Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. Especially the strip of coast upstate of the Tyne estuary, where grand beachfront hotels from a bygone era have undergone a renaissance; where brave sea-dippers jostle with black-suited surfers in the sporting North sea swell; and where the sharp end of nature – marine mammals and sea birds battling waves, wind and mist – is fought out just across the road from a moist piece of lemon cake in a cheerful cafe with windows steamed warm from bodies – human and canine – inside.

North Tyneside council has recently upgraded the cycle infrastructure along this enigmatic stretch of coast on the NCN1, and I like it. Previously you might have found yourself as a cyclist wobbling in and out of hoardes of pedestrian coastgoers, and feeling like a bit of an inconvenience with every salutatory ding of your bell. Or you might have opted to take the road, the lead rider ahead of a peloton of irritated drivers in need of a parking space and an ice cream.

These days, the council have invested in some segregated routes that make space for all of us. We started out from Seaton Sluice Harbour, passing the cosy glow of whitewashed pubs staring out towards a horizon hidden behind a thick layer of sea smirr. The new route helpfully bypasses the roundabout at Old Hartley, which I have never enjoyed cycling on.

Slowly, still veiled by the weather, St Mary’s Lighthouse comes into view. Here the route becomes gravel track and a little uneven, and is shared-use with walkers. This is not a stretch for your prized Bianchi with the white bar tape and the mudguards off, but it’s not too bad. The still, saturated air was an atmospheric backdrop for the eerie warbling of moorhens and gentle harrumphing of Exmoor ponies of St. Mary’s Wetland reserve.

The newest infrastructure kicks in as you leave St Mary’s Lighthouse and amble towards Whitley Bay, a destination that has undergone radical regeneration in the last decade, yet still manages to retain a certain nostalgic British seaside charm, and therefore a special place in my heart. From here the route segregates cyclists from vehicular traffic and pedestrians from cyclists. It keeps you off the promenade and the footpaths that lollop through the links, but still provides a mainline to iconic Spanish City. Thereafter the road has been modified to one-way for cars to make room for wider pedestrian walkways and a segregated bidirectional cycle path. The new cycle path runs all the way to Tynemouth Priory, after which you’re back on the familiar (and absolutely good enough) walking/cycling path past the sailing club and along the Clyde estuary to North Shields.

I’m a big fan of these changes, but I’m glad the North Shields chippy scene hasn’t changed a great deal. As we sit in a booth in an old-lady-style diner working our way through a mountain of chips and day-glo mushy peas I’m reminded of falling in love with the North East, some 15 years ago or so.