The Sandstone Way starts and ends at two Northumberland towns namely Berwick upon Tweed and Hexham both of which are served by rail. In between these two towns, the Sandstone Way links numerous villages and small communities including Wooler, Rothbury and Bellingham; though slightly off route, Belford is a further option. A range of en route accommodation is available.

The Sandstone Way has been designed for use by mountain bikers as much of the route is off-road.  It safely crosses a constant flow of rivers, four main roads and two railway lines.

The Sandstone Way will appeal to all abilities from families and less experienced mountain bikers, those at intermediate standard and even fit competent mountain bikers. The first group are likely to take 3 or 4 days to complete it whilst the ‘fit and the fast’ could possibly ride the route in 2 days but in all probability most would wish they had taken 3 days. It’s almost certain some fit mountain bikers will try to do the whole route in a day but very few will manage especially if they ride the optional harder sections.   

The Sandstone Way uses varied terrain along its whole length with the preferred alignment taking best advantage of an interesting mix of double-width dirt tracks, sections of singletrack, unsurfaced lanes and bridleways of all types as well as byways and little known Unclassified County Roads (UCRs). Inevitably, there are numerous linking sections of quiet minor roads and surfaced country lanes. All the above are existing rights of way. The essence of the route’s quality is how all these elements combine and of course the route will be improved as time passes.

The core route will be clearly waymarked but where possible, more challenging variations will be indicated. Ten optional loops are also offered which mean the linear route will also be able to provide entertainment to ‘day ride’ mountain bikers who wish to cycle back to their starting point. Though not waymarked, these more demanding variations add value and interest to the route.