Northumberland Coalfields Gravel Ride

A wet New Year's Eve 70ish mile gravel ride out along the waggonways and farm tracks of SE Northumberland, taking in some industrial heritage from the days of coal including the biggest bucket I've ever seen.
BTW: in the cold, I misspoke - one of the two Stobswood draglines, Big Geordie, was scrapped, the Ace of Spades was dismantled and shipped to the US where it operates under a new identity, presumably with a new bucket.
Route: / strava
Ace of Spades photo taken from: / miningmishaps
Google Earth image taken from: fabulousnorth....
(both assumed to be public domain/reasonable use - please contact me if otherwise)

[@fazzini3868]

Ah, the mighty settlement of Backworth!! Lovely to see 'home' on a video! Thanks

[@Eric-rt6tg]

Liked it, looking out for the next one. Bit wet, cold and muddy I think? Great way to finish the old year!

[@TheRadGravelRider]

Great seeing our local trails! Subscribed, keep up the great work.

[@spsallidas]

Clart-tastic!

[@RobAmour]

It was a number of my relatives that died in the Hartley disaster.

[@cow-a-cyclist2545]

That coal power station is turning into biomass soon. its half converted according to a website I was looking at.

[@JMJC1]

I was expecting to see Big Geordie. Is that still sitting in morpeth somewhere Gareth?

[@GriffKane]

No Big Geordie was scrapped. I misspoke in the video as Ace of Spades was dismantled and shipped to the US rather than scrapped.

[@JMJC1]

@@GriffKane ok thanks, I have a photo of big Geordie, me and the wife rode to it years ago, following a route in the old Northumberland mtb guide book.

[@Tillflyfisher]

Good video, my father was one of the Dragline operators on both the Ace Of Spades (Page 757) and Big Geordie (Bucyrus 1550w)