This is the final day of a tour I planned and executed from Swanage on the south coast to Newcastle. I intended that the tour would take 8 days but good weather came in small packets this spring and I had to split the tour and make some diversions with 2 extra days riding and this stage became the tenth day of cycling.
My plan for the tour centered around the idea of using YHA hostels – the idea came from newspaper articles describing the difficulties faced by the YHA since COVID and the cuts they have had to make. I thought that, rather than lamenting their decline, I should support them by going and staying at hostels as I did in my youth; the best thing was discovering that I enjoy hostelling still! I looked for a long distance route where the hostels would be close enough for me to ride between them in a day, and thus SLOTHO was born. SLOTHO stands for SLeep Out To Help Out – which is only a partly original title!
I was keen to stay at Edmundbyers. Unlike the other hostels I used, this one is privately owned but still operates through the YHA as well as providing a local pub. It was really only in the morning, with the bar closed, that I got to meet the other hostellers at breakfast (the hostel provides some DIY breakfast toast, yoghurt and drinks for a very modest charge). Cycling seemed to be popular.
Unfortunately I acquired a back pain while packing my panniers in the morning. I thought it would go away or maybe ease with cycling. It didn’t, and that put a bit of a dampener on my triumphant finale!
Nevertheless, I had a nice day’s riding. The views were not as spectacular as the previous day, and were often restricted by hedges or woods.
I liked Hexham Abbey and it would have been worthy of a much longer visit, but I was concerned about my bike which was outside, locked but still vulnerable. I rushed around missing most of the points of interest in a spectacular building which, like Ripon Cathedral, owes it’s origin to St Wilfrid and has an ancient, original crypt.
From Hexham, I followed the Hadrian’s Way Cycleroute. This took me mostly on minor roads and then railway paths.
Roman Corbridge (Corstopitum, but the name is really rather uncertain) was interesting – especially comparing the reality with memories of it which date back to my childhood. I was very impressed then with the uneven settlement which is, apparently, due to the Roman buildings being constructed on a site which had been disturbed by previous buildings. It was moving to walk in the narrow Roman streets and alleyways and imagine that the few courses of stones remaining were full height walls with people getting on with their daily lives in the buildings behind them.
At Prudhoe the route follows a defunct railway on the south Bank of the Tyne, crosses an impressive bridge at Hagg Bank and then joins the route of the early Wylam Waggonway beside which George Stephenson was born. There was much mining and industrial history in this area.
The final part was a ride along the Newcastle Quayside which impressively displays it’s varied array of spectacular bridges. The oldest of these, the High Level Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson to span the gorge to carry the railway to Scotland.
I finished my tour on the Millennium Bridge – an unusual design which is built in the form of a horizontal arc which can be tilted up into the air to allow ships to pass beneath. My tour ended with a photo of my bike. It’s always like that – I ride alone so it’s just me and my bike to celebrate at the end, and then we hurry off to the station.
This time we faced chaos due to a football crowd, engineering works and a delayed train and a broken down train. However kind and competent staff working under huge pressure and kind passengers with better knowledge of apps and timetables than I have got me and my bike home on time… but only just!
Well! If you watched my videos and read my ramblings, congratulations and thank you.
I enjoyed the tour. I’ve enjoyed making the videos but it is very time consuming. Hopefully I’ll make some more, but I need to go for a bike ride first. Watch this space!
Made by FotoPlay
Music Copyright:
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Music: Contemplative Soft Piano
Musician: MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6878-contemplative-soft-piano
12 Comments
Lovely video, music , scenery, great commentary. What make is your bike please and how long have you owned it ? Welldone for finally finishing your adventure and Thank you for sharing 👏 👋
Well done!
Loved watching this Sloth adventure, particularly enjoyed the music you chose making the experience even more serene and peaceful ❤
Thanks for sharing your journey. I rode the Hadrian's wall route last year so that part brought back lovely memories.
I really like the hostel tour idea. Might try similar. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you, and well done. Very enjoyable videos.
Congratulations on completing your journey and thanks for sharing. I'll be looking out for your next adventure….
I'd be very interested in seeing. a gear review from you. For instance are those Carradice Super C front panniers you are using? I live in Switzerland and am thinking of getting a pair, put I can only buy online, so I can't check then out from myself to know if they are good quality and who much you can actually get into them….
Super, peaceful film, beautifully filmed, edited & great soundtrack, looks like a great ride, how did you navigate? Paper or electric?
Thank you for sharing your adventure. I’ve watched them all and thoroughly enjoyed each one.
Well done on completing the ride, particularly in view of the disruption caused by the weather. You've shown that it is still possible to plan a long-distance trip around YHA accommodation, despite the closures in recent years, and also that a bike is the perfect machine for exploring the countryside. 'The horse that needs no hay', as someone once referred to the bicycle! Apart from the near head-on with the chap in the blue jacket near the waggonway, I wonder whether you had any other close shaves on the trip? Also, how was the back by the time you got to Newcastle? I find that a bike ride usually irons out such aches and pains.
Loved your SLOTHO journey wish the weather would pick up every time i go cycling it seems to rain, maybe i should buy a canoe instead.
What a fabulous adventure, I loved the SLOTHO tour and consider myself now thoroughly educated! Hope you have another cycle adventure soon, looking forward to watching it.
That was another great video. It got so busy along the cycle routes and you came close to a head on collision with the guy in blue who wasn't looking. A super series, thanks for sharing and I shall look out for future adventures and look back on past ones.All the best.