We made it!!!
An easy 40 miles (577 total) brought us to Edinburgh today past the best stratified coffee we have had on the trip yet and also past the Glenkinchie distillery. Mmmm! It was a bit of a slow start as everything was soaked with very heavy dew but there was no rush.
Kind of odd to cycle onto a city after being in the countryside for so long but the cycle lanes make it super easy.
Tomorrow will see us being tourists for the day then we're back home by train on Saturday....
We're getting there! The further north we get the less distance we have to go each day and the more we can see en route. An actual holiday in fact!!
After a miserable night for both of us with chronic snorers in 6- bed dorm rooms in the youth hostel in Berwick, we headed up to St Abbes Head which is a wild peninsula and nature reserve. In Scotland!! Whoop we made it this far!
We had a lovely walk and a good coffee then cycled up and up and up for what seemed like forever. Eventually after passing lots of wind turbines we came all the way back down again to the coast, very steeply, to a lovely cove with a terrible holiday village nestled in it.
From there we saw the best that industrial Scotland had to offer: cycle route along the A1, power plant, huge quarry and rubbish dump before coming into the pretty village of Dunbar.
On a recommendation we headed to the nature reserve where we found a sheltered wild spot in the dunes to lay out the bivvy bags for the night. Awesome stars!
Today was another short day cycling-wise, 20 mi in total of which 10 were without panniers. We left our kit at the campsite and made our way across the causeway to explore Lindisfarne.
With everybody rushing into the island once the road was above the tide we were a bit worried about the crowds, but fortunately the 200m rule appears to be universal. Once you are around the corner from the coffee shop, the crowds dwindle and if you walk only a few minutes you are on your own. We had a great visit with some (around 20!) seals along the shore, not entirely sure who was observing whom.
Once off the island we went back for coffee and cake at our campsite and cycled the short way to Berwick where we are staying in the local youth hostel.
Another quiet day today albeit one with a 30 mile ride. We started early with F heading down to the beach at 5.30am to watch the sunrise. The sun then rose behind a cloud-doh!
By 9.30 we'd made it to Seahouses and by 10 into a boat heading towards the Farne Islands, famed in the summer months for their seabird colonies but mostly quiet at this time of year.
After a nice trip and more deep fried food we headed off to Beal and an awesome campsite overlooking Lindisfarne. After pitching the tent and dumping stuff we cycled over the causeway to the village and then headed back to watch the water pour back in again. It must be interesting living in a tide-dependent access zone.
We sat and watched the water creep over the road and a great rainbow appear as we cooked pasta by the sea. Then we cycled back up the hill and thus too bed.
Today was a proper rest day where we only cycled about 5 miles or so - without panniers to the pub for dinner.
The day was spent mostly wandering along the beach to check out Dunstanburgh Castle on one end and to eat crab sandwiches on the other. The castle is quite entertaining in that it appears to have been built by an Earl in the fourteenth century primarily to show that he was just as important as the king. The king didn't get the point and eventually had the earl executed. Moreover, the king did a much better job in providing for his own castle (Bamburgh, just up the road), which is still lived in and in apparently decent shape, while Dunstanburgh is mostly a pile of ruins.
Today was a bit slower after yesterday's long march, also because it is Saturday and J kindly took us to Druridge Bay Parkrun and we all went for coffee along the coast after. Did not leave Morpeth until well after lunch, thanks to J & D for being such fabulous hosts!
We managed only a few miles to Lidl before stocking up on lunch and snacks before setting off for the Northumberland coast in earnest. 39 mi took us a very full campsite - it's a long weekend and we forgot until yesterday that this area might get crowded. We really want to explore this area of the coast a bit more, so for the next couple of days we will stay around here.
C is very happy about this because her seat bones are threatening to poke through her backside and she's becoming a bit fed up at the steep climbs that lurk around every steep downhill corner and catch us unawares!
We somewhat over-reached today. We knew it was going to be a long one but we hadn't quite reckoned on a 68 mile special. Luckily, however, the wind was mostly on our backs and the coffee and cake availability good.
We set off from "Starshinezzz" (!) at 9.30ish after hearing lots more tales over breakfast. The first part of the trip, to Seaham, was along an old railway track so flat and easy. One short section was along a board walk over a muddy puddle which was fun. Eventually we came out to a main road then followed a glorious newly paved section down hill to the waterfront and coffee.
From Seaham it was a short stretch to Sunderland then down along the coast to Souter lighthouse (NT and therefore cream tea) then South Shields and the Tyne Ferry by 3pm. After that it was a bit of a drudge north through some lovely and not so lovely bits of coast until we turned inland at Newbiggin towards Morpeth. Both of us nearly had a sense of humour failure but chocolate diverted the worst of it.
5 miles uphill and into the wind later and we arrived in Morpeth to the welcoming sight of J and D's house. Fabulous food and a comfortable bed awaited us, allowing with some terrible old photos of C and J aged about 13 (we were at school together and haven't seen each other for about 15 years). A fun night after a long weary day!
Today should be called Headwind and Hills, or The Day we Met the Moors!. Oof. We knew the North York Moors were steep. We knew we had to get over them. What we hadn't fully appreciated was the fact that we would have to cycle up and down and up and down quite so much while "gently" cycling up a railway lined valley.
C bailed and did the walk of shame 5 times- 3 roads and 2 tracks. F walked the tracks although did mention that he had to "dig deep" to get up the last of the road sections. Brutal!! The headwind also didn't help as it meant we couldn't appreciate/enjoy the down hills so much.
Anyway all good things come to an end and by 2pm we were sitting on the banks of a stream in Great Ayton (birth place of James Cook) stuffing our faces with sandwiches. The double cake stuffed in at Danby had done a great job of getting us to there. After that it was relatively flat. We picked up an old railway line through Stockton which was easy to follow v and then ended up on a random b&b in Trimdon Grange. We're the first ever guests! And the host drove us to a very excellent curry house for dinner.
Both of us ache all over... And so to sleep!
Quite the day today! Not far traveled but lots experienced. Last night there was a mega rain, thunder and lightning storm but that had mostly cleared up by daylight, leaving a damp mist.
We went for a wander to the cliffs after breakfast before cycling down the road and up the hill to Bempton cliffs- a famous RSPB sea bird colony. We saw lots of gannets but sadly all the puffins had already left for the winter. After a pretty mediocre coffee but an awesome piece of cake we left for Scarborough.
And then the heavens opened. And boy did we get wet! We had sunscreen and sweat in our eyes, C couldn't see through her glasses, we were cycling through an inch of water pouring down the road- proper soggy! The rain just about stopped as we reached the top of the hill and then we had a terrifying 16% descent through the flood waters. F's brakes were getting weaker by the second but we reached the bottom unscathed. There's something about idiot overtaking drivers anyway but add wet roads and steep descents and they really get stupid.
By the time we got into Scarborough we were both a bit fed up so stopped for fish& chips on the waterfront along with the entire population of eastern Yorkshire. The place was heaving! Scarborough's a funny place. Faded but back on the up.
After lunch and a bit of a dry-out we cycled along the waterfront before creaking up a step hill and onto the Cinder Track, an old railway line that will take us through to Whitby. The surface was good, if a bit rough in places and we creaked up to Ravenscar, the highest point on the line. By this time it was 5pm so no time for more sightseeing. F fixed his brakes and we rattled down into Robin Hoods Bay. C had a classic "turned onto a step road in too high gear and fell over onto her clipped-in side" kind of fall- luckily nothing worse than a grazed knee and a bruised ego.
We're now at a lovely peaceful campsite in Hawkser, just outside Whitby. Only 40m today but tough bone- shaking ones. The rain has gone, kit dried out, gorgeous sunset watched and local ale quaffed. In bed 8.30 again...!!!
After a fabulous breakfast at A's house, we spent the morning exploring Hull on bike and foot. The Humber bridge had disappeared in the fog, so it's a good thing we crossed yesterday while it was still there. A notable incident was at a cafe called Thieving Harry's where three elderly gentlemen say down at our table and proceeded to take one off the big pictures off the cafe's wall to make sure it's kept in good nick. They then introduced themselves as Thieving Harry's sons. Apparently, the cafe's namesake used to run a vegetable shop out of the same premises and regularly got his customers to spend much more money than they had intended.
On the way from Hull to Hornsea we met a few runners who had started a coast to coast ultramarathon 3+ days(!) earlier in Southport on the west coast and were just about to finish their 200 mile treck.
Finally wet discovered that (a) buying dinner in a supermarket in Bridlington it's difficult because there are none along the cycling route; (b) don't trust Google on campsites because the two sites we had been counting on were long closed but still listed in the map search. We ended up cycling back a few miles and are now camped on a farm writhing walking distance of Flamborough Head. Windy but very pleasant.
Today was another 60 mile special but so much easier than yesterday. Lots of food is clearly the key!
We left Saxilby just after 9, stuffed with bacon and eggs and cheered by glorious sunshine. A gentle southerly breeze helped too. After climbing steeply up the escarpment we followed it along for 10 miles or so before dropping down into the valley to the east and back up the other side. We got a bit lost on some bridle ways just as we turned onto route 1 bit otherwise the route was easy to follow and very quiet.
We had lunch just at the point where the Humber bridge first came into view, and then followed a lovely rolling road towards the bridge. Coffee and cake were found at the Ropeworks, an old rope- making building now converted into an art place and coffee shop. It's the longest listed building in Britain and massive! Great cake too.
From there over the bridge ( fun!) and into Hull which was a bit of a shock to the system after the quite roads up from Lincoln. The phone came in handy after taking a wrong turn our two and ending up at a major junction.
My friend A lives in a massive old house which is slowly being renovated just south of the university. Hull is clearly benefiting from a good injection of cash related to the City of Culture and it all feels quite vibrant. Looking forward to going for an explore tomorrow before heading on to Bridlington and Flamborough Head.
3 years after the last adventure to Berlin, we're off again, this time a more leisurely (!) ride to Edinburgh. We set off just before 12 this morning, once F had done Parkrun (I had meant to but my conference last week killed me off and I needed to sleep!!).
The first half (30 miles or so) was a bit hilly - not really hilly in the way that it will get hilly in Yorkshire but enough to test out the granny gears. After Peterborough it was flat: Holland-style flat and very windy!!
The distance of time had let me forget how heavy a fully laden bike is and how sore the first day would leave me. I'm "ready for bed at 8pm" kind of tired right now!
Our route took us through Kimbolton, Peterborough and then up to Market Deeping via a lovely park with a lake and the slowest railway crossing in the country. The guy had to come out of his little hut and manually unlock the gates for us so that w could cross. Mind you it was the east coast line with 100mph Virgin trains swooshing past.
So that's about it. 57 miles, strong side wind. Intermittent rain and sun. Sore bum. Awesomely quiet campsite. Pasta for dinner! And on to Lincoln tomorrow.
We thought we should note down what we carried with us, and what we did and didn't need...
We camped 4 nights, stayed with "Warmshowers" hosts 2 nights, stayed in Youth Hostels 2 nights, stayed in 1 hotel and spent 1 night on the ferry.
Camping kit: 1 tent, 2 thermarests, 2 sleeping bags and liners, Trangia, pot with lid, pot holder, spatula, 2 spoons, fork, penknife, fuel, lighter, 2 head torches, 2 mugs, 2 bowls. 4 litre water bag and 2 litre water bag.
Clothes (each): cycling shorts, 2-3 shirts, waterproofs, socks, shoes, helmet. For evening 2 shirts, trousers, jumper, sandals. Pyjamas. 1 travel towel. Could have done without an extra pair of trousers packed by accident and with another thermal top.
Bike stuff: lights, speedometer, tools, maps. Water bottles. Inner tubes and brake pads.
2 phones, iPad (unused but thought I would have time/energy to read papers at night, ha!), cables. Documents and money. 3 water bottles. Chocolate!
Overall pretty minimal, didn't need much more and couldn't have done with much less.
Nappy cream may have been useful to reduce saddle- related chafing but all those involved with preliminary discussions of this mad plan will be pleased to hear that neither of us developed crotch-rot, foot or other fungus or ulcers!! :-)
I've certainly slept well this trip, averaging 9 1/2 hours a night, and usually asleep by 9.30! Last night was no exception, and I even got a princess bed to sleep in! We stayed with some friends of F's in a top- floor flat in an old house right at the end of the pedestrian zone. The views in every direction were breathtaking, so it was well worth the climb up the 4 flights of stairs. The other bonus was the princess-bed, free for the night because G's daughter was at her Mum's.
Today brought the last of the cobbles- yippee! And the last of the sandy paths- yippee! We cycled over the Glieckener Brücke, famous for being one of the East- West crossing points where spies were swapped. Then through the Grünewald, with a last evil hill (and where the Berlin Ironman will be held over the weekend). Finally we cycled along a long main avenue towards the Siegessäule, ate cake in the Tiergarten and onto the Brandenburger Tor for the obligatory selfie. Hoorah!
From there only 20 miles to Schöneiche where F's Mum awaited us with beer and a sunny garden.
67 miles got us through to Potsdam today; just 20 miles from the Brandenburger Tor and a further 20 from F's Mum's house in Schöneiche. But oof, hard work today. My legs are done, and my backside will be very happy to never see a cobblestone again!
We had a lovely ride in the sun today- a bit overcast at times but dry all day. Such a change from yesterday. The route took us over the (minor) hills of the Höher Fläming and up to the banks of the Havel lakes S of Berlin.
Good cake today- a Streuselkuchen, a Pflaumkuchen and an Apfelkuchen. And I felt I needed every single calorie!
This evening my legs really hurt. Which is odd, as they haven't really been sore this whole trip. Cumulative stress?!
We found out last night why the YH looked so new- last year it got completely flooded when the Saale burst its banks and for a week there was 40cm of water in the building.
Last night we arrived in the rain, which continued when we went out for dinner (solid Deutsches venison) and was still continuing when we woke up this morning. Relentless solid rain that dribbled in everywhere and soaked us through....
Luckily the cakes in the bakery were a mere €1 so we made the most of the opportunity.
Today we tracked across the flatlands towards Dessau, which we reached v hungry at about 1 after some back-brake-fixing on my bike. During that interlude we also noticed my back tyre was pretty shot so we found a bike shop in Dessau and bought a new one. After lunch in the park near the Bauhaus F put on the tyre while I was despatched to buy more cake. Luckily by that time the rain had stopped.
After lunch we followed the Elbe Radweg towards Wittenberg - wending our way through beautiful parkland. We crossed a shallow river chock full of large fish. In Wörlitz we took a wrong turn which added on an extra 5km but which took us past the grand buildings and across the river on a little ferry at Coswik. Oh and we found some apple trees.
We're now, 60.5 miles later, in a great campsite just S of the river in Wittenberg. It used to be a Soviet Army base but was auctioned off in 2000 and the land is now a hotel, campsite and marina. Lots of touring cyclists.
57 miles and more cobblestones than you can shake a stick at today! We've left the hills behind but replaced sore legs with a sore behind.
The R1 followed a lovely route, initially following the line of the hills but eventually breaking clear and winding along first the Bode and then the Saale. We're definitely in Eastern Germany now: huge fields, lots of industry and generally less affluent.
We're staying in the Youth Hostel in Bernburg, a brand new building that currently appears to be empty. We're in a massive 10-bunk room- spoiled for choice! It's now raining but we have to go back out if we want dinner....
