The PCW Guestbook archived entries for 2003

These are the archived 2003 Guestbook entries and are mainly relevant to the PCW north website which has been incorporated into this full PCW website

Name: Barry
Country: England
Comment: Have just done the route from Kendal. Four and a half days from 23/9 to 27/9/03,total 231 miles. The best part was Bellingham to Alwinton via Coquetdale. If the barrier is down after Cottonshopefootburn you can go off road through the forest to Chew Green.
The Rose & Thistle is 5 Star B&B and the pie and chips was excellent.
Hardly any traffic and I saw only 4 other cyclists travelling on the route. The weather was v good.

Name: Clive
Country: England
Comment: Great site It's helping me no-end as I'm planning a charity ride with a collegue.
You seem to of covered every aspect!
Here's to an enjoyable time.. I'll sign again once I complete the ride....

Name: Alistair Clarke
Country: UK
Comment: Used this excellent site to plan our trip. Three and a half days (17 - 20th August 2003) including an extra 25 miles from Berwick to Bamburgh on the Coasts and Castles route. A superb ride, virtually no traffic on much of it and well sign-posted apart from the wrong sign just out of Wooler. We did the Byrness alternative which was brilliant, but made it a 60-mile day from Bellingham to Wooler. My son (13) and his cousin (15) managed it without any problems. Thanks, Dik, for a very informative site.

Name: ian hogg
Country: england
Comment: Done on hottest days of the year, Aug 2003
Beautiful scenery,quiet roads what more do you want? Recommend the Rose & Thistle in Alwinton for an over night stop.Will do route again when not so hot may enjoy it even more.

Name: Paul
Country:
Comment: As a part-timer on the inaugral ride (Appleby to Berwick) I'd just like to congratulate Sustrans as an organaisation and the individuals who I know have worked so hard to get this route off the ground. Secondly thanks have to go to those who put in great effort to organise the ride and the local communities that hosted breakfast, lunch and other refreshments. A fantastic ride and great experience. Looking forward to riding the entire route soon....ish!!!

Name: David May
Country: England
Comment: Just completed the PCW in three days in temperatures of 85 degrees.
The signing was excellent except for one at mile 126. There is a wrong signpost pointing you away from the Doddington road. Ignore it and carry straight on.
Wark Forest was a bit daunting on my own. The track was very rough.
Managed to get within 3 miles of Berwick and then the signing got very vague and I ended uo 6 miles out to the north.

Name: Tony Keates
Country: England
Comment: As a member of the Inaugural PCW ride this July I would like to say I think the route is excellent, as is this web site. I look forward to the new bit with the inaugural ride stuff on it in due course. Well done!

Name: John Dewhurst
Country: England
Comment: You mentioned this site to me as we rode up Hartside from Renwick on 15.07.03. It looks very interesting and answers my queries as to the route north from Alston. Thanks -John Dewhurst Eden Valley CTC

Name: Mark
Country: England
Comment: Have just completed the route. It was very well signed, better than other routes. I recommend the Gibbet cake and custard in Elsdon, you'll nedd it to make the climb out!!!.

Name: Paul
Country: UK
Comment: Fantastic - Dik got me all the info I needed for the summer 2002 assault on the C2C and bingo just as I start to plan for the PCW I find he's done it again!!! The C2C was incredible and the PCW promises to be even better. Great site Dik, keep up the good work.

If anyone wants to talk about riding together I plan to ride from Appleby sometime in June/July and take 3 days to complete the route. Please get in touch.

Name: b.scaplehorn
Country: uk
Comment: excellent site, you have got me very very interested, we are doing the c to c in may and will definitely do the pennine later in the year. Keep up the good work

Name: Rob
Country: UK
Comment: Great site - did the C2C last year and your site was invaluable - planning to do the PCW later this year, that's after the Trans Pennine Trail in May (how about doing a site for that one?)

Name: Malk Wheeler
Country: Scotland
Comment: Excellent site, photos brought back memories of a classic day cycling from Berwick to Haltwhistle on a very wet October day. I cycled Wark Forest in the dark and had to throw my bike across a collapsed bridge over the river Beamish,but would thoroughly recommend the route which is clearly signposted and a good mix of on and not too demanding off road.The advise in this site is very useful and well presented and I intend to use the sister site C2C for my summer expedition.

Name: Stephen R.
Country: U.K.
Comment: This site a good addition to those available on the north pennine area. Well done Dik for your work.
As someone with a love of the north pennines I suggest to all visitors to visit Ninebanks Youth Hostel. If you have ever visited you'll understand how precious such small remote youth hostels are. If you haven't, it is only a short detour from Alston! The URL is: http://www.yha.ninebanks.co.uk

Name: Stevo
Country: Wales
Comment: Thanks for the site and the work involved, will send you some photos once I have cycled the route in September - wife permitting!

Name: John Grimshaw
Country: UK
Comment: This excellent website will surely encourage anyone visiting it to explore one of the most dramatic (and challenging) routes on the National Cycle Network.

Name: Paul Jamieson
Country: England
Comment: Stumbled across this by accident, can't decide which route to do but like the idea of planning the trip in advance thanks to sites like this. Will let you know how we get on whichever cycle route we do.

Name: Doug-on-the-Tyne
Country: ENGLAND
Comment: Another fantastic web site for cyclists - keep the good work up.
Sets the standards for others to achieve. Hope the PCW will be a drier ride than the C2C !!!!
Looking forward to trying this new route.

Name: The Shelton Bikers
Country: England
Comment: Yet another adventure for The Shelton Bikers during 2003 - C2C, Reivers and now the Pennnine Cycleway. Please keep finding them Dik.

Name: Richard Healy
Country: England
Comment: Left a message in your C2C message book and then vrowsed through to this site, again a great site and maybe after the C2C comes the Pennine Cycle Way - if we can recover from Hartside et al!!!!!!!!!!

Name: Ted Liddle
Country: England
Comment: Dik, I write to warmly congratulate you on preparing this PCW (N) website which I am sure will prove to be an invaluable source of information for those seeking to cycle this most enjoyable cycle route. I am most impressed with the speed and efficiency which you have worked! As the route's originator, I would like to commend this cycle route to all cyclists who take great pleasure in cycle touring in unspoilt stunning scenery.

Name: Jonno
Country: Scotland
Comment: can't agree more with Derek above. I used your c2c site to plan our C2C expedition last summer and already the Pennine Cycle Way beckons. Well Done!

Name: Deryk Harrison
Country: USA
Comment: Dik, you have again built a great website for self supported touring cyclists like myself and my cycling buddy George. In May 2002 we had our best ever tour along the C2C using your C2C-guide.co.uk website as a guide and after reading this site we have already begun planning another trip to the UK in September to ride the PCW.
Best wishes to you and Lou
Deryk

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