Walney to Wear & Whitby (W2W)
Route: Walney Island to Sunderland or Whitby
Distance: 151 miles to Sunderland, 171 miles to Whitby
This 151 mile challenge route links Walney Island, just outside Barrow-in-Furness on the south western tip of Cumbria's Irish Sea coast, with the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea coast following Regional Route 20. Between these end points, the route traverses the Lake District Peninsulas, South Cumbria's Low Fells and the Lune Gorge, the Orton Fells, the Eden Valley and North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the Land of the Prince Bishops with its historic city of Durham. At Barnard Castle the route splits and you can instead follow Regional Route 52 to Whitby via the Esk Valley through the North York Moors.
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It runs mainly on country lanes and quiet roads across hilly North Country terrain (steep in places), interspersed with sections of shared-use path and tracks. There are railway stations at either end and at other locations along the way - getting to and from the route by train is highly recommended.
Regional Route 20 between Walney Island and Sunderland is covered on:
RPN10 Walney to Wear Cycle Route Map
Regional Route 52 between Barnard Castle and Whitby is covered on:
NN65A Yorkshire Moors and Coast Cycle Route Map
To cover the route between Walney Island and Whitby we sell a pack containing both maps: NNP05 Walney to Whitby Pack
Detailed route information is available online via the W2W website.
This route links with or crosses the Hadrian's Cycleway, Sea to Sea (C2C), White Rose Cycle Route, Pennine Cycleway (South Pennines) and the Three Rivers.