Gravel Rides Northumberland – Jordan Matthews

Turn R out of the car park and at the next junction ride SA through the picturesque village. Stock up on supplies at the village store if needed as there are limited options on route. Head across the bridge over the River Derwent. Prepare yourself and your gear choice for the steep kick out of Blanchland. Continue SA on the B6306 for the longest road section of the route, to Pow Hill Country Park, around 5.8km (3.6 miles) into the ride.

Turn L off the B6306, signposted Pow Hill Country Park, down a steep descent. Durham County Council advises that cyclists must be aware this route is shared with vehicles and should keep to the access road, observing the 10 mph speed limit. The road is narrow and the hill crest is a blind summit, with no paths on the road edge; please don’t cycle on the verge.

When you reach the bottom, enter the car park. Please dismount and walk through the pedestrian gate until you are on the Derwent Reservoir multi-user path to help avoid congestion around the gate/car park area. Gravel at last, and your first up-close view of the reservoir. You will really get a feel for how it can supply 28 million gallons of water every day to homes and industries in Weardale and South Tyneside.

Please ride with care along this path as it can get busy at weekends – sound your bell, and Be Nice, Say Hi! Continue along the multi-user path, over a small bridge and to a gate. Turn L on to a paved road. There is a public portaloo here if needed. This road turns into the dam wall and you pedal along this while getting expansive views of the reservoir.

Jordan Matthews has been riding and racing bikes in the North East all his life. He has devised hundreds of routes in the region, and has become something of an expert in gravel cycling in Northumberland and the North Pennines. There aren’t many roads, bridleways or tracks he hasn’t ridden in the area. He has worked in the bike industry since he was 16, as a bike builder in a shop, a mechanic at Recyke y’Bike, a cycling charity, and then for an adaptive cycling charity, working with people with disabilities.

In 2024, Jordan worked with a gravel cycling events company as events manager for the north of England and Scotland, organising and running over 20 events. Jordan is currently Cycling UK’s Cycling Development Officer for the North East region, working to get more people on their bikes through the Big Bike Revival and Community Cycling Club programmes.

In 2026, Jordan will take over the route coordination roles for the Sandstone Way and Reivers Off-Road route from Ted Liddle. His writing has appeared in Cycle magazine and he contributed routes and advice to Huw Hennessy’s book Cycling in Northumbria (Bradt, 2023). Gravel Rides Northumberland is his first book. OceanofPDF.com GRAVEL RIDES NORTHUMBERLAND 15 gravel bike adventures in North East England First published in 2026 by Vertebrate Publishing.

Vertebrate Publishing Omega Court, 352 Cemetery Road, Sheffield S11 8FT, United Kingdom. www.adventurebooks.com Copyright © 2026 Jordan Matthews and Vertebrate Publishing Ltd. Jordan Matthews has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as author of this work. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-83981-285-9 (Paperback) ISBN 978-1-83981-286-6 (Ebook) All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanised, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of the publisher.

Front cover Lakeside Way, Kielder (route 09). © Phil Thomas Photography by Jordan Matthews unless otherwise credited. All maps reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of His Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright. AC0000809882. Every effort has been made to achieve accuracy of the information in this guidebook. The authors, publishers and copyright owners can take no responsibility for: loss or injury (including fatal) to persons; loss or damage to property or equipment; trespass, irresponsible behaviour or any other mishap that may be suffered as a result of following the route descriptions or advice offered in this guidebook.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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