The route has two alternative start points in West Cumbria at Whitehaven and at Workington, before travelling through the stunning scenery of the western and northern Lake District. The Workington route runs via Cockermouth to Keswick, while the Whitehaven route runs via Loweswater to Keswick before passing through Penrith and the Eden Valley with its lush valleys and sandstone villages. It then starts the climb up to Hartside Pass and onto the Northern Pennines—the "roof of England". There then follows an undulating ride as the C2C meanders through old lead-mining villages, such as Garrigill, Nenthead and Rookhope, and down into the Durham Dales before crossing Waskerley Moor and entering the old steel town of Consett via the Hownes Gill Viaduct.