Consett
Whether you are coming via Edmundbyers Common or Stanhope, you wil shortly be passing the 100 mile point stamping station at the Bike Stop at the start of the Waskerley Way. You can get spares and repairs here, or tea and cake. And it's all down hill from here. This is a pleasant and easy section of the route, past Muggleswick Common, Waskerley and Smiddy Shaw reservoirs, fol owed by a quick canter into Park Head Plantation near Bee Cottage, and down to the A68. Beyond here is the magnificent Hownsgil Viaduct, which carried the Stanhope and Tyne Railway Line, Britain's first commercial railway route. There are great views from here across sweeping tracts of deciduous forest and undulating landscape, on the edge of an area that was once the embodiment of heavy British industry. The pathway is dotted with imaginative Sustrans signage and sculptures cast from industrial relics. Just before Consett are the Terris Novalis sculptures, which overlook the 700-acre site of what was once the mighty Consett Steelworks. The Turner prize winning works - a stainless steel theodolite and an engineer's level by Tony Cragg - are nearly 7m tal , are 20 times life size, and symbolise regeneration in an area convulsed by the death of heavy industry towards the end of the last century. The art works were commissioned by Sustrans and will stand as a monument to this admirable body long after the combustion engine has coughed its last.
"The work sited at Consett marks the watershed between the upland/ moorland landscape and the extremes of the Industrial Age," says the Sustrans website. "Local people see this landmark as a monument to the scale of local industry and its demise - the tragedy that has followed."
Directions
At Consett the routes part company for the final time; one goes to Sunderland and the other to Newcastle. The split in the route comes just after the Hownsgil Viaduct. On the other side of the lane the route either goes straight on through the centre of Consett to Sunderland. Or you can turn left for Newcastle and Tynemouth. If you go left you wil pass the outskirts of Shotley Bridge, whose centre is surprisingly pretty, and then on along the Derwent Walk to Rowlands Gil . I wil deal with that later, but for the moment wil describe the original route as it progresses gently and scenical y into Sunderland. From Consett you head for Stanley, but first you have to get out of Consett, so pay heed to the signs.
Go round the A692 roundabout, briefly up the left side of Front St before going left between Edith Street and Albert Rd. Cross the latter half way up and go right into Park Rd, cross Front St before heading left and across the B6308, then the path takes you through Leadgate and past the Annfield Plain. Look out for the Kyo Undercurrents sculpture - a series of earth and stone ramps.
Places of Interest
Phileas Fogg - alias Derwent Val ey Foods Factory. You wil smell it before you see it. Shotley Bridge is an old spa town, well-known for German sword-makers in the 17th century.
C2C Features: dotted along the line are story-boards set on vertical sleepers which interpret the history of the railway. These are chapters taken from a novel, The Celestial Railroad, by John Downie.
Eating Out
Grey Horse, real ales brewed on the premises. Light lunches and right on C2C route. Jolly Drovers Pub, Leadgate 01207 503 994
Cycle Shops
Consett Cycle Co, 62 Medomsley Rd 01207 581205
Useful Services
The Bike Bus, The Bus Station, Stanley, Co Durham DH9 0TD
Cyclist and bike transport specialists. Transport throughout the UK and size of group no object. Very competitive rates. 01207 237424
www.stanleytaxis.co.uk / bike.bus@btconnect.com
Accommodation
| St Ives, 22 St Ives Rd, Leadgate, Consett, Co Durham DH8 7PY | |
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Comfortable, modernised old house on the main road bang next to the route. Ideal stop-off, with en-suite rooms and a big breakfast to boost you next day. Real welcome for cyclists. |
Run by: Sandra Tilney |
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Tel: 01207 580173 |
Rooms : 2T |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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| Hownsgill Bunkhouse, Hownsgill Farm, Consett, Co Durham, DH8 9AA | |
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On the Lydgetts Junction, between the wonderful Hownsgill Viaduct and the Consett section of the Stanhope to Tyne former rail track and Sculpture Trail. Patio & barbecue area available. Located on Lydgetts Junction, ideal for exploring NCN routes 7 & 14 |
Run by: John & Stephen Shaw 
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Tel : 01207 503597 or 07946 797278 |
B&B : from £18 (u-18s £14). Rate is £16 outside April-Oct. |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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| Burn View, Stirling Lane, Rowlands Gill, Tyne & Wear NE39 1PR | |
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Eight miles beyond Consett on the Newcastle route. This is a comfortable and welcoming 4-star guest house. Burn View is situated just before the Derwent Road bridge, across from Rowlands Gill Viaduct opposite the car park - 100m from the route. |
Run by: Andrew & Helen How 
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Telephone: 01207 544014 |
Rooms : 1D (can also accommodate children) |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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| Consett YMCA, Parliament St, Co. Durham, DH8 5DH | |
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There is a drying room, workshop for repairs, colour TV, bar and lounge, pool table, and even a gym if you have the energy left! Ideal for large groups, accommodating up to 45 people. Consett YMCA also organises lots of outdoor activities. Adventure Activities Programmes and holidays a speciality. |
Run by: Terry Page 
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Tel : 01207 502680 |
Rooms : 10F |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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| Crown and Crossed Swords Hotel, Front Street, Shotley Bridge, Consett, Co. Durham, DH8 0HU | |
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Vibrant pub in the heart of the scenic village of Shotley Bridge, a short hop from the Consett- Rowlands Gill route. Lovely old fashioned public bar with coal fire and well kept real ale. There's also a lounge bar, restaurant and ten letting rooms. Private car park. Time has stood still. |
Run by: Sheila, Victoria or Maureen |
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Tel : 01207 502006 |
Rooms : 1S, 2D, 4T, 2F (4 en-suite) |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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| Deneview, 15 Front Street, Castleside, Consett, Co. Durham, DH8 9AR | |
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Superior B & B accommodation in Castleside village. Colour digital TV. Radio and Tea/Coffee making facilities. Only 25 yards from an excellent pub serving meals each day. 4 Diamond Award |
Run by: Catherine O'Keefe 
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Tel : 01207 502925 |
B & B : £27.50 - £35 per person |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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