Considering yesterday evening was quite windy there wasn’t a breath of wind in the morning. The downside was a lot of condensation in the tent meaning a soggy tent to pack away. I was on my way by 07:45 and as the car park had a rubbish bin I could get rid of my rubbish without having to carry it far. The ride towards Esh Winning was easy and pleasant but I was riding due east and straight into the rising sun causing a lot of dazzle. Being a Sunday morning there wasn’t much traffic and it didn’t seem very long before I was entering Durham.

Durham Cathedral

Instead of following the road into the town I’d planned a route along an old road that is now closed to traffic. It was too rough to ride on so I wheeled the bike down to the bridge. The bridge was wide and impressive in the morning light. A few runners were out and some rowers on the river. I spoke to a lady taking pictures and she turned out to be a local artist, taking pictures to inspire her next work of art. We walked up and old lane into the town then she left to explore another way.

I continued along my planned route but made a short detour to look at the Cathedral. Durham Cathedral is one of the oldest truly Norman Cathedrals dating back to 995AD. The main entrance was on the shaded side so not good for pictures. I went inside but as soon as I got my camera out was told quite sternly that photography wasn’t allowed. The reason, I was told, is that it is intrusive. I walked to a secluded and deserted part of the cathedral and ignored the instructions and took a photo. I returned to the main cathedral and hoped to sneak a picture but was spotted by another man who reiterated the no photography rule. We had am amiable chat and eventually he let me take a few quick pictures before I left to continue on my way. It turned out the originator of the no photography rule was the Bishop of Durham, who is a keen, and allegedly, good photographer. There seems to be an ethical dilemma here.

Durham Cathedral nave

Durham Cathedral interior

Durham street

I was back on the main roads for a while then headed through a large housing estate to more quiet roads. My next objective of the day was Finchale Priory. A steep hill took me down to the priory ruin which looked impressive in the sunshine. There didn’t seem to be an entry charge, except £3 for the car park. The cafe was open so I ordered a £2 chip butty to be ready for when I returned from my tour of the ruins. The ruins were excellent as was the chip butty.

Finchale Priory

Finchale Priory butty

Finchale Priory

I spoke to a man who was there with his daughter. He asked where I was heading and I told him my next call was the Tyne cycle tunnel. He said he thought it was closed.
I wheeled my bike across the wooden footbridge and a short way along the path on the far bank.

Finchale Priory

A cinder track continued along the riverbank but steep stone steps headed up the route I was on. They were far to steep to push the bike up loaded so I had to take all the panniers off and make two trips up the steps. It seemed to take ages and once at the top I think there was a better cycle route up via the cinder track.

Bridge over the River Wear

I followed the road to Chester-le-Street which didn’t have anything making me want to stop. I continued north to Gateshead and the incredible art structure by Anthony Gorman called Angel of the North. I’d never seen it live before and was amazed at it size, location and beauty. Many people were there visiting it and it must be one of the most photographed works of art anywhere.

Glascarnoch River and the old bridge

Angel of the North

Angel of the North

I'd previously

Angel of the North, what's underground

Scene from old Jarrow

Scene from old Jarrow

I continued north then east to Jarrow and the pedestrian & cycle tunnel under the Tyne. I reached the site which I’d visited last year to find the man at the monastery was right. It was closed for refurbishment. I checked the map which showed a diversion to find a bridge would be over 10 miles. Nearby was a bench where a group of men were enjoying an early afternoon session of bottled beer and cheap cider.

Closed Tyne cycle tunnel

I asked them how far to the nearest bridge and they pointed to a bus stop across the road where a free service would take me across the river. I had a 20min wait which was preferable to the long detour. The bus arrived with a trailer loaded with bikes.

Bike trailer

The cheery driver strapped my bike on the trailer. My panniers were stowed inside the bus and we made the short trip under the road tunnel to the north bank of the river.

Driving under the Tyne

My journey continued through Whitley bay and up along the coast.

No sign to say who this is.

Wide view at Seaton Sluice

My planned camp for the night was on the bank of the River Blyth on the far side of Blyth. I reached the outskirts of Blyth to also reached a conundrum. Would the first shop selling water be the best or should I hang on to hope a large chain store had a branch in the town. I went for the ‘get it while you can’ option and bought 2, 2lt bottles of water for £1.89 each. As I cycled through the town I saw a branch of Morrisons and also Tesco selling water at 20% of the price I’d paid. I reached the signposted cycle track along the River Blyth. It was tarmac and excellent cycling. I needed to look for a pitch and found a grassy area which looked above high water of the still tidal river. Two boys were on the muddy river bank and one was fishing. I asked them if the tide was rising. The nearest boy answered in a wonderful broad Geordie accent which I’d never heard before. The tide was rising so I chose the highest point I could. I was glad I did because the water eventually came to within 1m of where I was.

Camp by the River Blyth