Tandem 2024 - UK National Rally - Rally Information
Sorry fat fingers and hit send. So to continue. Once in Rides make sure you have the menu open on the left hand side. To do this click on the small box with lines on the left hand side, Now click on List Places on Map. This will bring up the map. On the left hand side are 5 letters, the bottom is L. This stands for Location. If you activate this (it will go green) then you will get a red dot as your location. As you Tandem about it will tell you how near you are to a point of interest be it that cafe or a castle or anything else. Go on try it, works on my mobile really nicely as we are touring Yorkshire at the moment
In regards rides and location. there is an even easier way to find places of interest. Login to your Tandem Club A
Sorry, try again. In regards rides and location, there is an even easier way. Login to the Tandem Club website. Under events look at the bottom tab NAVIGATE. Click this and the red dot will show your location and the places of interest close by, so you can see that I am typing this from a campsite near Ripon. This red dot will track your location, so you can easily see how close and where that cafe is, as each place of interest are marked exactly on the location. To move about the map diablee L
Apologies, not enough G’s to upload the screen print of my location and places of interest. However give this a go it’s very useful
Well it has uploaded, that’s all folks
On the Tandem Club Facebook page today. Just to let you all know, we found that the postcode shown on the Event home page (NE66 1BE) takes you to a residential street a little way away from the Rugby Club. You may be better off using the following what three words ///canal.obey.sprains.
A selection of items from the Club Shop will available in the marquee this evening.
If you haven't collected your badges yet, please do so today, as you will need to show them to claim your free coffee and cake at the Newbury House pub in Rothbury. You can collect them from Phil & Julie Harmer, in the Bailey caravan just up from the marquee.
Hi, Unfortunatley we will not arrive until Weds pm. How do we register, pick up any items that we need and collect our tops? .
I'd be really grateful for pictures from each day to add to Rides. It acts as the long term library of the rally. Yiu can send them to Neil@tandem-club.org.uk, via whats app to 07577 701230 or post them on facebook. It's critical though that they are labelled with the day and the length. Of course you can load them yourselves, where 5 are needed for each day. Thankyou in anticipation
Good news: we have 2 spare hoodies: an XL (46/48 inches) and a small (34/36 inches). If you would like to purchase either of these, they are available at £30, from Phil Harmer (next to the marquee).
Hi Phil is the small one still available ! Chris
Hi all, We are very honoured to have Andy Griffin to give us an illustrated talk on the history and function of Alnwick over the centuries. A perfect introduction to this castled town which has had many ups and downs. His talk will start at 7.30, tonight in the marquee and lasts an hour. A donation in cash to Andy's charity, a school in Uganda would be most appreciated. On Wednesday, a guided walk of the town starts, 10.30 at the market place and it's an hour's and a half led by the chair is civic society Peter Reed and Allan Mann. I will be still selling tickets in the marquee tonight with suggested donation to the society of £5 per adult, children free. First come first served. At 5pm a tour of the commonwealth war graves is offered at the cemetery giving an overview of dive of the most important people buried there. Again, it's first come first served and a donation of £5 will get you a book with proceeds going to Ukrainian refugees. I'll be the marquee setting tickets from 6.30. Any questions don't hesitate to speak to me. Thanks Ken
We found a great cafe in Amble yesterday, Coquet Team Rooms in
51-53 Queen St, Amble, NE65 0DA. Order before 11am, and their full english breakfast with tea or coffee is £10. Quality was excellent. Plentg of seating upstairs too.
Hi All, The roadworks that should have finished today (Thursday) will now still be going on tomorrow (Friday), which has forced us to change the Short, Medium and Long rides for Friday. They are re-surfacing the road, so squeezing by, seems improbable. You can download the updated GPX files from the Attendees Information webpage here: https://tandem-club.org.uk/events/tcn2024/info/info.html They are now each 4 miles longer, so they have new names to distinguish them from the old gpx files: 1058_Fr_S_40m_NorthWest.gpx 1059_Fr_M_50m_NorthWest.gpx 1060_Fr_L_74m_NorthWest.gpx We have not updated the turn-by-turn instructions on the website, but Margaret has written out the updates and you can find them in the marquee. Regards, Margaret, Doug & Phil
Found: a Tilley airflow hat in grey, size 7 3/4. Collect from Phil Harmer, next to the marquee
If you have not yet signed the cards for the organisers, they are with Phil Harmer, next to the marquee
Has anyone found a small diamond cross 15mm on fine gold box link chain? Please call Jill Gray on 07779 059006
Fork with grey plastic handle found near fresh water tap. Left on top of tap ( in case it’s from the other rally.
General Rally Information
Directions
Arriving from the south on the A1, take the 1st exit to Alnwick (A1068). At the roundabout, take the 1st exit (left), signposted Willowburn Centre & Retail Park, Greensfield Industrial Estate. At the next roundabout take the 2nd exit (straight on) towards Greensfield Industrial Estate. Turn left immediately after Tustain Motors car dealership (there is a blue Alnwick RFC sign).
Arriving from the north on the A1, ignore the 1st exit to Alnwick (B1340), instead take the 2nd exit to Alnwick, Alnmouth, Ashington (A1068). After going under the A1, at the roundabout take the 2nd exit (straight on), signposted Willowburn Centre & Retail Park, Greensfield Industrial Estate. At the next roundabout take the 2nd exit (straight on) towards Greensfield Industrial Estate. Turn left immediately after Tustain Motors car dealership (there is a blue Alnwick RFC sign).
Arrival
You may arrive from 9am onwards on the Saturday.
When you arrive, please go to the marquee to register and to be directed to a pitch.
Departure
We strongly recommend that you depart by 11am on Saturday. There is a rugby match ar 2pm, and the car park/access will get tricky from 11.
The latest you may depart is midday.
Parking for people off-site
If you are staying off-site, you may park your car at the rugby club during the day.
Charging Station
Due to lack of electric hook-ups, we are providing a mega charging station in the marquee. This can be used to charge devices, e-bike batteries (please think of others and stop charging at 90% - this should be enough for each day’s riding and charging slows down dramatically after 90%).
Fridges / Freezers
In the marquee there will be 2 small table top fridges for milk only!! (there will not be room for anything else).
There will also be a 4-drawer freezer, with labels and a pen so you can bring your own ice packs and help you to keep things cold.
Entertainment
Organised Events
For Monday's short, medium and long rides, we have arranged a free coffee'n'cake stop at the Newcastle House pub/hotel (NE65 7UT) in Rothbury, between 10am and noon. You will need to show your rally badge to claim your coffee and cake.
| Day | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 10th | Welcome drinks 7pm Marquee | Official opening of the rally by Alnwick’s town mayor. Please arrive from 6:45pm onwards. Please bring a glass. Rugby club bar open tonight 😊 |
| Sun 11th | Barter Books 7pm - 8pm | One of the largest second hand book stores in Britain. The manager has offered to do a tour of the shop (which was Alnwick’s railway station) for the Tandem Club. Entrance from 7pm. If you wish to join guided tour, collect tickets from Audrey and Ken at the front door of Barter Books at 6:50pm. |
| Mon 12th | Bailiffgate Museum 6:30pm – 8:30pm | Evening at the Bailiffgate Museum https://bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/ Book online (10% discount) or pay on the night. Online bookings are preferable as it gives the museum reassurance that there will be enough of us to justify an evening opening just for us. At the online checkout, before adding your payment details add ‘Tandem Club’ to the optional ‘Order Notes’ field and then the museum will know that you are coming on the Monday night. - Adults : £6 ( £5.40 online) - Concessions i.e. those aged 65+, disabled persons, students over 16 and all young persons aged 16-24 : £5 (£4.50 online) - Children aged 5-16 : £1 (90p online) - Under 5s Free “Bailiffgate is an award-winning people’s museum, where fascinating stories of the past are told about Alnwick and District. The area has a very rich history because it was a centre of conflict between Scotland and England for many centuries. Two floors house our permanent collection of artefacts, documents, photographs and audio-visual content. On our third, Gallery floor are exhibitions which change throughout the year, and events for the whole family, so there's always something new to enjoy” Rugby club bar closed tonight ☹ |
| Tues 13th | Velocio 9am Marquee | This is a timed treasure hunt by tandem. Instructions and clues available at the marquee from 9am. |
| Tues 13th | Festival of Cycling 3pm Alnwick Market Place | From 3pm we kindly ask club members to visit the Alnwick market place with your tandem. The local town council have been very proactive and helpful regarding organising of this year’s rally and have organised a festival of cycling which will highlight the benefits of cycling in the town. The town council are in the process of arranging for the market place to be closed for traffic. This is a great opportunity to publicise the club, local media will be attending, including Lionheart Radio. |
| Tues 13th | Alnwick Civil Society talk. 7:30pm in the marquee | History of the town, Percy Family of Alnwick Castle and more. Illustrated talk by Andy Griffin. Cash donation on the night for a school in Uganda that Andy is linked with. Tickets for Wednesday’s Guided Tours at 10:30am and 5pm will be available tonight on a first come first served basis (cost is £5 per person). Rugby club bar open tonight 😊 |
| Weds 14th | Guided Tour 10:30am Guided Tour 5pm | The Alnwick Civic Society are offering two guided tours, one of the Town and the other of the cemetery and Commonwealth War Graves. |
| Weds 14th | Presentation 7:30pm Marquee | Tandem world adventurers Chris and Julia https://pedallinground.wordpress.com/ will give an illustrated talk about their trip, which was sadly cut short by covid. Rugby club bar closed tonight ☹ |
| Weds 14th | Quiz After presentation Marquee | A short quiz for teams of 6 people. Rugby club bar closed tonight ☹ |
| Thu 15th | Tandem Games 7:30pm | We are trying some new ideas this year, as we are based in the home of quidditch, we are asking if anyone has any witches’ hats, broomsticks, or cuddly toys (cats or owls) that we could borrow please contact us at tcn2024@tandem-club.org.uk Rugby club bar open tonight 😊 |
| Fri 16th | BBQ 6pm Ceilidh 7:30pm Marquee | There will be 3 BBQs which will be ready to cook on from 6pm. The ceilidh will be with The Border Directors from 7:30pm Rugby club bar open tonight 😊 |
Wednesday 14th Try-A-Tandem
The club is keen to introduce more people to tandeming, especially families. Tandems are a great way to introduce children to cycling and get the whole family out on the road together. So, we have organised a Try-a-Tandem day on Wednesday 14th at Alnwick Rugby Club. We intend that anyone who wants to have a go on a tandem, can have a try and see how they get on.
Can you please support the club by bringing a spare tandem with you? [especially child friendly ones!]
Wednesday 14th Rest Day
Here are some ideas for your rest day on Wednesday:
Why not visit Alnwick Castle or Garden or both? 10% off the price – with your rally badge.
https://www.alnwickcastle.com/en-gb/events/silly-history-boys
https://www.alnwickgarden.com/
You may also find the free Alnwick Attractions Bus handy: Alnwick Attraction Bus
You could also consider:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/cragside
https://www.moredirt.com/trail/United-Kingdom_North-East/Alnwick-Pump-Track/1741
In the Area
Banks
Barclays Bank: 20 Bondgate Within, Alnwick NE66 1TF Open 9.30-4.30 Mon-Fri ATM
Lloyds TSB : 24 Bondgate Within, Alnwick. NE66 1TQ. Tel. 08450 723333 – Cashpoint available.
Post Office
19 Market St, Alnwick NE66 1SS
Bike Shop
The Bike Shop
Willowburn Industrial Estate, Unit 4 Dean Court, Alnwick NE66 2PF
Shops / Outlets
Alnwick is a small town with an interesting collection of small shops in the town centre, including many cafés and restaurants. Alnwick Market is on Thurs and Saturday with a selection of local produce and arts and crafts and there is a Farmers Market once per month but not during the rally.
Supermarkets
The town is well supplied with supermarkets; Morrison’s near the town centre, an Aldi, a Lidl and two Co-op Stores.
There are 2 supermarkets very close to the Rugby Club:
Marks and Spencer Food Hall
Sainsbury's
Doctors
Bondgate Practice: Infirmary Close, Alnwick NE66 2NL (Tel: 01665 510 888 / 01665 656 000)
The Consulting Rooms: Infirmary Drive, Alnwick (Tel: 01665 602 388) NE66 2NR
Dentists
Alnwick Dental Surgery: Dr Alison Pass and Dr Paul Shenfine, 3 Bondgate Without, Alnwick NE66 1PY (Tel: 01665 602 151)
Bondgate Dental Practice: D H Miller, 41 Bondgate Within, Alnwick NE66 1SX (Tel: 01665 603 509)
S A Williamson and Associates: 15 Market Street, Alnwick NE66 1SS (Tel: 01665 602 178)
Nearest Hospitals
Alnwick Infirmary, Infirmary Drive, Alnwick NE66 2NS (Tel: 01665 602 661 and the general number: 0344-811-8111)
Includes a minor injuries unit.
Wansbeck General Hospital, Woodhorn Lane, Ashington NE66 9JJ
A district general hospital with an urgent care centre (open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week), full range of diagnostic testing, 8 wards and outpatient clinics covering a range of specialties.
Routes and Places of Interest Viewable and Downloadable
STOP PRESS:
The rides are now ready to be downloaded. We will note here if they are updated. Currently V1 20/07/2024
For the duration of the rally, these routes are exclusively for people who have paid the rally fee.
For all rides we advise:
• You are prepared to take your own food. As we are in the busier part of Northumberland, getting food in the local cafes may be difficult, either because it’s the height of tourist season or we had no options for café stops on route.
• Information about cafes can be found on the turn by turn direction sheets.
Overview of the tandeming
| Day | Direction | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 11th | North Coast | Rides along the dramatic and breath-taking north Northumberland coast. The long ride reaches Beal and the causeway to Holy Island. Safe crossing to Holy Island from 10:20 -18:15 |
| Mon 12th | West | A collection of hilly rides with the reward of extensive views toward the Simonside and Cheviot Hills |
| Tues 13th | Velocio | A timed treasure hunt. Instructions / clues available at the marquee from 9am. |
| Tues 13th | Festival of Cycling | 3pm Alnwick Market Place - bring your tandem |
| Weds 14th | Try-a-Tandem | Encouraging people, especially families, to try tandeming |
| Thu 15th | South Coast | Heading south along the coast, these rides go past Warkworth Castle and Hermitage. The medium and long rides also visit Morpeth, a beautiful historic market town. |
| Fri 16th | North West | Hilly, picturesque rides to the North West. All rides pass Chillingham Castle, renowned as the most haunted castle in England. |
Holy Island Crossing Times and Castle Opening Schedule
https://holyislandcrossingtimes.northumberland.gov.uk/
Handy summary of the rides
| Day | Direction | Length | ID | Name | Miles | Feet ^ | OS 75 | OS 80 | OS 81 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 11th | North Coast | Short | 1049 | Su_S_38m_NorthCoast | 38.2 | 1480 | X | X | |
| Sun 11th | North Coast | Medium | 1050 | Su_M_50m_NorthCoast | 50.4 | 2201 | X | X | |
| Sun 11th | North Coast | Long | 1051 | Su_L_73m_NorthCoast | 72.6 | 3189 | X | X | |
| Mon 12th | West | Short | 1052 | Mo_S_30m_West | 30.6 | 2594 | X | ||
| Mon 12th | West | Medium | 1053 | Mo_M_46m_West | 45.4 | 3336 | X | X | |
| Mon 12th | West | Long | 1054 | Mo_L_69m_West | 68.9 | 4831 | X | X | |
| Thu 15th | South Coast | Short | 1055 | Th_S_32m_SouthCoast | 32.2 | 1220 | X | ||
| Thu 15th | South Coast | Medium | 1056 | Th_M_50m_SouthCoast | 49.6 | 1816 | X | ||
| Thu 15th | South Coast | Long | 1057 | Th_L_63m_SouthCoast | 63.2 | 2892 | X | ||
| Fri 16th | North West | Short | 1058 | Fr_S_36m_NorthWest | 36.0 | 2297 | X | X | |
| Fri 16th | North West | Medium | 1059 | Fr_M_46m_NorthWest | 46.2 | 2806 | X | X | |
| Fri 16th | North West | Long | 1060 | Fr_L_70m_NorthWest | 69.9 | 3981 | X | X |
The following is the list of rides with maps showing the ride with statistics and places of interest on the routes. Only those booked for the event and logged into the website will be able to access these.
The ability to download all the rides, by a member, in a zip file will be available once the rides have been published here.
15 random places within 30 km of the area are given below. Click on the title above to see all places and for more info
Note the ride maps show all of the places on routes as icons on the maps.
Full place listing.15 random places within 30 km of the area are given below. Click on the title above to see all places and for more info
Note the ride maps show all of the places on routes as icons on the maps.
Full place listing. |
Id: 1964 Category: interest/church Map Reference: 55.66911, -1.80095 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 10084 Category: interest/historic Map Reference: 55.42318, -1.60021 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 2620 Category: interest/church Map Reference: 55.13771, -1.85647 Show on a mapAdded by: Margaret & Doug Cockburn |
 |
Id: 7394 Category: interest/visitorCentre Map Reference: 55.47165, -1.59688 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 9808 Category: interest/museum Map Reference: 55.16688, -1.68681 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 1203 Category: interest/house Map Reference: 55.15206, -1.95635 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 9810 Category: interest/museum Map Reference: 55.41615, -1.70917 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 6210 Category: interest/museum Map Reference: 55.60721, -1.71846 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 6213 Category: interest/castle Map Reference: 55.60904, -1.70986 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 9805 Category: interest/countryPark Map Reference: 55.29199, -1.5738 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 6212 Category: interest/beach Map Reference: 55.61093, -1.70597 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 1191 Category: interest/castle Map Reference: 55.48933, -1.59523 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 1205 Category: interest/house Map Reference: 55.31371, -1.88554 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 1958 Category: interest/castle Map Reference: 55.37677, -1.81844 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |
 |
Id: 1189 Category: interest/castle Map Reference: 55.66907, -1.78477 Show on a mapAdded by: Neil Wheadon |