Wooler Cycle Hub

The Cheviot Hills and Wooler from Weetwood Bank

Cycle 8000 Years of Glendale History

The Wooler Cycle Hub Project is a pilot project for Market Towns in Northumberland, it's being developed from Oct 2009 to Mar 2011 under the auspices of the Market Town Welcome Programme in association with the Glendale Gateway Trust and other partners. It will be live for April 2011. The project aims to develop Wooler into a cycle-friendly town with a series of circular routes available of different lengths starting and finishing in the town centre which incorporate a variety of visitor attractions, refreshment stops, and always beautiful scenery. For more information about the project please visit www.northumberlandcyclehubs.co.uk.

Glendale's Quiet Country Lanes

Cycle hire is available at Haugh Head Garage (1 mile south of town). Please contact Michael Strangeways, telephone: 01668 281316. Ron’s Taxi Service can transport cycles around the Glendale area. Please contact Ron Hood, telephone: 01668 281281 or 07778 543907.

Glendale Heritage Ride

A circular cycle ride on quiet country roads for all ages.  Starting and ending in Wooler, the ride provides breath-taking views of the high Cheviot Hills and visits historic sites ranging from the mysterious 5000 year old cup and ring marks carved into the sandstone bedrock at Weetwood to the sumptuous 15th century alabaster monument of Sir Ralph Grey and his wife at the Grade I listed Chillingham church.

The ride is 23 miles long and is of moderate difficulty with a few short strenuous stretches.  Estimated riding time at a moderate pace is about 3 hours.  Allow 5-5½ hours for the entire trip to include stops to explore the heritage sites, admire the views and take photographs, and to enjoy a delicious pub lunch at the Percy Arms in Chatton.

To download a folding leaflet containing strip maps of the route, commentaries about key places on the route, and contact/general information, please click on the following link  Glendale Heritage Ride leaflet.  The leaflet will open as a pdf file.  You will need to print it on both sides of an A4 sheet and then fold twice to create the leaflet.

Link to Google map: Glendale Heritage Ride

Etal Family Ride

A family day out full of activity and entertainment, this cycle ride starts at Wooler and follows quiet country roads, woods and historic rural villages to Ford & Etal Estates.  At Etal take in some of the attractions on the Estates before riding back to Wooler via Fenton and Doddington. 

Distance:  approx 22 miles
Estimated duration: approx 3 hours riding time
Level: easy
Stops at historic sites en route.

Arriving at Etal, take the time to explore picturesque Etal Village, home to the only thatched pub in Northumberland. 

To download a folding leaflet containing strip maps of the route, commentaries about key places on the route, and contact/general information, please click on the following link  Etal Family Ride leaflet.  The leaflet will open as a pdf file.  You will need to print it on both sides of an A4 sheet and then fold twice to create the leaflet.

To see the route as a Google map click on the following link:
Etal Family Ride Route

For more information about the cycle ride and about Ford & Etal visit www.ford-and-etal.co.uk or telephone 01890 820338

How's the project managed and funded?

The ‘cycle hubs’ project is running till April 2011 in conjunction with the Glendale Gateway Trust (Wooler) and the Haltwhistle Partnership. Consultants on the project are from the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University. The project is funded through the Market Town Welcome Programme as part of the Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) by Northumberland County Council on behalf of ONE NorthEast. The Market Town Welcome Programme in Northumberland is helping key towns to achieve their full potential as tourist destinations and prioritise investment in improvements to the towns’ attractions and facilities.