VISIT County Durham has joined forces with VisitEngland to promote the county to tourists as an ideal destination for cycling.

It has bought into the national tourist board’s cycle breaks campaign with the aim of boosting rural tourism in the county and stimulating economic growth.

The campaign builds on the success of Visit County Durham’s own national Outdoors and Active marketing campaign, which promoted the county’s rural areas in 2013.

It aims to demonstrate how easy it is to get out and enjoy the wealth of cycling opportunities available. These include mountain bike trails in Hamsterley Forest to the network of railway paths crossing the county and a range of cycling events hosted by Durham County Council.

Melanie Sensicle, chief executive of Visit County Durham, said: “I’m delighted that we have joined forces with VisitEngland to promote the county to cyclists.

“The campaign will highlight that there are cycling opportunities for visitors of all ages and abilities - from a network of railway paths which radiate from Durham City and offer easy cycling on gentle gradients, to more challenging routes including mountain bike trails at Hamsterley Forest.

“The increased profile will also help boost Durham’s economy.”