National Cycle Route 14 forms part of theNational Cycle Network inNorth East England. It connectsDarlington inCounty Durham withSouth Shields on theRiver Tyne. The route has currently (2016) a length of 86 miles (138 km).[1] Much of it uses paths along disused railway lines and is thus free from motor traffic.
The route is signed in both directions but is described here per Sustrans' publication[1] in the direction from Darlington to South Shields.
From Darlington toMiddleton St George the route follows the formerStockton and Darlington Railway line. It continues north-east on a combination of on-road and so-called traffic free (i.e. without motor traffic) sections towardsStockton-on-Tees, passes the latter town onNational Cycle Route 1 and continues toHartlepool. More than half of the latter stretch is separated from motor traffic.
Again on a combination of on-road and traffic-free sections, the route turns away from the coast in a north-western direction along the formerClarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway, now known as theHart to Haswell Walkway. From a junction east ofWingate,National Cycle Route 1 also uses the disused railway line. InHaswell, the cycle routes separate, and route 14 continues westwards to Durham, mainly on roads.
After heading west out of Durham, the route follows theLanchester Valley Railway Path north-west toConsett. Continuing north-east mainly on disused railway lines, it crosses theRiver Derwent several times. At the mouth of the latter, it meets theRiver Tyne and continues along its southern bank eastward to South Shields. Most of this section is traffic-free except for some short parts along the Tyne.
Between Stockton-on-Tees and South Shields the route is also signposted as theThree Rivers Cycle Route, between Consett and South Shields it shares the way with the Sea to Sea (C2C) route connecting the west and east coasts of England.
54°32′40″N1°55′39″W / 54.5445°N 1.9274°W /54.5445; -1.9274