Coast to Coast in UK: basic questions.

The basics

Enough of the group said they were up for trying to ride coast to coast to make it worthwhile doing further investigation. That immediately generated a number of questions. Being as ignorant as we were, some of them were very basic. Things like:

1 Will we do it on the road, off-road or a combination of the two?

2 Where will we start and where will we finish?

3 What sort of ride did folks have in mind, supported or self-sufficient? Will some of the riders' partners 'come along' as supporter and tourists?

Planning

Planning events like this are a bit of an iterative process. As the details of the ride start to come together whose coming along, and whose who are not starts to firm up. Obviously, some of the early thoughts are shaped by those who have the time and inclination to get involved. I'm sure you get the picture.

On road or off road

So, should we do it on the road or off-road? The group's earlier London to Paris (2019) had been a road trip and the South Downs Way (2021) had been off-road. We had enjoyed them both. Although the rides had been very different they both had the sense of adventure, camaraderie, fun and a sense of personal achievement. It already felt pretty clear that which ever C2C we undertake it will all of these key ingredients.

The route

The most recent ride over the SDW was a great experience so we decided to make a start and take a look at "mountain biking from coast to coast in the UK" on You Tube. What you immediately discover is that despite what they say in "Epic Bike Rides of the World" (a book published by The Lonely Planet in 2016. See references) about 'the route', it is clear there is more than one, a lot more. For a start there are several that go across the country at some point but there are also those that go up and down. Not surprisingly once you stop and look at it there are a lot horizontal or vertical routes that traverse England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland and even the UK. More research was needed.

A wonderful resource for the UK is Sustrans National Cycling Network. They have a great route finder service on their website. The database contains 344 different routes that range from sub-ten miles to over one hundred and thirty miles. Check it out here.

Armed with Sustrans, other guides and You Tube the research began.

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