Cycling The Reivers Route

The Reivers Route (NCN 10) is one of the quieter and lesser-known of the northern coast-to-coast cycle routes, crossing 280km (173 miles) of Northumberland border country from Whitehaven to Tynemouth. Passing through the northern Lake District, Kielder Forest and Northumberland National Park, it takes in some of the emptiest and most historically rich countryside in England.

This comprehensive guidebook by Rachel Crolla and Carl McKeating covers the full Reivers Route in four stages, alongside an alternative 241km (150 mile) Borderers Ride from Gretna to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Suitable for both first-time and experienced cyclists, both routes are described from west to east, with a summary for those riding in the opposite direction.

• The Reivers Route is presented as a 4-day itinerary with daily stages of 55 to 82km (34 to 51 miles), with overnight stops at Carlisle, Bailey Mill and Bellingham
• The alternative Borderers Ride covers 241km (150 miles) from Gretna to Berwick-upon-Tweed, passing through Liddesdale, Hermitage Castle and Wooler with the option to visit the Holy Island of Lindisfarne
• Highlights along the Reivers Route include Whitehaven harbour, Carlisle Castle, the 13th-century Bewcastle Cross, Kielder Water sculptures, the Devil's Causeway and Tynemouth Castle
• Both routes are suitable for touring or hybrid bikes, with on and off-road sections throughout; road alternatives are provided, and 1:100,000 mapping and profiles are included for each stage
• A practical introduction covers getting there and back, accommodation, what kind of bike, equipment, carrying gear and signage, alongside appendices covering accommodation, bike shops and useful contacts

A thorough and well-researched guide to a quiet, historically rich coast-to-coast route through some of the emptiest countryside in northern England. The Reivers Route is ideal for those seeking a quieter alternative to Hadrian's Cycleway. 

Rachel Crolla is an outdoors all-rounder who loves hiking, biking, scrambling and climbing. She grew up in Yorkshire, where she still lives with her partner Carl McKeating and their young family. Rachel is an outdoors writer and photographer who is also trained as a journalist and teacher. She has hiked and climbed across the UK, Europe and the USA. In 2007 Rachel became the first woman to reach the summit of every country in Europe – she co-wrote the Cicerone guide book Europe’s High Points soon afterwards. Rachel has since co-written a guide to the mountains of the Massif Central in France and more recently has enjoyed writing about areas in the UK. She and Carl fully updated the Cicerone guide book Scrambles in Snowdonia, which was originally written by Steve Ashton in 1980. Rachel’s first cycling guide to the Yorkshire and Lancashire-based Way of the Roses was published in 2018. Rachel and Carl are passionate about enthusing the next generation of hikers and cyclists with a love of the outdoors.

Carl McKeating is from Yorkshire. He is the co-author with Rachel Crolla of the books Europe’s High Points and Walking in the Auvergne published by Cicerone. Carl has also worked on the Yorkshire Gritstone: Volume 2 climbing guide for the YMC (2014) and is the co-updater with Rachel Crolla of Steve Ashton’s classic Scrambles in Snowdonia (Cicerone, 2017). A rock climbing and mountaineering enthusiast, in addition to ascending all of Europe’s national high points, in 2010 he completed a long-standing ambition to climb all the routes in Ken Wilson’s Classic Rock which he followed with a three month climbing and mountaineering tour of America. Inspired by Rachel Crolla’s work on a guide to the Way of the Roses cycling route, Carl has recently rediscovered his love of cycling. He loves playing football and guitar – both of which he does badly. A qualified English teacher, in 2014 Carl started work on a doctorate about Mont Blanc in British Culture. Carl and Rachel are passionate about enthusing the next generation of hikers and cyclists with a love of the outdoors.