Coast and Castles (6 days cycling)

The Tyne to the North Sea

Six days of cycling that begin on the Quayside in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and end with a celebratory dram in the shadow of Arthur's Seat. Saddle Skedaddle's self-guided run up the National Cycle Network's Route 1 — the Coast and Castles route — is one of those itineraries that adds up to more than the sum of its parts. You leave a city with proper transport connections, you finish in Edinburgh, and in between you trade traffic for tide tables, dunes and abbey ruins.

This is graded a 2 on Skedaddle's leisure cycling scale, which is a fair description: largely flat to gently rolling terrain following the coast, with the climb out of the borders into the Moorfoot Hills as the most demanding stretch. Pedal-assist e-bikes are available if you'd rather take the sting out of the inland sections, and on a route this varied — seasides one day, river valleys the next — that's a sensible option for mixed-ability pairs.

The Northumberland Coast and the Tweed Valley

From Newcastle you head along the River Tyne to the coast at Tynemouth, with its priory perched above the harbour, then turn north. The Northumberland Coast does most of the heavy lifting on this trip: long sandy beaches, the dunes at Druridge Bay, and the silhouettes of Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh castles rising out of the dune grass. Bamburgh in particular has the kind of approach that makes you stop pedalling for a minute.

A timing note worth taking seriously: the causeway to Holy Island — Lindisfarne — is tidal. Check the tide tables before you set off; the route depends on it. From Lindisfarne you carry on to Berwick-upon-Tweed at the Scottish border, then turn inland and follow the Tweed Valley to Melrose, where the ruined gothic abbey is the obvious draw. Onwards to Innerleithen and then the climb over the Moorfoot Hills, which rewards you with your first view of Edinburgh in the distance — a satisfying way to arrive in the capital.

Booking and logistics

The trip is self-guided with a minimum of two people. Accommodation is sorted, daily luggage transfers are included so you ride unencumbered, and there's emergency back-up on call if something goes wrong with you or the bike. Navigation is handled through Skedaddle's app rather than paper maps, which on a well-signed route like the NCN 1 works straightforwardly.

The structure is six days of cycling over seven nights, with your first night in Newcastle before the riding starts. Start dates are flexible. Prices begin at £965 per person, and either a regular bike or a pedal-assist e-bike can be hired at booking. At the Edinburgh end, a Skedaddle representative meets you to either send you off on the train or transfer you back to Newcastle by road, which neatly solves the problem most end-to-end routes leave you with.

Saddle Skedaddle also runs a shorter four-day version of the same route and a fully supported variant if you'd rather cycle in a guided group; this six-day self-guided option sits comfortably between the two for riders who want the full coastline without the structure of a led tour.