CYCLING enthusiasts have been invited to join a 40-mile ride through some of the region's most beautiful countryside.

Sunday's event will cover an off-road stretch of the National Cycle Route along reclaimed railway lines from Hetton Lyons Country Park, in Sunderland, to Thorpe Thewles Visitor Centre, at Castle Eden Country Park, 20 miles away.

People will then cycle back to Hetton Lyons.

The ride, which will begin at 10am from the Downs Pit Lane car park, at Hetton Lyons, is free and open to regular cyclists who feel comfortable with the distance.

Clive Greenwood, one of the organisers of the ride said: "This ride is very scenic and mostly flat all the way to the old Thorpe Thewles railway station, near Stockton, which now forms part of the Castle Eden visitor centre, with a return to Hetton Lyons expected by 4pm."