Sadly, I'm inclined to agree. I rode it some years ago and it was horrible in places, especially from Consett onwards. I ended up giving up on the 'official' route and took to the roads instead. I think this is a fab idea but I'd advise planning a road-only (or at least mainly) route rather than using the Sustrans one.
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Yeah roads and after Consett,
I did see a small handful of early morning joggers/dog walkers/cyclists at the
start...
I guess lucky with a 6 am start.. from then 'Empty Roads
Only a couple kms 'down-hill' rough stuff, and has been made optional