Sunrise from the tent

Marsden Limekilns are an off-shoot industry of the nearby (but long gone) Whitburn Colliery.
When the colliery closed in 1968 the limekilns went with them, their source of power gone.

Running man, South Shields

Running man, South Shields

On the opposite side of the road is a bare grass field that used to be the village of Marsden. Near the area called Frenchman’s Bay a lot of work was going on in the grassy area to the right. It looks like they’re preparing for the Newcastle Gateshead Great North Run on the 16th Sep 2012. Further along I stopped briefly to photograph the ‘Flower Man’ on a roundabout then right to the Sandhaven Recreational area.

Sandhaven - South Shields

I rode in to have a look and watch the tractor cleaning the sandy beach. I continued along the B1344 to River Drive hoping to find a route along the side of the Tyne. I stopped to ask a man by the road but he wasn’t sure of a riverside route to the Tyne Cycle Tunnel. I stayed on the main road and headed towards Jarrow. It was an interesting mix of busy industry and leafy rural scenes. I passed Bedes’s World on the way to the south end of the tunnel. There weren’t any signs until I got in sight of the tunnel entrance. An unassuming building had the look of a small London Tube station, which is pretty much what it is. A plaque said the tunnel was opened in 1951.

Cycle and Pedestrian tunnels

Tyne and Wear Cyclists Tunnel

The escalator was out of action but bikes went down a lift. A young lady with a bike got in the lift which was big enough for both of us with bikes. Down at the tunnel level there were two tunnels; one for bikes and the other for pedestrians. It was a wonderful experience making the short ride under the Tyne. At the north end I spoke briefly to a man cleaning the floor. He said how many people in the area didn’t even know the tunnel existed. At the north side I emerged into warm sunshine and set off along Bewicke St towards the City Centre. Approaching Wallsend I saw a sign for Hadrian’s Cycle Way and headed along it. In the Swan Hunter Shipyard area I could see remains of Hadrian’s Wall by the track.

Hadrian's Wall at Wallsend

Fortunately the cycle track continued all the way to Newcastle centre. The ride along the River Tyne was a delight and I was very impressed with the views and interesting sculptures on the way. Leaving the riverbank to negotiate the busy roads to the Railway Station was less enjoyable. It was about 10am when I reached the station and was able to catch the 10:22am train to Carlisle. The ride was interesting and enjoyable and I was in Carlisle well before 12noon.

Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne

I had a cycle reservation for a train mid afternoon but enquiring at the ticket office I managed to get a bike space on a Virgin train just after 12noon. The carriage door had to be opened by a railway operative as this type of train doesn’t have a passenger handle. With my bike stowed I managed to get a seat OK all the way to Preston. The ticket inspector had to phone ahead to get someone at the Preston end to open the door as there was no passenger access from inside either. Then I had pleasant ride home. I was hoping to ride along the A6 but the Preston Guild events in Preston town centre had caused several road diversions so I took the by-pass via Penwortham.

Metal art in Newcastle upon Tyne