We’ve been just a little distrustful of today’s route to Durham. The NCN route that Caltrans recommends leverages a pair of tracks that span about half of the distance to be covered: first there’s about a half dozen unpaved miles on the Castle Eden Walkway (does that sound like a bike route to you?), and soon after that there’s another lengthy unpaved stretch on the Hurworth Burn Way.
They look innocent enough when I stare at the elevation profiles, glean what hints I can from the satellite view and reviews of the two tracks, but with the memory of the great fun we had on the Cinder Track fresh in our memories we’re inclined to be cautious. So I consult with our local domain expert Polly Low and incorporate her recommendations into the plan - out goes the Hurworth Burn Way with its steep, rough section Polly thought we might not care so much for, and in comes several miles on the B road that parallels it which she assured us was a safe ride.
So we have Polly to thank for the quality of today’s ride. Not that there wasn’t plenty of time spent on unpaved paths and tracks to make for a diverse, interesting day; but none of it did any worse than slow us down. No steep hills were walked up or down, no curses were raised to the sky, no one ended up splayed out in the dust and mud, no phone alarms were triggered. All in all, quite a nice ride. Thanks, Polly!
Video sound track: Philosopher’s Stone, by Van Morrison
We enjoy a mile or two like this at first before leaving the pavement for a more interesting and varied experience.
And it’s an easy ride most of the way, in spite of what this suggests. I’m walking because I was stopped by a half-barricade at the entrance to the bridge and it made more sense to just walk up to its crown before saddling up again.
Still on the Castle Eden Walkway, which is disappointingly gravelly here. Actually though, that’s not quite true. We’re missing the track by about fifteen feet somehow, and it’s just off to our left out of sight. We realize we’ve missed it when we hear another bike pass by on it.
Back on track again, by the former Thorp Thewles station. We’re still not back on pavement though, but it’s definitely better. There are a couple of miles in here that RideWithGPS thinks incorrectly are paved, so that was a surprise. Whatever.
Here’s another or our favorite features of the NCN network that I’ve not seen anywhere else. It barely works for us fortunately but we wouldn’t like it if we were on a recumbent or 3 wheeler.
It’s taken us an hour and a half for the first half of the ride, and there are starting to be some concerns that we’ll arrive in Durham too late for lunch. After that though we return to pavement, reach the modest high point of the ride, and enjoy smooth sailing the rest of the way in on the roads Polly recommended. We coast into town right about two and head immediately to the Italian restaurant Rachael scouted out for us, Uno Momento, and secure the only vacant outdoor table where we can keep an eye on our bikes leaning against the wall a few yards away.
The meal is fine and the ambience is excellent here in the heart of this historic city, watching the crowds drift past and enjoying a day so warm and sunny that it feels like the first day of summer. As we sit there we’re reminded again of how much we’re enjoying being here in England when the women at the table next to ours open up and we share an extended conversation with them.
Afterwards we bike a few blocks to the apartment we’ve booked for the next two nights and are delighted by how comfortable and spacious it is. It’s a two bedroom suite with two bathrooms, good appliances, and plenty of places to spread out and relax. And we do - Durham looks very attractive and worth a good look around, but there’s always tomorrow for that.
