From Staiths Cafe to Angel of the North: 7 of Newcastle’s most iconic Strava segments

Whether it be an early morning canter along Jesmond Dene or a late-night plod under the lights of the Quayside, Newcastle is a runner's haven.

The city and its surrounding areas is home to a number of top-class running clubs from Gateshead Harriers to Elswick Harriers, Newcastle Frontrunners to Tyne Bridge Harriers and Heaton Harriers to Jesmond Joggers... the list goes on.

The nearby Gateshead International Stadium plays a huge role in the region's athletics prowess, with the renowned Great North Run a real highlight on the Tyneside calendar.

With so much going on in Newcastle, it's no surprise that so many Geordies have caught the running bug.

More so than any iconic race or huge capacity stadium, there's one thing that brings the running community together... Strava.

Where social media influences have Instagram and serial daters have Tinder, runners live by the running app Strava.

On it they can share their training sessions, give each other 'Kudos' and compare their times with friends.

On the app there is a feature known as Strava Segments - short routes peppered across the city.

When a runner crosses them, they are added to a leaderboard and, as you can imagine, it can create a little bit of competition.

NewcastleWorld looks into 7 of the most iconic Strava Segments in the city.

Shopping Trolley

The Shopping Trolley segment has had 11,675 attempts by 3,216 people with a record of 32 seconds.

It's a 320 metre stretch that starts at Haymarket and heads down Northumberland Street.

The street is, of course, famous for its shops - hence the name.

With the path often crowded, it can be a hard one to pick up pace doing, but some keen runners have managed in the past.

Armstrong Bridge Sprint

Jesmond Dene is a hotspot for the city's runners, and with its scenery and footpaths, you can understand why.

Overlooking Jesmond Dene is Armstrong Bridge, where someone has planted the Armstrong Bridge Sprint segment.

74,157 of the segment have been made by 8,425 people with a course record of 20 seconds over the 170 metres.

Millennium Bridge - North

There's a real serotonin boost about running over Millennium Bridge.

The iconic river crossing point lights up at night and provides a view over the whole of Quayside.

There's a segment crossing the bridge either way, but it's the North route that has had more attempts.

It's 150 metres in total with 76,514 attempts being made by 13,854 people, the record being set at 19 seconds.

Turn Right for Heaven

Where's there's an angel, that mean's heaven is nearby, right?

That's clearly what whoever planted this segment was thinking.

Turn Right for Heaven challenges runners to start at the bottom of the Angel of the North and run up the short hill and around the statue.

It's only 100 metres and has been attempted 2,794 times by 538 people, the record set at 16 seconds.

The Bamburgh is in sight!

Heading over to South Shields, you'll find this iconic segment.

South Shields is of course the end of the Great North Run, which returns to the town in 2022.

The Bamburgh Pub marks the end of the Great North Run and this 640 metre spring has brought relief to many tired legs.

It's been attempted 35,441 times with a record set at 1:25... although, between you and me, that might have been someone on a bike.

Tynemouth Pier Westward

The Tynemouth Pier Westward segment looks perilous on a Strava map as it juts out into the sea, but there is space to run down it.

The 710 metre segment has been attempted by 1,161 keen coastal runners.

The current record sits at 2:11, where an athlete went out specifically to set the record.

1k Bridge to Cafe

The Staiths Cafe by The Tyne in Gateshead has become a firm favourite with runners.

Its positioning a few kilometres out from the centre has made it the ideal destination to jog towards with the promise of a hot refreshment and bite to eat.

There's a segment that starts just before the Redheugh Bridge and runs for one kilometre to the cafe.

It's had 5,637 attempts with the record currently set at 2:43.