The conventional way to travel from Newcastle upon Tyne to Ingram Valley would be by car. The distance is around 40 miles and takes about an hour on a good run. The drive involves leaving a busy Newcastle in slow moving traffic, travelling up the busy A1 with all the traffic heading north to Scotland, before joining the A697 for the rest of the way.
In contrast, commuting to Ingram via public transport opens up a completely different commute, a slower, leisurely pace that allows time to look at my surroundings, to read and to contemplate. To start my journey, I caught the early LNER train at 7.11am from Newcastle to Alnmouth with my bike. This only cost me £5.10 and took 25 minutes. From Alnmouth to Ingram I cycled the remaining 30 km. My bike is a trusty, bright blue, vintage 1990s Graham Weigh Road bike, a name only known to road racing aficionados of North Wales.
There are two possible ways to get to Ingram from Alnmouth. The first route avoids cycling on the slightly too busy B6341 out of Alnwick. This route undulates with some steep climbs which make me regret the high gearing on my road bike! I cross the A1 and am thankful I’m out in the open air rather than one of the cars driving at speed heading north or south. I passed through a couple of hamlets with only a few houses. There was an interesting chapel at Bolton which has an ancient history.
I stopped to look around the outside. The first wooden chapel was probably built in the 900’s and it is first mentioned in historical records in 1175. The sturdily built rectangular chapel hides many a story of royal visits, marauding reivers, and armies advancing on Scotland. At Powburn, I stopped at the petrol station, the only services en route for a caffeine hit as I had missed my early morning coffee. Beware of sharp stones coming up to the River Breamish. I sadly punctured but was thankful it was the front wheel rather than the back as it’s always easier to fix.
Twenty minutes later I was on my way again crossing the river by a narrow a concrete footbridge. After my puncture I didn’t feel confident enough to brave the ford admittedly only ankle deep, but sharp stones could lurk under the surface. There is a restoration project underway to restore the River Breamish to its original course. The restoration aims to improve freshwater habitats, increase biodiversity and mitigate flood risk. The BBC even wrote an interesting article further explain this project. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2498vqq194o I cycled past the Breamish campsite popular with caravans and campervans before arriving at Ingram.
Map from Strava
The alternate route that can be cycled between Alnmouth train station and Ingram goes via Alnwick. This route is slightly faster but does involve cycling along the B6341 into Alnwick. This road is slightly busier and aster with cars traveling at 60mph. Although the road is wide with a far view ahead and I had no issues. The route starts by going back the way I came through Powburn before heading up to Glanton and then on to Bolton.
The road into Alnwick is downhill so I flew down into the town centre, my eyes streaming in the wind. Once in Alnwick I headed towards the Bondgate tower. This is a surviving structure of the town’s original 15th century walls, and yet still seamlessly integrates into the town. I resisted the temptation to stop at the famous Barter second-hand bookshop, which is home to one of the largest collections of second handbooks in the UK. Books are neatly housed within a Victorian railway station and worth a visit if you have the time to stop and linger. Once past Barter books on the outskirts of Alnwick is the Aln Valley Heritage railway. Unfortunately, it was closed when I passed by, but the railway is still in operation and ferries passengers up and down a single track.
The cycle path follows the line towards Alnmouth so if timed correctly you may be able to travel alongside the locomotives and try and race them! I left the cycle path at Green Rigg halt station and continued by road to Alnmouth station which is a mile outside the village.
Map from Strava
So why bother to spend a whole day getting somewhere when you could get there and back in a morning. The evidence of global warming is now all around us in our everyday lives from flash flooding to hosepipe bans. Domestic transport is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK which contributes to global warming. This needs to be tackled, and I believe we need a paradigm shift away from personal mobility. If everyone changed one of their journeys each week to public transport or active travel it would make a significant difference.
Of course there are other reasons. It’s good for health and mental wellbeing. Being outside in the open air gives you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the landscape. On my ride from Alnmouth to Ingram, the route unfolded through gently rolling countryside, tangled hedgerows, and far-reaching views, details that are easily missed from a car.
Overall, the commute to Ingram was definitely harder than driving but was far more rewarding. When the weather is with you and you find yourself with some time, in a world that is always moving at breakneck speed, slow down and take the long way round.
