Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route

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The Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route (or W2W) is the name of a cross-country cycle route in Northern England. It runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland on the River Wear or Whitby.

History

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The route was launched on 1 June 2005 to complement the popular Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) that runs from Whitehaven to Sunderland. It is designed to be slightly harder and longer than this other route, totalling either 149 or 151 miles (240 or 243 km). When launched the route used sections of NCN Routes 72, 68 and 71 west of the Pennines. From Tan Hill to Sunderland a new Regional Route was created and given the number 20, with a blue background. In 2012, after improvements to meet National Cycle Network standards, it was upgrade to National Route 70. Route signs were changed to the number 70 with a red background.[1] Around the same time the sections on the route that had previously been Route 71 and 72 were re-signed as Route 70. In 2007 a southern branch from Barnard Castle to Whitby was added.[2] Originally classified as regional route 52, it was upgraded to National Cycle Route 165 in 2012. The Walney to Whitby route is 179 miles (288 km).[3]

Route

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W2W Route
 
Route 70
 
0
Walney Island
 
 
1
  700  to E
 
 
 
2
Barrow in Furness
 
 
 
13
Ulverston
 
 
14
  700  to W
 
25
Cartmel
 
 
25
  700  to E
 
 
 
 
27
  700  to W
 
 
27
Grange-over-Sands
 
 
36
  700  to S
 
 
38
  6  to S
 
 
40
  6  to N
 
 
43
Oxenholme
 
 
53
  68  to S
 
63
Orton
 
 
70
  68  &   71  to N
 
 
7674
Kirkby Stephen
 
 
82
 
 
87
Tan Hill
530 m
1,740 ft
 
 
  71  to S
 
95
Bowes
 
103
Barnard Castle
 
 
 
Route 165
 
 
 
 
Route 70
  715  to N
106
 
 
 
117
Hamsterley
Croft-on-Tees
123
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
121
Bishop Auckland
 
 
 
126
  715  to S
Appleton Wiske
134
 
 
 
133
  14  to N
  65  to S
140
 
 
 
 
135
Durham
Hutton Rudby
142
 
 
 
139
  14  to S
  65  to N
143
 
 
 
Great Ayton
150
 
 
 
 
149
  1  to S
  168  to N
157
 
 
 
Castleton
161
 
 
 
 
150
Sunderland
Egton
171
 
 
 
 
 
151
  7  to W
Whitby
179
 
 
152
Wearmouth
  1  to S
 
 
 
 
  1  to N

The W2W is a Y-shaped route with one western leg from Walney to Barnard Castle, and two eastern legs Barnard Castle to Sunderland (northern) and Barnard Castle to Whitby (Southern).

Western leg

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103 miles (166 km) Walney to Barnard Castle

 
Near Tan Hill

North Eastern leg

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49 miles (79 km) Barnard Castle to Sunderland

 
Near Brancepeth

South Eastern leg

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76 miles (122 km) Barnard Castle to Whitby

  • From Barnard Castle the route descends off the Durham Dales along the lower Teesdale for 20 miles (32 km)to Croft-on-Tees near Darlington.
  • Continuing on flat roads for 27 miles (43 km) until it reaches the North York Moors at Great Ayton.
  • Following the Eskdale for the final 27 miles (43 km) the route cross the River Esk five times before reaching Whitby. This section includes several steep climbs and descents, some of them are on off road tracks.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "W2W renumbered to Route 70 / 165". W2W cycle route. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ^ Sustrans (2007). Discover Three Rivers : cycle routes map. Bristol: Sustrans. ISBN 1901389685.
  3. ^ "Walney to Wear [and Whitby] (W2W) - Map". Sustrans. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. ^ "W2W — Grange Promenade now open for cycling". cyclingw2w.info.
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54°27′59″N 2°06′05″W / 54.4663°N 2.1013°W / 54.4663; -2.1013 (W2W cycle route)