Coast to Coast Mountain Biking trip from Whitehaven to Scarborough over 3 days
"The Crossing" event, organised by events company Rat Race, takes cyclists 200 miles over 3 days from Whitehaven on the west coast of Cumbria to Scarborough on the east coast of Yorkshire. That's over 60 miles (100km) per day taking in each of the three northern national parks - the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors. Fully supported and way marked, the ride takes in stunning tracks sampling some of the UK's finest mountain biking and beautiful scenery.
The Crossing was my first multi-day mountain biking adventure and I really didn't know what to expect. I knew it would be exciting yet challenging and this proved to be true - I'd say that 1 mile on a mountain bike is equivalent to at least 2 on the road - but the exhilarating descents and stunning views and scenery make it all worthwhile.
I stayed at a nearby B&B the night before the start, having travelled up from London, which worked well. Shortly before registration closes on the morning of the start, the quayside at Whitehaven is awash with last-minute activity, which adds to the building atmosphere ahead of the starting gun. After a few miles of tarmac, day 1 is spent working up to and then over the ominously rising hills of the Lake District. Things start getting interesting on the first climb and I have to zigzag through stalling riders weaving all over the rocky farm track, but as the day goes on riders disperse and over-crowding becomes less of an issue.
The event was very well organised. When we arrived at the finish point each day, the campsite was always ready set-up, food prepared and drinks on tap (not included in the price of the trip). I found all the other cyclists to be friendly and staff enthusiastic and helpful. You get to know the people who ride at roughly the same pace as you and more and more faces start becoming familiar after the first couple of days. It was good to chat to others and find that everyone was finding it equally as tough.
After a slightly more forgiving 7am start on day 2 we climbed up and over the limestone moors in glorious sunshine. Be sure to top up the water bottles in the morning and at the lunch stop on this day as the long stretches without water breaks can quickly lead to dehydration. Not long into the final day the North Yorkshire Moors greet us with a steep scarp up into Boltby Forest, onto the top of the moors. Definitely have the insect repellent handy on this day as the slippy, narrow tracks that reduced our group to walking pace make riders easy targets for the forest's midgee population. The finish on the final day is along the Scarborough promenade, where supporters (accompanied by what seemed to be a decent number of friendly locals) cheered us home.
My top tips if you're looking to sign up:
- Get some cycling specific training in before the event and ideally hunt down some steep hills. As more of a runner than a cyclist, there were a few occasions when I felt this would have left me better prepared.
- It doesn't have to be mega expensive, but it's best to tackle the course with a reasonably high end bike, disk brakes are a must and a light bike is very beneficial for the sections where almost everyone has to walk and carry their bike. I chose to buy a £200 entry level hard tail bike on the basis that the rental cost of a 'professional' bike for the three days looked steep, but my recommendation would be to hire a good quality bike for the three days or buy a mid-high end bike if you think you'll get enough use out of it after the event. The bikes are put through a fair bit of rough and tumble over the 3 days, so it's worth having the right kit.
- Make sure you top up water bottles and/or Camelbak's at the start of the day and at lunch times. Due to the nature of the route there are some days where there are no other 'interim' water stops or shops nearby where you can buy it. There was one occasion where I ran dry sooner than I would have liked, so just make sure you don't leave yourself dehydrated.
Overall, a fantastic event offering some of the finest MTB trails in the UK, challenging climbs, great camaraderie with likeminded cyclists, stunning views and a great sense of achievement at the finish. Not to be taken lightly, but definitely recommended.
