Stage 8: Newcastle and the North Sea breeze

Erin Powell | 30. September 2025

We kicked off Day 8 with a visit to Tharsus, a company known for designing and manufacturing strategic machines that solve complex automation challenges. From robotics to smart logistics systems, Tharsus helps businesses bring innovative tech products to life.

After an insightful visit and tour around their facility with the team at Tharsus, our rider and external sales engineer, Daniel Mole, took on today’s challenge to partake in a truly British affair…a day by the seaside and fish and chips for tea!

Blyth to Whitley Bay

We headed east for a coastal ride from Blyth beach down to Whitley Bay . This scenic stretch opens up to seaside views and was the perfect backdrop for todays ride, allowing us to take in some much needed sea air! The end of the first half of our coastal leg, took us to Whitley Bays iconic blue flag beach.

One of the highlights at Whitley Bay was admiring the giant fish sculpture situated right on the coast. This incredibly powerful six-foot sculpture, is made entirely of litter collected along the coast line. This installation is a stark reminder of the huge environmental impact single use plastic has on the wildlife and standing alongside it with a bike made up of plastic waste was a poignant moment on our UK tour.

After a short stop to admire the view ( and the weather) we headed further south to Cullercoats beach. This charming historical fishing village was our final destination for the day and despite the ride being a predominantly flat, accessible ride, we still worked up an appetite for that chippy tea.

Our rider

Daniel Mole

Daniel has been with igus for 10 years and is the North East bearings engineer. He is well known for his hard work and determination as well as his love and passion for competing in Brazilian Jiu jitsu, a passion which recently injured him meaning he actually rode the bike with a torn hamstring!