With a northerly forecast, and an urge for a long ride, I dug into my virtual stock of DIY brevets and plotted a route that included most of my Highland Fling route to the Tyne Cycle tunnel (with a detour to check out the old railway path route - it's alright but a bit rough and busy and won't feature in the event), Shiremoor Waggonway, Seaton Burn and the A1 cyclepath past Stannington's palatial bus shelters to Morpeth. It started to hail. I stopped at a (less well-appointed) bus shelter to put my jacket on, and order my Costa via the app. By the time I'd fought my way through Morpeth's mad traffic, it was ready, and I spent probably ten seconds inside, which was the only time I went inside anywhere on the ride.
I had an extra loop out via Pigdon and back to Mitford and Tranwell, where it pissed down. And again after I'd rolled past Kingston Park and across the Town Moor into the city centre. I enjoyed riding down Grey Street, which really is one of the finest streets in the land, but I didn't stop to take any photos. And I think I'm finally getting the hang of Newcastle's cycle lanes, though the lads using the underpass on Dobson Street as a skate park presented a challenge.
Back over the Tyne, then (apart from a slight detour to Sacriston), it was pretty much the A167 all the way home. It's not a great deal of fun once you're past the Angel, but easy enough with a tailwind, and not horrendously busy even though I was an hour or two earlier than I'd expected to be.
Not a bad day out considering the amount of urban riding.