Visitors to Northumberland can now explore the country on two wheels courtesy of a pair of new cycling guides for the market towns of Wooler and Haltwhistle.

Haltwhistle’s guide details seven rides to explore Hadrian’s Wall and surrounding areas of interest. Wooler, dubbed The Gateway to the Cheviots, is the base for the second guide, with another seven routes exploring the Cheviots and north Northumberland.

Each route is available to download individually from www.visitnorthumberland.com/cyclehubs or to buy as a pack for £2.95 from tourist information centres across Northumberland and north east Cumbria.

Rides range from seven to 44 miles and include the county’s must-see attractions, such as Holy Island, Breamish Valley in the heart of the Northumberland National Park, and the National Trust’s Allen Banks, within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Most routes follow quiet country roads, intertwined with off-road tracks and occasional short sections on main roads. All the main routes are suitable for touring or hybrid bikes (with some rougher alternative options), except for the Broadstruther Bash, a challenging off-road route.

“These routes have been many months in the making and are a result of the high demand for cycling in this beautiful and tranquil county,” said Cycling Hubs’ project consultant Anna Waddilove.

“They are designed to allow people to explore the stunning scenery and local attractions by this wonderful means of transport without the worry of getting lost.

“The rides are all graded from easy for beginners, to strenuous for the more experienced cyclist. We have had many volunteers, from novices to advanced and young to old, trial the routes and the feedback has been extremely positive.

“If the routes prove successful, we look forward to potentially replicating the concept throughout Northumberland’s other market towns in the future.”