If you want B and B and a good meal I'd recommend The Royal oak in Great Ayton. Tan Hill Inn is also fantastic (well, an experience!) - highest in England. you can B+B or camp. Both are on the W2W.

Thanks again guys,

B+B will be required half way between Carlisle and Whitby. Any ideas?
There ain't a YHA near.

I'll start booking stuff today, but I know when I was last booking Carlisle YHA I had difficulty, so It may not be Carlisle as a stop. I'll be getting back to the mainland at Ardrossan from Arran, from there I want to make my way through SW Scotland. Carlisle looks like a good stop. We'll see.

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Mick F Cornwall

The Carlisle YH is only open from July to September.

One idea is to head for Birdoswald YH on the Roman Wall, then the next day head for Grindon YH in Reeth and still reach Whitby in a day. Mileage from Birdoswald to Grindon about 60 miles and to Whitby about the same.

You can still get on the A689 if you go to Greenhead (another hostel there) then head south to Lambley then to Barnard Castle. From here you again keep south crossing the A66, to the Stang, Langthwaite, Reeth and Grindon YH is 2 miles from there. Then you are talking 50/60 miles to Whitby.

Brill!

Much to contemplate! Thank you.
I like the idea of a pub! Found the place on my atlas.

Regards,
Mick

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Mick F Cornwall

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Mick F Cornwall

Sorry the error and shame about not staying at Tan Hill, but Grinton hostel is a good popular hostel with coast to coast walkers.

I've been looking at your given route, just a bit puzzled. That you want to have a drink in Tan Hill if you cycled into Barnard Castle, meaning a detour adding more miles on to route. If you really wanted to see Tan Hill, which worth seeing and a drink, also highest Inn in England. You could cycle to Middleton in Teesdale, take B6267 to Brough via Grains o' th' Beck. Then take a minor road to Barras and to Tan Hill Inn and so on through Arkengarthdale. There is another route, that you could do, is to Bowes via Lartington. Then take the track from Sleightholme Farm, this is part of the Pennine Way and 2.5 miles long and is also on the Walney to Wear/Whitby route. This will however leave Barnard Castle out, which is nice market town.

Anyway the Grains o th' Beck is a nice road that I've done the other year from Baldersdale hostel and is a lonely road like a lot of the North Pennine roads are.

So to muster it up, is either miss out on Barnard Castle or Tan Hill. Tough choice.

On me holidays in a couple of weeks, got a week to play with. I'm thinking of North Pennines/York Moors route, probably head to Bishop Auckland, Hamsterley, Barnard Castle, over Sleightholme Moor to Tan Hill for camp there. Next day head to Kirkby Stephen, Appleby-in- Westmorland, Langwathby, Hartside, Alston, Nenthead for 2nd camp. Next day take B6277 over Yad Moss for a fast descent to Middleton-in-Teesdale, Staindrop, B6274 to Richmond, Ingleby Cross for camp. The next day head to Hutton Rudby to pick up W2W for Whitby.

My route is now, after much discussion and thought:
Kendoon SYHA via Dumfries and Annan to Gretna and Longtown and down to Birdoswald YHA.

From there its down through Alston, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Barnard Castle to Grinton YHA. The option is there to take a slightly different rout to visit the Tan Hill Inn.

From Grinton it's make my way east through Richmond, Scourton, Northalerton, cross the A1044 aiming for Kirkby, Battersby and eskdale to Whitby.

I'm having a day off in Whitby at Mrs Mick F's insistence!

Then try to climb Rosedale Chimney, down to Kirkby Moorside, down Sutton Bank (and maybe go back up!) then Thirsk and Ripon to Pateley Bridge. I'll try and get a B+B there.

Then Greenhow Hill, Grassington and Arncliffe to Settle and Slaidburn. Then Cow Ark to Goosnargh, down the A6 to Preston.

Hows that?

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Mick F Cornwall