Five Castles

Five Castles
Sat 8th July 2023 9am 49 miles
Meadowfield Sports Centre DH7 8RG

Here’s a handful of mighty Durham fortresses to attack for a challenging summer bike ride taking in Brancepeth, Witton, Raby, Bishop Auckland and possibly Durham Castle. This is a hilly (3900’) adventure so please ensure you are fit and confident enough to ride with a group over variable terrain for a whole day out. We will cover a mix of surfaces, on and off road, so a hybrid or a rugged road bike eg gravel bike will be the best machine to pedal.

There will be the chance to buy refreshments at Witton, Raby and Bishop Auckland Castles but you could bring your own as there is plenty of outdoor seating space at all these castles for picnics.

We’ll start at Meadowfield Sports Centre with our first castle stop at Brancepeth before we tackle the long uphill to Stanley Crook. Back down to the Wear via Crook and Howden and Witton le Wear where we will pedal past our third stop at Witton Castle. Heading further west via back roads we will venture to our furthest outpost of Raby. From here, we will plan to come back via Ramshaw to Bishop Auckland from where we’ll return along the Brandon Bishop railway path. Please note that although limited in length there will be some sections along main roads from Stonebridge to Brancepeth, the final mile before and after the Raby entrance and then through West Auckland. We may visit Durham Cathedral at the end and have had to amend our start point to avoid Gala day when the streets of Durham will be thronging. We know that the maths might not add up!

In order for the ride to leave promptly, please be punctual so we can carry out bike checks, etc. prior to us setting off. Please make sure your bike is in working condition and bring a spare tube to fit your tyres. Expect to be out for about 8 hours.
As always we can’t predict the weather so please dress suitably. You are better to be overdressed as you can always take layers off.

For any queries please use the option to Message Ride Creator above. For any last minute messages on the day please add a note in the ride Conversation so that it can be seen by everyone and therefore increase its chance of being seen.

If the weather is unsuitable for cycling eg thunderstorms we will only contact you if we are cancelling the ride and will do so no later than 7.45am on the day by putting a message in the ‘conversation’ tab in the ride. You would receive this via an email notification. If you have not heard from us we are still riding.

Audrey and Ken

.

.