HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle

*This is a collaborative post. Please see my Disclosure Policy for full details

We love free family events here at North East Family Fun and can't wait share this fantastic family-friendly event that's going to be taking over the streets of Newcastle on Sunday 2nd July.

On Sunday 2nd July between 11am-3pm there will be a fantastic bike ride taking place in Newcastle for big kids, little kids, grown-ups, cycling enthusiasts, beginners.......in fact everyone is invited with all ages and abilities welcome.

The event is completely FREE of charge (make sure you register here) and with lots of entertainment and fun planned throughout the day, it's a fantastic way to get out on your bikes with your kids and enjoy the streets of Newcastle in a rare traffic-free environment.

Regular readers will know that we've really struggled to encourage Jack into cycling. For a while, it felt like it was never going to happen and for years he was scared to even sit on a bike. We persisted though and thanks to a course we enrolled him onto through school, he is now a lot more confident and I feel like we can finally start planning to attend events like this and going out for proper family bike rides.

Now that the kids are all sorted, Steve and I need to buy new bikes too so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. We'll be popping along to the Let's Ride hub in Exhibition Park on Sunday 2nd July to show our support, join in with the fun and hopefully receive some decent expert advice on the best types of bikes for us to buy.

HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle | The Route

Starting at Exhibition Park, the route is 8.5km long (download a map here) and will take you past some of Newcastle's most famous landmarks including the Great North Museum, China Town and St James Park. This isn't just an ordinary bike ride though and there is lots of fun planned en-route including:

A Toot Your Horn Zone
A Sir Chris Hoy Speed Challenge
A Bubble Tunnel
BMX off-road area for kids
Try different bikes at the Trial Trail
Take things easy with a Rickshaw Ride

HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle | Cyclists are invited to take over the streets of Newcastle on Sunday 2nd July - route map

Download a full map here

Don't worry if you don't fancy the whole 8.5km or you don't think your kids will manage the full course - you can leave the route at any point. There's no pressure and it's not a race - the whole idea is to just have fun cycling around Newcastle.

HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle | Free Family Entertainment

There will be lots of FREE entertainment in the main hub at Exhibition Park. In the hub you can:

Pick up a FREE HSBC UK City Ride bib and get it personalised
Race on the pop-up Street Velodrome
Receive top bike advice from the experts
Try virtual reality track cycling
Decorate your bike and learn new skills in the kids zone

HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle | Cyclists are invited to take over the streets of Newcastle on Sunday 2nd July - exhibition park

This Toon, Tyne and Bikes video created to promote the campaign! I spy lots of local gems including The Cycle Hub and love the passion us Geordies have for our city:

HSBC UK City Ride Newcastle is an inclusive event for all ages and abilities. If you're looking for a rare opportunity to explore our wonderful city in a unique way that is FREE and promises to be lots of fun, look no further. Pop Sunday 2nd July into your diary now, register your places and find out more details via the Let's Ride website here.

Let me know if you fancy signing up and I may see you there.