General Information Duration of tour:  6 days Season:  April to October Starting point:  Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear End of trail:  Whitehaven, Cumbria

Services available on this trail: Door to door baggage transfer

This Cycle Route is named after the Border Reivers, families from both sides of the border between England and Scotland, who terrorised each other and the whole region, living by robbery, kidnap and murder.  The remains of many of their fortified pele towers from the 15th and 16th centuries can be seen along the route.

The route passes the best of Northern England's scenery and also ventures across the border into Scotland.  From Tynemouth, on the North Sea Coast of Northumberland, the route runs along quiet country roads to open countryside, reaching Tynedale and Kielder Water, before transferring on to forest trails to cross the border into Scotland, and then back in to England. The route reached Carlisle, via the flood plain of the river Eden, and then skirts the northern edge of the Lake District Mountains, before finishing at Whitehaven on the west coast, overlooking the Irish Sea.

Typical Itinerary
Day 1 Tynemouth to Ponteland:  The route starts at Tynemouth and heads into Northumberland, on backroads and traffic-free cycle paths. (18 miles)
Day 2 Ponteland to Bellingham:  Today you enter the heart of Reivers country, and the Norhtumberland National Park. (32 miles)
Day 3 Bellingham to Akenshawburn:  This stage is dominated by Kielder Water and Kielder Forest, Europe's largest manmade resevoir and forest.  (22 miles)
Day 4 Akenshawburn to Kirklinton:  Today the route crosses in to Scotland along forest trails, before reaching Newcastleton, and then crosses back into England at Kershope Bridge, mainly on minor roads. (38 miles)
Day 5 Kirklinton to Longlands:  This stage runs from the borderlands through the Eden River plain, through Carlisle and south to Caldbeck Falls. (48 miles)
Day 6  Longlands to Whitehaven:  Today you skirt the norhtern edge of the Lake District Mountains, past Cockermouth and Workington before reaching Whitehaven. (29 miles)

Outward journey from London:  There are frequent inter city trains between London and Newcastle upon Tyne, then cycle to Tynemouth, bikes are not allowed on the Metro (local train service).
Inward journey to London:  To get to London by train from Whitehaven, you must get a local train to Carlisle and then change on to a mainline train to reach London. The journey from Whitehaven to Carlisle takes about one hour and follows the coastline, so the scenery is spectacular.