Off-road ride through Kielder Forest / Northumberland

[Bice]

I am pondering a few days bike-packing and camping with a hardtail MTB (below) in Northumberland and wondering about the Sandstone Way though Kielder.

The aim would be to get from Berwick to Hexham and on to Newcastle. Possibly actually starting from Edinburgh, in fact. I am wanting as much non-contrived off-road as possible.

Any thoughts on routes? The one that keeps coming up goes from Berwick to Hexham, and may be the Sandstone Way or an alternative to it. This route may not be all technical, going along forest roads: I don't mind a bit of technical, so long as the route actually goes somewhere.

[Paulatic]

No idea about the Sandstone Way but if I was cycling Berwick to Hexham I’d take route 68 to Bellingham. Then down through Wark and Walwick to Hexham.

No contrived off road but no off road at all if you were looking for gravel.
If you go in them thar trees in July you’ll be eaten alive

[Bice]

I am after finding a long distance gravel / off-road route.

I don't mind a small amount of gnarly stuff going in the correct direction - like the Marcher Castles Way - but I think Kielder also has full on, technical MTB tracks, which aren't for me.

Route 68 seems to be all on-road.

As for the midges, I think I will rely on the refreshing breezes of Northumberland to send them elsewhere.

[gbnz]

Have known/cycled the area since '81. Seems a perfectly decent route, though ?

I'd avoid any off road sections, requiring hours cycling through monocultures, of 2 metre spaced, identical aged, Sitka Spruce, blocking all views, all ventilation, with cycling constrained to dead straight, tedious, gravel tracks designed for forwarders/forest trucks. I don't off road cycle, but fell walk, have done the fell rescue team, the forestry dead reviews, forestry planting. The M25 hard shoulder will offer far better views and environment, than cycling within a planted, Northumberland "forest". Kielder itself, offers as much interest as a super sized, retail car park, with "natural plantings", "ponds" for wildlife, etc, etc

Sandstone Way seems to follow a reasonable route, though with a few absurd "wiggles" between Holy Island and Wooler.....why do twice the distance, with no benefits of views, quiet roads, historical bits or whatever. I'd take it as the basis of a route, but take reasonably direct routes............if you cycle a few of the roads daily, you might occasionally see a car, a tractor every other year (Nb. Primarily beef & lamb growing areas, so tractors are very rare)

[gbnz]

Oh and stock up on food/fluids in Berwick, Hexham. A small co-op is available in Wooler/Bellingham/Belford

[Bice]

Kielder itself, offers as much interest as a super sized, retail car park, with "natural plantings", "ponds" for wildlife, etc, etc

Sandstone Way seems to follow a reasonable route, though with a few absurd "wiggles"...

Oh. That's pretty damning. It does not sound great for a few days bike-packing, then?

[gbnz]

Kielder itself, offers as much interest as a super sized, retail car park, with "natural plantings", "ponds" for wildlife, etc, etc

Sandstone Way seems to follow a reasonable route, though with a few absurd "wiggles"...

Oh. That's pretty damning. It does not sound great for a few days bike-packing, then?

The basis of the route itself, in terms of direction / landscape / features is excellent. There are a few absurd "wiggles" I wouldn't take, I..e Chatton to Wooler.........presumably to see a "castle, c/w wild cattle", it goes around 3 sides of a square, rather than simply taking 1 side. The actual "castle & cattle " it goes to see..........consists of a view of a statue from a road, whilst missing views of superb fell sandstone hills, hills of a granite massif, passing directly via incredible deserted castles, missing stunning views to castles on the coast, iron age forts, when cycling that 1 side of a square

The main issue I'd have .......is that whilst there are bits of the "off road" route which will be pleasant enough, huge monocultures covering huge blocks of land, of even aged, Sitka Spruce, precisely planted 2metres apart, in dead straight lines, blocking views, ventilation and infested with midges are definitely worth avoiding, especially Kielder

Typical is that off ride section, immediately a couple of miles North of Rothbury, with 8 miles running South of it. Yes, there is a superb carriage drive for 1.5 miles North of Rothbury, with 300-400 metres with a view, South of Rothbury. It's a superb bit of landscape to ride across on the road, stunning fell sandstone hills, crags, significant iron age forts, even Cragside with 150 year old, non native pine trees, miles of views to the coast lands and Northern reach of the Pennines, 30 miles South. But not if choosing to ride through the area, in the midst of a commercial monoculture plantation

[paulxtr]

I've camped in the area twice (at Winshields and Kielder campsites) for cycling-based holidays. On each occasion the off-road riding in the forests was good with ne'er a midge present during the day (night time at the campsites was another matter though...)

True, it's not good views all the time, but there are enough to make it enjoyable. Bellingham to The Sill via the off-road bit of NCN68 is super.

[mjthomp2]

I’ve bikepacked through Kielder and it was pretty good, and I’d happily do it again. The views were okay - lots of trees obvs, but it certainly wasn’t just never ending gloom and densely packed forest with no views.

I was riding from Edinburgh down to Manchester and dropped into Kielder from Hermitage Castle in the NW, crossing the border on some nice single track at Bloody Bush before heading down to Kielder. After stopping for an ice cream by the water I continued south down to Once Brewed and camped at Winshields - nice campsite.

[gloomyandy]

My only input to this is that despite spending many nights in Scotland camping, the worst day/night I've ever had from midges was at the campsite at Kielder! I spent a night there many years ago taking part in and helping out at the old "Kielder Classic" MTB race, I was probably very unlucky, but I've never seen so many people with so many midge bites! Good Luck!