Although we did the ride in 3 days we spent the night in Whitehaven so we were fresh and rearing to go first thing in the morning, hence the reason we booked into 4 guesthouses. We found all our accommodation from the official site, although this is not an exhaustive list as there are literally hundreds of options along the route. It is not always essential to book in advance however we found that it took a little stress out of the day knowing you had a guaranteed warm bed that night. The down side to this however is that you are committed to how far you have to ride each day.

The beauty of the Internet is that most guesthouses have their own web sites and also the facility to book on-line.

We enjoyed all our guesthouses and would have no hesitation in recommending them to any other C2Cers.

Whitehaven
The Glenlea Guest House run by Mr & Mrs C. Oliver
Stanford Hill, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 6PS
tel : 01946 693873
fax: 01946 694350
e-mail : sea386@aol.com

rooms .... 4 double=twin, 4 single, 2 family, 9 en-suite
months open .... all year
B & B .... £19.50
evening meal .... on request only
packed lunch .... £4.50
secure cycle parking
distance from route: on route
pub: there is a bar on the premises or just a 5 minute walk

A quiet B&B on the outskirts of Whitehaven, our bikes where soaking wet (they had been on the back of the car for several hours in the pouring rain) yet the owners insisted on us bringing them into the dining area to dry off and leave overnight ! The bar meant we were able to enjoy a nightcap without getting wet going into town. A typical full English breakfast ensured we were fit for the very wet day ahead.


Penrith
Roundthorn Country House run by Mr. Graham Carruthers
Beacon Edge, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 85J
tel : 01768 863952
fax : 01768 864100
e-mail : enquiries@roundthorn.co.uk

rooms .... 8 double - 2 twin - all en-suite
months open .... all year
B & B .... from £27.50 p.p.
evening meal .... snack menu
packed lunch .... £4.00
secure cycle parking
distance from route: on route
pub: licensed bar on premises

A magnificent Grade II listed Georgian mansion set in landscaped gardens overlooking the Eden Valley, Pennines and Lakeland fells. This was the perfect tonic after a very wet first days riding. The restaurant & bar were luxurious unfortunately we were too tired to take full advantage of them, as an early night was the order of the day. The staff were very helpful with locking our bikes up in the garages and taking our wet clothes to be dried in the boiler room. Once again the excellent breakfast helped us prepare for another very wet day of cycling.


Rookhope
High Brandon Bed & Breakfast run by Janette and Tony Newbon
Rookhope in Weardale, Co. Durham DL13 2AF
tel : 01388 517673
e-mail : highbrandonbb@aol.com

rooms .... 1 family - 1 double - 1 twin - all en-suite
months open .... all year
B & B .... £18.00 (special rate for C2C'ers)
evening meal .... by request
packed lunch .... £3.50
secure cycle parking
distance from route: on route
pub: 2 miles at Eastgate - we will give you a lift to the pub if you wish

A beautiful Farmhouse situated directly on the C2C route; this was easily our favourite accommodation. We arrived later than expected (due to a burst tyre) only to be met at the door by our hosts with the offer of a pot of tea & biscuits while we put our bikes away in the garage. The level of hospitality remained this high throughout our stay, whilst they have no bar they were happy to run us to the local pub & reserved us a table in the restaurant. They also booked us a taxi to pick us up later on. The breakfast was of the now expected high standard and after a long chat about football; cricket, tourism and a tour round the farmhouse we left almost feeling part of the family.


We made a vow to return to the High Brandon be it on another C2C trip or just on holiday. They quite rightly deserve their 4-diamond rating.


Sunderland

April Guest House run by Gary & Yvonne Hunter
12, St Georges Terrace, Roker, Sunderland SR6 9LX
tel : 0191 5659550
fax : 0191 5659550
e-mail : gary@aprilguesthouse.com

rooms .... 1 double - 4 twin - 1 family - 6 en-suite
months open .... All year
B & B .... £19.00
secure cycle parking
distance from route: on route
pub: 50 yards

After the joy of completing the C2C this was a lovely place to stay, a luxurious family run guesthouse providing excellent service. During breakfast the conversation with our hosts turned to football (one of the best subjects for talking to strangers) and similarly to High Brandon we were not pressurised into leaving and stayed well passed the normal check out time drinking tea & coffee in to kitchen.