{"id":2035,"date":"2023-02-26T18:44:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T18:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sloeburn.co.uk\/?p=2035"},"modified":"2023-02-26T18:46:18","modified_gmt":"2023-02-26T18:46:18","slug":"durham-and-northumberland-not-quite-200-km","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sloeburn.co.uk\/?p=2035","title":{"rendered":"Durham and Northumberland not quite 200 km"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

09\/04\/22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was ready for a 200 km. Just not this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing route; beautiful scenery and very quiet roads. But the wages of scenery are hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I fixed a puncture in light snow and fading light in my way up Swinhope Head, then descended to Middleton in the dark with a flickering headlight. It’s only about 40 km back to Darlo, but I was done. A stop at the Co-op and phone calls to a few taxi companies, all but one refused to take a bike and that one wouldn’t be available for ages, so I tried one of the hotels\/bars in town and was delighted when they found me a room, and also let me leave my bike in the cellar overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following morning was sunny and I had a nice ride back via<\/em> a much needed cooked breakfast in Barnard Castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n