The best cycling routes around Featherstone

Well, we got here nearly at the end of our Hadrian's Wall hike for the day and had a bit of bad luck. Fancy turning up at one of the best Roman forts on Hadrian's Wall to be told it was closed because the wind was too strong and it might blow us off the wall. A place to come back to.

A short loop bike ride on my Engwe EP-2 3.0 Boost from my home in Haltwhistle, through Plenmeller, up over the top of Coalpit Sike, with beautiful views over the surrounding countryside, along the wonderfully named Clattering Causeway, past Coanwood, Rowfoot and Park Village to pick up the course of the old railway line between Alston and Haltwhistle and back home. The weather was overcast and looked threatening when I left, but cleared up halfway round, and I had bright sunshine for the second half of the ride. A lovely bike ride, and despite a fairly tough gradient at the start (and some fairly strong wind!) once at the top it was fairly easy going the rest of the way.

National Cycle Route 72, or Hadrian's Cycleway, passes through Stanegate here. Stanegate was a strategic Roman border road in Northern England, constructed around 77–85 AD under Governor Agricola—decades before Hadrian's Wall. The name "Stanegate" comes from Old English and literally means "stone road." Stanegate runs through the valleys of the River Tyne and River Irthing and is approximately 61 km long. It served as a military corridor leading to Hadrian's Wall and, from around 87 AD, became the de facto northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain.

closed at present due to structural failure

Hexham Abbey is one of England's oldest and most impressive churches. The abbey was originally founded in 674 AD by St. Wilfrid, using stones from nearby Roman ruins. The oldest part—the Saxon crypt—is still intact and represents a rare remnant of early Christian architecture. Inside, you'll find stained glass, the Roman tombstone of Flavinus, a 1st-century standard-bearer, an impressive Phelps organ from 1974, and a frith stool (Saxon bishop's chair). Admission to the abbey is free, with a small charge for the crypt.

Warden Bridge is an elegant stone arch bridge spanning the River South Tyne. The current bridge was built in 1903 and replaced an earlier chain bridge dating from 1826, which collapsed under the weight of a steam threshing machine in 1877. The structure consists of two stone arches with one pier suspended in the water. On the south side, the old tollhouse still stands, a reminder of the days when you had to pay to cross the bridge.

National Cycle Route 72, or Hadrian's Cycleway, passes through Stanegate here. Stanegate was a strategic Roman border road in Northern England, constructed around 77–85 AD under Governor Agricola—decades before Hadrian's Wall. The name "Stanegate" comes from Old English and literally means "stone road." Stanegate runs through the valleys of the River Tyne and River Irthing and is approximately 61 km long. It served as a military corridor leading to Hadrian's Wall and, from around 87 AD, became the de facto northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain.

National Cycle Route 72, or Hadrian's Cycleway, passes through Stanegate here. Stanegate was a strategic Roman border road in Northern England, constructed around 77–85 AD under Governor Agricola—decades before Hadrian's Wall. The name "Stanegate" comes from Old English and literally means "stone road." Stanegate runs through the valleys of the River Tyne and River Irthing and is approximately 61 km long. It served as a military corridor leading to Hadrian's Wall and, from around 87 AD, became the de facto northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain.