Has been covered briefly before - shall look for the related thread of "great drives" to add later.
OK - so you've got the bike, notor bike or car ready. So fave ride out in my neck of woods. You lot in Cumbria are always talking about your area - well we have some pretty great driving/riding country here.
How about
Blanchland and Slaley Forest
Decent car/motorbike route kepeing to the B6306 route. Cylclists would try the off -road as mentioned here
Hadrian's Wall country and where Durham meets Northumberland.
You start at Blanchland a very prettty village on B6306 off A68 in Consett and 10 miles south of Hexham. There is a free car park in the village - so park up there and ride past the Lord Crew Arms and cross the bridge. The B6306 has a climb with punch into woodland and into Co Durham and then levels out fopllwing the Derwent. After 2 miles - you reach your first picnic spot and cross the river here and foolw the bank of the Derwent Reervoir. Go through the gates of the sailing club and the road climbs gently to a picnic area. Bear left and continue to a T junction which gives a view to the passionist Monastery at Minsteracres. Turn left here in direction of Slaley and descend through the Kelllas Plantation to Slaley Hall and village where teh Rose & Crown serves some decent pub grub and real ales and then continuie through the village and rejoin the B6306
After the Traveller's Rest - 330 yards tunr left (Whiltely Chapel, Dukesfield) and follow road to the Dukesfield turn off and go through the woodland to Devil's Water Cross the river again - ascend gentle climb to Whiltey Chapel amd turn left at the church (St Helen's opf Hexamshire) and foolw road looking for signs Renny's Barn, Embley and Viewley. Tunr left and there is wickedly steep decent to the stream and this road has some challenging tiwsts and climbs with a really tight bend at Viewley. Drivers and MotorBikers would stick to a main B road loop)
Cyclsits would go through the gate into the forest and ride along a wide track but until it crests a small rise where you take a small track which veers to the right. (about 100 m - iof you go further - you missed this turn!) Follow a rough farm track and turn right away fromthe famrhouse at the track junction (below Steel Hall) and follow the track past Dukesfield farm until you reach a very quiet road - where you turn left and climb tawards a caravan park at Slaley Forest. At the caravan park - take the bridle path to Shildon, follwiojgn a wide moorland track. This climbs to a new fence by the forset edge - go throught the gate and ride along level ground of a mile till you reach anotehr gateby Pennypie Houseand cycle down the fam track back to Blanchland.
If not a cyclist then the drive in a loop around the area is also quite
Refreshments?
The White Monk and Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland (which has been in lots of films and TV dramatisations of Catherine Cookson novels) Grew around a monatery and the villages cottages are built on the old maonatery forecourt. There is a remant of the old moanstery in the village and tis a very pretty and photogenic little place.
The Rose and Crown as mentioned plus the Traveller's Rest and there are loads of picnic areas around here.
Derwent Reservoir - one of UK's largest reservoirs and where my tap water apparently comes from. You can fish for trout here and windsurf or sail.
The Passionist Monastery - a "retreat" and not open to the public - but set in a pretty setting.
Slaley Hall - big hotel and golfing complex these days. You can sit in the gardens and picnic without charge though
So - perhaps we should have this one as a sticky so that we can share good drives, motor bike rides and bicycle rides for fun!
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