Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route

The Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route (or W2W) is the name of a cross-country cycle route in Northern England. It runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland on the River Wear or Whitby.

History

The route was launched on 1 June 2005 to complement the popular Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) that runs from Whitehaven to Sunderland. It is designed to be slightly harder and longer than this other route, totalling either 149 or 151 miles (240 or 243 km). When launched the route used sections of NCN Routes 72, 68 and 71 west of the Pennines. From Tan Hill to Sunderland a new Regional Route was created and given the number 20, with a blue background. In 2012, after improvements to meet National Cycle Network standards, it was upgrade to National Route 70. Route signs were changed to the number 70 with a red background.[1] Around the same time the sections on the route that had previously been Route 71 and 72 were re-signed as Route 70. In 2007 a southern branch from Barnard Castle to Whitby was added.[2] Originally classified as regional route 52, it was upgraded to National Cycle Route 165 in 2012. The Walney to Whitby route is 179 miles (288 km).[3]

Route
W2W Route Map
Route 70
0
 Walney Island
1
 Route 700 leaves to E
2
 Barrow in Furness
13
 Ulverston
14
 Route 700 joins from E
25
 Cartmel
25
 Route 700 leaves to E
27
 Route 700 joins from E
27
 Grange-over-Sands
36
 Route 700 leaves to S
38
 Route 6 joins from S
40
 Route 6 leaves to N
43
 Oxenholme
53
 Route 68 joins from S
63
 Orton
70
 Routes 68 and 71 leave to N
76
 Kirkby Stephen
82
87
 Tan Hill
 Route 71 leaves to S
95
 Bowes
103
 Barnard Castle
Route 165
Route 70
Route 715 to N
106
117
 Hamsterley
Croft-on-Tees
123
121
 Bishop Auckland
126
 Route 715 from S
Appleton Wiske
134
133
 Route 14 joins from N
Route 65 joins from S
140
135
 Durham
Hutton Rudby
142
139
 Route 14 leaves to S
Route 65 Leaves to N
143
Great Ayton
150
149
 Route 1 joins from S
Route 168 to N
157
Castleton
161
150
 Sunderland
Egton
171
151
 Route 7 joins from W
Whitby
179
152
 Wearmouth
Route 1 to S
Route 1 to N

The W2W is a Y shaped route with one western leg from Walney to Barnard Castle, and two eastern legs Barnard Castle to Sunderland (northern) and Barnard Castle to Whitby (Southern).

Western Leg

103 miles (166 km) Walney to Barnard Castle

Near Tan Hill

North Eastern Leg

49 miles (79 km) Barnard Castle to Sunderland

Near Brancepeth

South Eastern Leg

76 miles (122 km) Barnard Castle to Whitby

  • From Barnard Castle the route descends off the Durham Dales along the lower Tees Valley for 20 miles (32 km)to Croft-on-Tees near Darlington.
  • Continuing on flat roads for 27 miles (43 km) until it reaches the North York Moors at Great Ayton.
  • Following the Eskdale for the final 27 miles (43 km) the route cross the River Esk 5 times before reaching Whitby. This section includes serval steep climbs and descents, some of them are on off road tracks.

Footnotes
  1. "W2W renumbered to Route 70 / 165". W2W cycle route. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. Sustrans (2007). Discover Three Rivers : cycle routes map. Bristol: Sustrans. ISBN 1901389685.
  3. "Walney to Wear [and Whitby] (W2W) - Map". Sustrans. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. "W2W — Grange Promenade now open for cycling". cyclingw2w.info.
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