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cyclists on the traffic free
section heading towards
Haltwhistle on the
northern section of
the PCW



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route advice and tips
This section of the Pennine Cycleway Guide is here to pass on tips regarding the route and hopefully it will help you stay on the correct track and make your ride more enjoyable! Obviously with this guide being relatively new along with the route the route tips section will be sparse for a while but once the PCW becomes better known and popular then hopefully other cyclists will also send in their route tips and advice.

general tips

> The PCW is classed as a 'challenging' route and has some very steep hills paticularly in the later parts of the Peak District and up to about Hebden Bridge. It is a long route with some very easy sections and very hard sections please bear this in mind when planning your trip and read other peoples views on trip distance on the Advice Centre page.

> Please bear in mind that as the Pennine Cycleway is relatively new the route will evolve slightly and will not always be as stated on the official maps. I will try to post any route alterations on this site for all to see but if you are in any doubt the general rule is that signage on the ground will always take precedent over the map.

> None of the fords on the northern section are passable with a cycle trailer. That is because you don't actually go through the ford but via a narrow footbridge. We do cycle Sustrans routes with our children in a trailer (they are ideal for cycling with children) and narrow barriers are one of the things which cause us difficulties. advice posted by Bridget Palmer

> There is no right or wrong way to ride the route but I believe that most people will cycle from Derby to Berwick, in part because of the chance of the prevailing winds been in your favour and also in part because finishing at the North Sea adds a certain finality to the route.

> There is no set time in which to complete the Pennine Cycleway but at 355 miles long it is certainly no pushover. Some cyclists will probably travel the full route and treat it is a challenging but enjoyable holiday but others will split the route into three and cycle each section (northern, central and southern sections) in turn if they do not have the time to cycle the full length of the Pennine Cycleway.

> It should be kept in mind that the little blue signs directing you along the route will not be the only ones you see. Along the way you will encounter signs for various NCN routes such as the C2C (NCN 7), Hadrians Cycleway (NCN 72), Reivers Route (RCR 10) Etwall and Burton-on-Trent (NCN 54) and Coast and Castles (NCN 1) among others. At times you will be riding on both the PCW and any of the above routes so some signs will state both route numbers.

> The signs can be a bit confusing sometimes, as in Cumbria they are marked with 'PCW 68' whereas in Northumbria they are just marked as '68' so try not to get confused!

route tips
This is the section where you can send in your own observations of the route from your experience of cycling it, as of now the PCW north has been open for a year so that section has more submissions from users.

Pennine Cycleway Southern Section - Derby to Holmfirth
> Derby Station
The correct route to take upon leaving the station is the exit signed as 'Pride Park'

> Dunford Bridge milemarker 75
Upon approaching Dunford Bridge from the south the correct route is across the front of Winscar Reservoir this cuts out a steep descent and corresponding steep ascent. The signs should reflect this but there has been a report of a wrongly placed 'straight ahead' sign - ignore it unless you wish to visit Dunford Bridge itself.

Pennine Cycleway Central Section - Holmfirth to Appleby
> Scammonden Water milemarker 11
At Scammonden Water there is a narrow rocky path traversing the dam on the 'water' side of the motorway and then after going under the M62 the path leads to a locked gate where you have to lift your bike over a stile - this is as part of Yorkshire Water's conditions to permit cyclists to use the path (but not motorised vehicles) and is part of the correct route. Don't get confused! You may wish instead to follow the West Yorkshire Cycle Route round the west end of Scammonden Water and over the M62 before rejoining the route proper

> Clapham milemarker 75.5
This section has a rough surface in places and also passes through tunnels. For safety reasons (yours and others!) Clapham Parish Council and the Dales National Park ask that you walk down the steep descent towards the village and through the tunnels.


Pennine Cycleway Northern Section - Appleby to Berwick-upon-Tweed

> Slaggyford off-road section
The off-road section starting at milemarker 39 has been extended for 3 miles to take you almost to Lambley Viaduct but alas not over it (yet!) Once you reach the end of the off-road section (through a gate and onto a lane) bear sharp left uphill then join the main road turning right and head via Lambley and Coanwood to the start of the off road section to Haltwhistle. You can of course still ride the on-road route as marked on the map but this entails a very steep (but short-ish!) pull up.

> Wark Forest surface
The section through Wark Forest from milemarker 62 to 65 (PCW north map) has seen some work on the surface in 2002. This section is quite rough and NOT suitable for road bikes (unless you like fixing punctures!), the minimum tyre width should ideally be 28/30 mm. I have rode it whilst on the Trailblazing ride and was told there was 3 punctures out of the first ten to ride this section. Mountain bikes and well shod hybrids will excell on this section but there is really no realistic other way round so the skinny tyre brigade should exercise caution here.
Paddy O'Kelly has this to say ' First, I think it should be made clearer that the off road part through Wark forest is NOT suitable for road bikes. I did it on 28mm touring tyres and I'd say thats the minimum you should have. As this is the only off road bit for which there is no alternative, this section dictates the choice of bike, in my opinion. Some of our group tried on racing tyres and we had 2 punctures in quick succession'

> Footbridge over the River Breamish - milemarker 112
the footbridge over the River Breamish near Ingram is no longer usable and as the ford is very rough it can only be used if the water levels are low. The as of yet unsigned alternative route is to head north from Powburn up the A697 for about half a mile and then take a left turn to Brandon and thereby missing out the ford completely.
nb: I have been informed by Sustrans that there will be temporary repairs to make the bridge useable again by early July.

> Off road section via Byrness - from milemarker 75.5
part tarmac / part off-road and currently only open a maximum of 100 days per annum due to passing over MOD land. Bellingham is the 'decision point' and cyclists who don't already know if the section is open or not should telephone 0191 2611046 and ask for the Range Liaison Officer for Otterburn Training Area then state day and time for the planned access to find out if the road is open or closed.

> Clennell - milemarker 100
Be very careful whilst navigating this section as it is remarkably easy to get yourself lost in this hamlet and end up in Kidland Forest. The advice given to me is to head straight through the caravan park and you can't go wrong - hopefully!

> Wooler and Doddington milemarkers 122 - 125
A lot of cyclists have being getting lost in Wooler, this is due to the route being changed on the ground (to avoid the B6525 road out of Wooler) but unfortunately the signage did not change quite correctly. Until the signage is updated (it may take a while - don't blame Sustrans!) the correct route is to take the B6348 out of Wooler via West Woodward before turning north again to join the original route at Milemarker 124