Monday 29th August Southfleet to Arrington

Wynne & Tony Creasy

We always knew Monday was going to be a bit of a challenge. Googlemaps said 70 miles, plus the Dartford Crossing to negotiate. After a slightly later than expected breakfast in no way related to the shenanigans in the pub the night before we said farewell to Wynne and Tony and headed off at about 9.30 towards the tunnel. Surprisingly the cycle route was quite well signposted and we found our way easily to the designated cycle crossing point. It didn't go quite so well after that. Eventually, after 2 phone calls to the security guys who take the bikes across, a landrover with a bike carrier arrived. No one got out so we put the bikes on the back and jumped in. Our escort can only be described as a grumpy sod. When we asked about how many bikes he took across, the response was "too bloody many, some people think I'm running a personal chauffeur service". He then took off like a maniac down the hard shoulder, and didn't say another word. I think it would have been unhelpful to point out to him that he was paid to take bikes across to the other side. This has seemingly always been a free 24/7 service ever since the tunnel was built. Once on the other side we met 3 less than sylph-like Mancunians going the other way. They, like us, were also on Day 3, but unlike us they had started from Manchester, and were doing 90 miles a day on main roads!

Mancunians loading bikes onto Mr Grumpy's Landrover

The next leg was up through the Ockendens to Brentwood, with a welcome coffee break with my parents-in-law, Colin and Dorothy. Then we met up with Phil from the Essex Roads cycle club, who guided us expertly through the rural byways into Hertfordshire as far as Puckeridge. By some quirk of fate we just happened to pass through the village of Moreton as the annual beer festival was taking place. Needless to say, that was the excuse for a mammoth ale sampling session, which improved Don's average somewhat (how lucky was that! - Don). Rather annoyingly the guy serving the beer was also a part-time gamekeeper and regaled me with stories of all the local birding rarities which I could have seen if I'd had more time. Phil left us at Standon after which we popped into the The Bell where we received a generous donation from two gentlemen at the bar.

What with the late start and the beer stops, we didn't get to the inn at Arrington until after 8.00, and the last hour along the A10 in the dark was a bit hairy, given that only Don has lights! Unfortunately they had neglected to tell us that they (like other pubs in the area apparently) don't serve food on bank holidays! Sarah, the manager, was incredibly helpful, and ordered us a takeaway from the nearest Indian, about 5 miles away. She also let us use the office PC for updating the blog. We also did quite well for donatation from punters at the bar, so thanks to Justin and the folk from the NT for that. Later, Don received a drubbing at pool , darts, and bar skittles (Martin just got lucky, AGAIN!! - Don) . He wisely turned down the offer of a game of Scrabble.

Still pedalling

Early start this morning from Oundle heading towards Nottingham via Rutland Water. The last two nights have been spent in pubs with limited mobile coverage and access to the Internet, so we're hoping to do some proper posts with photos tonight. Monday was a bit of a killer, starting from Dartford then through the tunnel, across Essex and Hertfordshire, and into Cambridgeshire. About 70 miles in all, and it was dark by the time we got to Arrington. Yesterday was easier, only about 40 miles. So far the weather's been perfect for cycling, although as predicted by Dave Rattray there has been a northwesterly headwind throughout. Thanks Dave! We've only had a soaking twice, and it's looking fine today.


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Location:Ship Ln,,United Kingdom

Sunday 28 August - Small World 2

The manager of the pub, Fiona (above), told me that she was the manager of the Harris Bar about six years ago!!!

I formed a new deep and meaningful relationship during the evening - can someone get me the dog's phone number? (those who were there will explain!!)

Vaguely interesting road signs of the trip no. 2

Day 2 - so far so good

My trusty iPhone tells me we did 37.78 miles today, which is a fair bit less than the 51.7 which googlemaps calculated. You can draw your own conclusions about which is likely to be more accurate...

Keith Ford & pudding!!

Anyway, we had a good day, meeting up with a couple of friends of Don's, Keith & Chris, who helped us navigate our way across Kent, first through the Weald with a stop for lunch at the Cock Inn, which is a great real ale pub at Boughton Monchelsea (many thanks to them for the donation), then down to the Medway at Waterbury, and up onto the North Downs at Trottiscliffe (which is pronounced Trosley - obviously!) via a bugger of a hill. I will leave it to Don to divulge how many times he had to get off his bike today to walk up a hill.

(Don:- Septugenarian Keith Ford, an old Morris mate and a serious cyclist put me to shame. After having to walk up Ulcombe Hill, I then had to get off and push up the long drag on seven mile lane (which, I had to point out to Martin, is 7 miles long - having also enlightened him on the previous day at Lydd that there are five Cinque Ports!!).   After Chris Russell (current Squire of Wadard Morris) took over as our guide, Trottiscliffe Hill was always going to be a killer and he also demonstrated his skills by cycling most of the way without hands - and still kept his teeth!!)

Chris Russell approaching Stansted
(Kent, not Essex)
who needs handlebars??

The assembled company in the Ship, Southfleet

Then on to Tony & Wynne's at Southfleet for an excellent meal, followed by a morris men reunion in the pub for Don, and blogmeistering duties for yours truly.

Tomorrow we have to negotiate the Dartford Tunnel then cycle through Essex all the way to Royston, a total of 70 miles. Must look out the anti-chafing gel...

Vaguely interesting road signs of the trip no. 1

Cultural highlights part 1

In case the impression has been given that the cultural highspots so far involve playing arcade games and supping pints, let me redress the balance by pointing out that while in Dungeness we visited Derek Jarman's garden. Dungeness is a wild and bleak place, so this represents some sort of oasis, and I remember seeing many years ago a film about how he created this place in the shadow of the power station.

Maybe someone can tell me the source of the quotation on the side of the house:

Later, in St Mary in the Marsh (after the famous bar billiards victory), we visited the grave of E Nesbit. Very rudimentary wooden construction with a hand carved inscription.

Taking the strain

Good Morning!!

The Caledonian Sleeper lived up to its name, probably because in Dave's absence, both Don and I ended up with our own cabin. Our bikes shared their accommodation with some boxes of live langoustines, which could be heard scrabbling around from time to time. I was almost tempted to liberate them...

The only problem was they had no ice for the gin and tonics...

Day 1 - Dungeness to Ashford

After good night's sleep on the train down from Inverness we had a short ride along Euston Road to catch the high speed train to Ashford and then the local service to Appledore (the nearest station to our starting point.  It was at the Railway Hotel, Appledore that Linda and I met in 1983.

A pleasant ride across the very flat Romney Marsh, a quick paddle/dip in the sea and a pint or so in the Britannia Inn at Dungeness and we were waved off by my father-in-law an his wife Maureen. Superb cycling weather and Martin managed to spot a few birds as we went. Lost each other at New Romney but met again at the Star Inn, St Mary-in-the-Marsh (4 different beers and a game of bar billiards - Martin just got lucky 580 to 50).

Got a good soaking on our way to my sister-in-law near Ashford but were rewarded with a warm welcome, shower and great meal by Gill and Ian.

Not only has he stuffed me at bar billiards but Martin now fancies himself as the pinball wizard (Ian has his own juke box and pinball machines).

Small world

On the way down to Appledore on the train from Ashford I met Ray Qualters who lives in Sevenoaks but comes from Saddleworth and knows my friends Bobbie and Martin who we will be with next Friday.

Sponsorship incentives

I have been given two incentives for raising more sponsorship:-

• An extra £5.00 for each English county I pass through.
• 25p per beer sampled up to a maximum of £25.00!!

Has anyone any other inventive ideas as challenges for Martin or me?

Off at last

Ready to board the ferry in Stornoway

Well, we've made it as far as Ullapool without serious mishap (except falling off my bike on Bayhead, but that was Donnie Mackenzie's fault for distracting me...).

Thanks to Ian Minty for sharing the log of the trip he did from Dungeness to Port of Ness a few years ago. It has encouraged us to think that our own expedition may not be as daunting as we thought.

Loading onto the bike bus in Stornoway

We made the first part of our trip easy by using the bike bus service from Ullapool to Inverness.

Today's the day

Well, only 5 hours till I have to be on the ferry, and one or two things still to be done, like packing! Being restricted to two panniers means you have to be quite ruthless. No books, no laptop, no gadgets (well only the essential ones). Just clothes really. I just hope they have washing machines in youth hostels nowadays. Last one I visited was Black Sail Pass in 1979, and they most certainly did not...

It will be a relief to be on the ferry, and a chance to go over the route, finalise the competition rules (more later on that!), and make a list of all the things we've forgotten.

A few people have commented that I have not gained in sanity over the last 30 years. I fear they are right...

MEAN MACHINE!

Well, 6 days to go and still a pile of things to organise. The bike has changed beyond recognition, with the addition of gel saddle (!), SPD pedals, trekking bars and many other things I'd never heard of before we started planning this trip. Oh, and most importantly, the iPhone bike mount. The family think this is an unnecessary expense, but consider the benefits: it's waterproof, so the iPhone can stay on the handlebars throughout (not that it's likely to rain of course...). That means I can check the route on the OS map, log our ride for the day, find our location via GPS, take phone calls, listen to music, log my bird sightings, post to the blog, etc. All without rooting around in bags & pockets. Plus it's rotatable so I get a landscape view! Quite reasonable at £39.99 in my opinion!

Just one essential item missing. The eagle eyed will spot the lack of a rack (can't find one locally that fits the bike!), so I have nothing to hang my panniers from! This is quite a serious omission, which will necessitate another visit to the bike shop tomorrow. They are doing well out of me recently.

Only a week to go!!

Just finishing a relaxing week on the island of Sanday in the Orkneys where Linda has been attending a music summer school and I have been doing the tourist bit, sampling the local ale and malt whisky and meeting up with old friends.  Thanks to Sheila for the tour of Orkney Mainland and to Denis for the dram of 30 year old Highland Park. My training this week (apart from the drinking) has consisted of 3 runs and a couple of long walks. (photo of Don with Sheila and Denis Walls at their home in Kirkwall)