The forecast didn't look good.
The track through Holywell didn't look good.
Recent heavy rain had left its mark.
The Delaval Arms was shrouded in mist..................
.............. but seven Backpedalers assembled for a Sunday morning training ride.
One member of the group must have looked at the wrong forecast.
The route started with a warm up loop around the Avenue, the old railway line, Monkseaton Drive and back along the coast to the Delaval Arms.
A couple of weeks ago, three members of Seaton Sluice Backpedalers decided to set off on a bike ride to visit the Angel of the North. Previously it would be possible to cycle through the Tyne Cyclist Tunnel, but at the moment it is closed for refurbishment. Fortunately there is a free bus replacement to carry cyclists and their bikes from Howdon to Jarrow.
The three Backpedalers arrived at Howdon to board the bus but things didn't go to plan.
They had indeed missed the bus so the search for the Angel was abandoned and an alternative route was chosen.
Undaunted, the same three Backpedalers set off on the 24th March to find the Angel. This time the bus arrived.
Once in Jarrow the route headed west on the Keelman's Way before turning south onto the Bowes Railway Path. As the name sugeests, the route follows the trackbed of the old Bowes railway which was used to transport coal from the Durham coalfields to the River Tyne.An uneven surface up a steady incline with frequent barriers contributed to a hard ride up to the site of the Bowes Railway Museum.
Nine of us met outside the Delaval Arms on a bright, cool morning for our regular Sunday ride. There was a brisk, northerly wind as we set off along the coast.
At the Rendezvous Cafe we took a left and headed up Monkseaton Drive to South Wellfield and then on to Earsdon and Shiremoor.The familiar route through Silverlink followed but instead of dropping down to Percy Main we skirted the Retail Park and rode through a housing estate which took us into the Rising Sun Country Park.
