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This August Bank Holiday Saturday at 7am after dipping rear wheels in the North Sea we will be setting off from Tynemouth on our bikes. We will cycle 85 miles and ascending 5,400ft across the Pennines with the aim to reach Greystoke (near Penrith) in time for tea and I imagine a well deserved beer.

We will then set off again on the Sunday and head out to Whitehaven on the West Coast which will involve travelling through the heart of the Lake District, dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and then set off to return to Greystoke. This leg is 75 miles and will have us ascending another 5,900ft.

Then on Bank Holiday Monday when you are all sleeping off your hangovers and enjoying a nice day off we will be leaving Greystoke at 7am again to make the return 85 mile journey to Tynemouth and the North Sea!

All in (if it goes to plan) we will have covered 245 miles and totalled over 16,000ft of ascent...not bad for a 3 day break!

Why are we doing it...

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team (NNPMRT) are a voluntary organisation who provide a search and rescue service covering approx. 3000sq miles of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Sunderland/Washington.

NNPMRT is a registered charity who relies entirely on the generosity of the public and other organisations for donations and funding. The team are available and can be called out 24hours per day and 365 days per year.

Aside from the obvious hills, crags and moorland you may be wondering why some of these areas require a Mountain Rescue team? Do you remember the recent flooding that affected so many, and do you remember seeing the rescuers wading through the water and in boats taking people to safety? Chances are you were looking at some MRT members. Alongside the Fire Rescue Service and other organisations Mountain Rescue personnel train for and deploy to such incidents. Also you will have seen News items about missing persons, again this may not be in the hills but MRT expertise in search management and searching terrain such as riverbanks, woodland and open ground is invaluable to the Police.

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