- START GR 190631 Car Park for Blaydon shopping Centre.
- Turn right out of the car park and ride through Blaydon high street. At the roundabout take the A695 towards Stella for 100m. Just after the petrol station fork right down a track. At the bottom turn left under the arched bridge and the main road to enter Blaydon Burn.
- Follow the track climbing gently for 1.5km until it exits onto a minor road. Turn left and climb to Long ridge Road after 150m. (166623). Climb steeply up past various houses. Just after the high point fork left onto a track which passes old-
mine workings and leads to a road at (148620) - Turn right. After 300m there is a former railway bridge. Carry your bike up the left hand side onto a disused railway track. This is narrow at first but is surfaced later on before exiting at a short track right leading to Greenside (139621)
- Cross the main road and fork right up Rockwood Hill Road. Turn first left 350m after the top of the hill to meet Lead Road at (127610). Turn right then left again after 250m. Descend then climb steeply to emerge by a golf club at (125596). Turn right and swoop down the road to Chopwell. When you reach the terrace houses on the left, turn left keeping above them to join a track heading due east to Chopwell Woods (difficult to find the start but well defined later).
- Keep on the track through Chopwell woods past a railway truck!. Keep straight on when the track narrows and deteriorates before exiting at a new housing development (139597). Turn right at the end to the B6315. Turn right then immediately left. After 300m turn right down a steep narrow road. At the bottom of a dip turn left through a barrier onto a forest track. Enjoy a rollicking descent. At the end of the track turn right and push up to a singletrack which leads to the A694 at (167587).
- Cross the road and join the C2C route and follow this to Blaydon RFC. (200621). Turn left past the club-
house to a roundabout. Cross over and follow the B6317, turning left at the church back to the car park in Blaydon.
OS Landranger Map 88—Tyneside
Some good riding in Chopwell Woods and Rowlands Gill linked with minor roads and tracks
Blaydon Burn & Chopwell Woods -
The site for off-
Cyclopaths
Home page