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Lost at Kielder

August 24th, 2011 by Mark

I had hoped that the signage and new paths around Kielder had dealt with the old problem of getting lost on very tough terrain. Clearly not. I just got this email from Linda Lord. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

“I finished the Reivers route a couple of weeks ago, and thought I’d let you know how I found it.

Very well signed from Tynemouth throughout, although inevitably some of the signs have become hidden with the summer growth of trees. Also, a few of the south/west facing signs are completely faded and unreadable, these look pretty old and are probably original from the instigation of the route. There were a couple of off road stretches which were a bit rough, even for a hybrid, and I met a couple of guys on tourers who agreed, and said they preferred to stay on road where possible, even if it meant a longish detour.

“The worst part of the trip for me was through Kielder forest where the Route 10 signs were simply non existent. I’d no sooner turned off the tarmac into the forest, and at the first junction of tracks had to best guess the correct way. There were other signs for cycle routes in the forest, but absoloutely none for the Reivers, and it was very frustrating to have to stop at each track junction and consult both Rievers and OS map.

“Navigation was compromised by new tracks formed for tree felling, and I spent much time working out the route. It was a great relief to meet a fellow cyclist after a few miles coming in the opposite direction who confirmed that I was indeed on the right track, and hit tarmac again at Kershope Bridge. Also, I really think a mountain bike with suspension is a must for this forest route, as although my hybrid coped ok, had it been muddy I would have struggled with my smooth tyres, and I did feel shaken and rattled (literally) after having to cope with the mostly hardcore/chunky gravel surface. This was one bit of the route where with hindsight, I would have preferred to take the on road option.

“Sorry about the moan, but other than that, the route was very enjoyable and scenic, and the other off road bits eg the Waggonways and cyclepaths between Tynemouth and Ponteland excellent and very well signed, as was the remainder of the route.

Hope this information may help others who are contemplating the ride.”

All the best,

Linda Lord