Day 3 Staindrop to Seaham (the sea) - 40 miles. 6.25 hrs plus long breaks.Mostly level or downhill with a couple of tiddly (ahem) climbs. After about 10 miles we rejoin local route 20, onto a dedicated cycle path without cars and pass into Durham for cream tea/lurnch. From there it is goodbye lovely countryside towards the rough part of town (it had to happen somewhere) following National Route 14 on road mainly to Haswell. From their it's back onto old railway lines an National Route 1 all of the way to Seaham avoiding the built up areas further north and being closer to the Staindrop HQ for a quick getaway.
Crazy Legs Crane Instructions
If there's a team of 9 of us then 2 will get home on the train. The remaining 7 bikes and riders will be shipped back to Staindrop in 2 cars. 3 bikes on my dad's roof with car driven by Clare. 1 passenger in front, 2 in back, 4th bike in bits in the back. 3 remaining bikes on Alan's car with 1 rider in front, 3 in back.
If there's a team of 10 of us then the same as above but Lee will stay in Seaham with his and Nix' bike. Nix will return to pick him up with kids on way home 2 and a half hours later.
If there's a team of 9 of us then 2 will get home on the train. The remaining 7 bikes and riders will be shipped back to Staindrop in 2 cars. 3 bikes on my dad's roof with car driven by Clare. 1 passenger in front, 2 in back, 4th bike in bits in the back. 3 remaining bikes on Alan's car with 1 rider in front, 3 in back.
If there's a team of 10 of us then the same as above but Lee will stay in Seaham with his and Nix' bike. Nix will return to pick him up with kids on way home 2 and a half hours later.
| Distance (miles) | Incline | Surface | Minutes per leg | Overall time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 9:00am | Start |
| 4 | 4 | Up | road | 40 | 9:40am | Cockfield - pub, shop |
| 3 | 7 | Up | road | 30 | 10:10am | Windmill |
| 5 | 12 | Down | road | 23 | 10:33am | Witton-le-Wear - pub: The Victoria |
| 2 | 14 | Steep Up | road | 30 | 11:03am | Bitchburn climb |
| 1 | 15 | Down | road | 5 | 11:07am | to old rail line |
| 1 | 16 | Up | off-road | 15 | 11:22am | Willington - pub, shop |
| 4 | 20 | Flat | off-road | 30 | 11:52am | Brandon - shop |
| 5 | 25 | Down | off-road | 30 | 12:22pm | Durham - pub, shop, cafe |
| 8 | 33 | Up | road | 80 | 1:42pm | Haswell - pub, shop |
| 6 | 39 | Down | off-road | 36 | 2:18pm | Seaham - pub, shop, cafe |
| - | - | - | - | - | 3.18pm | 1 hour for extended stops through day |
Bike shops and hire en route
Penrith, Kirkby Stephen, Durham
Penrith, Kirkby Stephen, Durham
