Coast & Castles

Thursday: Newcastle to Ashington

Early start for train to Newcastle. Change at Ipswich and Peterborough. Took packed lunch with us to save time and money. The train Peterborough to Newcastle on East Coast had cycle stands very close to each other, hardly any room to get through as well. Unbeknownst to us at this time, but the conductors didn't ask to check our cycle reservations so got on ok, not so good coming back (see later on return journey from Edinburgh).

Once in Newcastle, got straight to the National Cycle Network without much trouble and followed very well posted signs with not much problems. Route was a combination of on road and off road track by mostly off and very pleasant to not be in traffic. Got to Tynemouth where we stopped for lunch, windy and cold.

Stopped at co-op in Blyth and picked up food for dinner. Near Ashington we turned off the route to head to the campsite (Wansbeck Park). The path was a bit rough in parts and more suitable for MTBs, but we got to the campsite eventually. Pitched tent and made dinner before it got dark. Toilet and showers were in a shabby old portacabin and were not clean. Booked a B&B for Sunday night in Kelso as there were no campsites nearby.

Friday: Ashington - Dunstan


Decided to take a different route from the campsite to get out of the town to avoid the path from yesterday. Got to Amble and there were a few possibilities on the outskirts but decided to keep going to Warkworth where we were stopping to see the castle. On way out of Amble, we missed a turning and ended up on the high street which looked like there were lots of nice places to eat so we decided to have lunch there after all. A gentleman saw us pull over and came over to say hi. Had a lovely chat and he recommended a cafe around the corner - Jaspers. Went in there for a nice lunch obviously frequented by the locals. Rain started while we were in there. Got on way and rain had eased.

Stopped and went into castle at Warkworth with an impressive keep with lots of stairs. Cold and windy again. Warkworth village very small and no obvious eating places. Been on mostly cycle paths which was great. On way past Alnwick we saw two cyclists (who had started the same time as us in Newcastle) but going the other way. Not long later they came past us again, going faster than we were. We thought they would be way ahead give the pace they were going and the amount of stops we have. We passed them again a bit later on as they had stopped by an inn/pub? We then stopped for a snack a bit further on and they came past us and that was the last time we saw them. Probably worth noting here that Andrew spotted them at the same campsite we were at on Thursday night.

We eventually made our way to the campsite at Dunstan and put up the tent just before the rain started going quite heavily. Attempts to cook didn't go very well in the wet, tent zip got partially broken. We ended up having only rice flavoured with stock powder as cooker got too wet to cook with. Not happy campers that night. (Andrew's version - cooking rice, tent zip stuck, tried fixing zip but rice needed to come off, cooker got wet, zip not fixable, rice getting over-cooked. Lighter wouldn't light, matches wouldn't light, cooker wet and wouldn't light.)

Some lovely coast line views today.

Saturday: Dunstan to near Holy Island

Did not make it to Dunstanburgh castle (near Dunstan) but saw it on way out of Dunstan going north. Late start (11am) after a wet night. Bright sunny start. Just wanted to make progress and get to next stop before rain set in again as forecasted.

Stopped in Seahouses for food - bakery and co-op. Continued north, terrain getting more rolling. Quick stop in Bamburgh to answer a BCQ question and find out a little about famous heroine Grace Darling. Bamburgh appeared to be a quiant village.

About 5 miles out from the campsite, the rain started. We pulled to cover at a fuel station where in a short time, the rain got heavier and started hailing! We decided to carry on when it had eased. Grace knew the route turned into an off road track but had no idea that it was going to be a "route" across a farm where in some parts was just a narrow rut. At one point as we struggled along, Grace looked to the left and saw a group of sheep staring at us with their black faces (white bodies). It was hilarious as they were looking at us like we were mad! Pity we were too concerned with getting to our destination and getting dry to take a photo!

Campsite had very uneven ground and facilities pretty average. Had washing machine and dryer though! Hand washed and machine rinsed some clothes. Dried everything while we had dinner.

Too late to go to Holy Island today as the causeway floods with the tide.

Sunday: Holy Island to Kelso

Weather improved and managed to dry tent but just as we came to put down the tent, it started pouring with rain again! Luckily we had put away the inner already. Everything else got wet though. Spoke to a guy with a Van Nicholas titanium bicycle. He was not overly impressed with it but has a Thorn Audax also and it's great. Set off in light rain but it cleared. Through golf course and rolling hills. It wasn't long before we hit another patch of farm land for the route into Berwick. As it had been raining quite a bit it was a bit muddy and mucky and slow going. Lovely views though.

First stop of the day was a Spar at a suburb in Berwick for some lunch food. Then loo stop in the town centre by the Co-op where we picked up more water. Out of Berwick we went with next stop at the Union Suspension bridge near Horncliffe for a BCQ question. After Berwick we were heading west/south west straight into the wind so it was hard going. We were grateful that we had a B&B booked for the night for a bit of reprieve from the weather. Lunch was at Norham where we took a couple of snaps of the castle. Saw a family on 2 tandems one of which was a Thorn Voyager. Sat by village hall for lunch and had a few spots of rain. After that it felt like a long and hard slog to Kelso. Went through a village called Eccles on the way but not where the cakes are made.

Made it to B&B before 5, the man who ran it was very welcoming and recommended a place for dinner - The Cobbles Inn. We had a relaxing couple of hours, cup of tea and showers before going out for dinner. When I made a reservation over the phone for dinner and after hanging up thought the guy sounded like a Kiwi and yup when we turned up could hear a NZer with a strong accent. Lovely large meals, we tried haggis for a starter and enjoyed it. We had tried black pudding at lunch on Friday in Amble. Cold short walk back to B&B where we happily slept in a warm room.


Monday: Kelso to Innerleithen

Nice cooked breakfast (including haggis for Andrew and black pudding for Grace). Quick stop at bakery in town then set off for lunch at Melrose. Quite slow going, into the wind quite often and getting hilly. Crossed footbridge over the River Tweed. Arrived in Melrose, cute village/small town with nice centre, paved area with seating. Cold but sat out and had PB&J sandwiches. Boots & toilet stop. Onward to Innerleithen. Busy road crossings and eventually onto quiet roads. nice view from small bridge. Gradual incline and headwind made everything seemed like hard work. Even gradual declines needed pedalling! Arrived at campsite/caravan park with small boggy grass area next to the pods. Put up tent just before rain started and sheltered under the pods. Went into town to Co-op and bike shop across the road. By that time all the cafes had shut so no tea and scone for Andrew. Used pod to cook under on the park bench. It was very windy that night and the bikes fell over but the tent stayed up.

Tuesday: Innerleithen to Edinburgh

Made a good start today, on the road by 9.15am, with great expectations for the big climb ahead. We started a gradual ascent almost immediately and that continued for 8 miles. It was reasonably easy going at a steady pace and a slightly steeper 2 miles took us to the top with great views to the north and south. Nice long descent, some short but steep hills and cold wind. It felt like harder work than the big hill. The final section after leaving NCN1 was a very busy road. Wanted to stay in a wigwam, got the price wrong but decided to stay in it anyway which was worthwhile because it was windy and cold, with added bonus of fridge, tv and kettle. Visited the campsite shop for lunch supplies and beer.

Wednesday: Edinburgh

Caught bus into centre and stopped at Edinburgh Cycle coop shop. Looked at bike stuff and then walked into town. Looked at cashmere shops x6 or more, bought some items including a rug. Managed to dodge some heavy rain showers, had a nice leisurely lunch, tea and cake at Hula cafe. More shopping at White Stuff, dinner at Wok and Wine - very quiet.

Thursday: Edinburgh to home

Packed and away by 9.30am, found a quiet route to the station with an hour to spare. Saw other cycle tourers. Got to platform just as train was arriving, conductor asked for cycle reservations but we didn't have a paper ticket. Luckily he had a copy with him and let us on. Tight changeover at York, with conductor being an ass and almost not letting us on train as we didn't have a paper reservation even though there was plenty of room on the guard's carriage for the bikes. Managed to get on and eventually made it home...

Netherlands Cycle Tour

After a successful trip last year to Holland by ferry over Easter with our bikes, we decided that we would do it again this year. This time for longer and no more B&B's but camping. As luck would have it, Easter fell late this year and was a week before the early May bank holiday, so only needed 4 days of leave for an 11 day holiday. Then Will & Kate decided to get married on the 29th, making it only 3 days of leave needed - bonus!

So it was off on the night ferry again. We met some guys who were also cycle touring but had never cycled around Holland before. The ferry was new this time but the layout was pretty much the same as we remembered from last year's ferry.

In the morning, we got the usual wake up call and then it was off the ferry into beautiful warm weather. It was lovely being able to get off the ferry and know where you're going without feeling lost. First stop Monster (yes that is the name of the town) and found the same bakery from last year where we had breakfast. Then onto the Hague for the VVV (tourist info) for maps and the Travelex at the central station to exchange some money.

Next stop Leiden, where we found a Lidl, Grace dropped the camera (luckily only filter broken). Lovely lunch by river with an interesting wooden bridge. We checked out a church and the citadel.

Continued on our journey north where we started seeing tulip fields, had a bit of difficulty finding our campsite but got there eventually. Friendly hosts, got our green camping guide, lots of bird noises but no toilet paper or soap - mental note need toilet paper for Dutch campsites. Complimentary tea the next morning from our friendly campsite hosts.

Off to the Keukenhof gardens to check out the vast array of flowers that the country is famous for at this time of the year. More tulip fields on the way to Haarlem. Found an organic supermarket - Naturwinkel, so lots of nice (but expensive) food. Tinned salmon for lunch on bench under tree. Route through natural park on way to Velsen. Once again had difficulty finding the campsite, a nice Dutch man showed us the way (by bike of course). We rode into town and checked out the North Sea canal and locks, we had planned a longer route but road works foiled our plans. Was planning on heading to Zandijk but had overestimated our ability to cover the distances so didn't go there.

We had planned to head around Amsterdam, but ended up pretty much going through the outskirts because of closed cycle paths.  Found a lovely cafe for lunch. Went through a few parks, lots of people out and about on another lovely warm sunny day. Was so hot that we called into a small dairy in a housing estate for ice creams and water. Small campsite around an old fort, friendly host, a few other cycle tourers there too.

(Day 4 - Easter Monday?) Stopped at a middle eastern shop in Amersfoort for supplies as there weren't many shops open. Ice cream in a proper ice cream parlour, we had to pay for the toilets and tried to cheat the system but didn't work, the system was too clever! Lunch was by the river behind a church tower. Large campsite at Otterlo where we were staying for a couple of nights. Great spot in a forest area with a table which made Andrew's day. Ice creams again from the campsite shop - a testament to the hot weather!

Today was spent at Hoge Veluwe national park. First stop though was the bakery and Spar. We entered the national park, which is fenced off and there is an entry fee. We checked out the Kroller-Muller museum which we knew was well known for it's Van Gogh collection and a featured artist Jan Fabre who had interesting (in a weird way) sculptures. Lunch by the cafes where they had the famous white bikes which were free to ride around the park. We did a loop around the park (on our own bikes) and by the Jacque huis where we stopped for ice creams. Out of the park we stopped for coffee and appelgebak (apple cake/pie) and stopped at the Spar to stock up again! Can you tell that we eat a lot on our cycling holidays??

A bit colder today and a long day cycling. We had originally planned to go to Odijk today but decided to head further to south of Linschoten. Bread from campsite reception, had a hot chocolate at Scherpenzeel (the shop was just opening so it took forever). Stopped at VVV in Montfoort for directions to the campsite, but the lady didn't speak English! The first Dutch person we had met who didn't speak a single word. So as Grace came out of the shop exclaiming this fact, another Dutch lady who was passing by stopped and helped us. In fact she was so friendly, she even offered us a room in her home that night. Finally got to the campsite, essentially a farm, nice and quiet, and it rained that night.

Cold again. Short ride to Oudewater where we got bread from a bakery had a bit of a walk around the village. Headed to Gouda (took us ages to find a parking spot and then park up!). VVV for more maps and then the cheese shop of course! Walked around the main square, lunch on a bench under an umbrella. Into St Janskerk which had beautiful stained glass windows. Coffee and cake at an overpriced restaurant on the main square (should have guessed). Saw the old kaas waaghuis. Schoonhoven for the night, nice spot by the dijk, friendly host whom Andrew had a cup of tea with while Grace had cold shower.

Schoonhoven to Middelburg (includes train). Caught ferry across the river and then had the wind behind us down the river towards Kinderdijk. We finally made it this time after not quite making it last year. We walked/cycled amongst the windmills and saw some operating, then continued onto Dordrecht with another ferry in between. Had lunch by the Oudehaven, then stopped at Christa's cookies where we picked up brownie and lemon slice. She was very friendly and was watching the royal wedding! Down to the train station and got our expensive train tickets to Middelburg. There was another man on the train with a bike as well and he suggested lots of things to do in Zeeland. We found an organic supermarket in Middelburg and then went to the campsite via Veere (which was not planned but actually a good thing as it took us in the right direction for the campsite). The campsite was unmanned in the middle of a forest park and just set up camp on a spare site (lots of available sites, and couldn't understand the signs).

Packed up the next day and still no one to pay, asked other campers and they said just go, don't worry, we left 10Euros in a letterbox. We crossed the Oosterskelder with the massive flood barriers and stopped at the Delta Expo. This part of the Netherlands would be completely under water if not for these barriers. We decided not to go into the park because we didn't have time and it was expensive, but managed to get in just for the toilets. Saw lots of wind turbines and it was incredibly windy. We went over some more flood barriers onto the next island. Stopped at Burgh Haamsteede, went to fruit and veg shop, butcher was closed. Found a cafe for coffee and Queen's day orange pastry thing (suggested by another customer). We crossed another dijk onto the next island, still going into the wind and feeling pretty tired as it was hard work. Campsite at Stellendam.

Went across to the next bit of land and stopped at Brielle for a cup of tea and more cake. There was another couple there who were very interested in our bikes and wanted to start B&B bike touring. Got a bit lost trying to leave the town. Many roads, tunnels and bridges near big tank farm. Ferry to Maasluis and lunch in a square. Took the long way to our next campsite as we couldn't cross a dijk along the route that we'd planned. We pitched up and had a shower before heading into Rotterdam for dinner at De Ballentant (recommended by the Lonely Planet). Back to the campsite via Schiedam.

Last day back to Hoek van Holland for the ferry. Stopped at lots of bakeries in De Lier, bit lost near the Hook as there were roadworks. On day ferry back to Harwich, which seemed to drag on a bit...

East Anglia Tour

We recently went on a cycle tour around East Anglia. It was a bit shorter than expected due to other commitments, hence the train journey at the start, but still an enjoyable break. Here is our diary and some photos:

Monday 13th September.
Early start to get the train to Norwich. We were had advance (non-flexible) tickets so couldn't afford to be late. The bikes felt really heavy after not carrying luggage for a while and Grace's new handlebar bag was pressing against here brake/gear cables causing her gears to shift unexpectedly. Norwich Station seemed nice and the staff were actually friendly! Andrew spotted a shop so we had a bacon, egg and sausage baguette to help get us going. We navigated to the campsite with only one wrong turn. As we are classed as backpackers we even got a part refund on the night! We got setup in backpackers area but had to go down a muddy path and walk a long way to get to the facilities.

We re-mounted the handlebar bag onto Andrew's bike where it wasn't going to interfere with the cables.We set off our our Norfolk Broads route. The campsite was just to the south of central Norwich, so it was several miles just to get out to the east to the Broads. What are the Broads you ask? Well, as far as we know, as series of bodies of water (lakes) connected by rivers and canals.

Probably best explored by boat, but should be equally nice travelling around on land. We planned our route to visit some 'scenic points' according to the map and also one of the British Cycling Quest (BCQ) questions we had for the Norfolk county. For a part of the county which was meant to be quite pretty, we found it quite boring. Maybe it's better if you're exploring by boat, but by road we only saw a few broads and crossed a few rivers. They were usually hidden behind some form of vegetation. Also, the weather was pretty grey/dull so even when we did see a broad it was nothing exciting. We ended up going along of a section of byway which was unsuitable for our bikes so ended up having to walk for a bit, whilst getting the bikes covered in mud! Not particularly impressed and must really avoid those byways! We stopped at Filby Broad for lunch and did a quick walk which led to a bird watching area. Not being birdwatchers, we didn't really know what we were looking at but pretty and pleasant enough. We eventually got to Sutton mill but couldn't figure out the BCQ question. So decided to just take a few photos and left.

About this time it was looking very grey and sure enough proceeded to rain. It was a quick ride to Horning where we were going to catch a foot ferry before 5pm that would save us having to go the long way around. We almost missed it because we couldn't find it and got given some misdirections. We were feeling wet and a bit miserable by this point. Just wanted to get back to camp for dinner and a warm bed. A quick stop at supermarket for food on the way into town and back to camp to cook in dark.

Tuesday:
Packed up (but not very quickly). It was still raining on and off so trying to get the tent dry-ish and packed away between showers was difficult. We stopped in Norwich to look for maps and a waterproof map cover because the MemoryMap app on Andrew's iPhone decided to not work. AT ALL! We tried Cotswold Outdoors and a cycle shop but they didn't have a suitable case OR the correct maps, although the cycle shop did advise us about the local cycle paths. We bought maps from WH Smith in the end and eventually set off along the old railway path to the north. It was nicely paved to start with but eventually was dirt, mud and sometimes boggy. Luckily the weather cleared and as we headed to Swannington for another BCQ we were feeling slightly better. Even took off the waterproofs! Unfortunately we went past the point but found it (old water well/pump in the centre of the village) then continued to Reepham.

This was a nice village and we found a nice bench for lunch. It showed signs of raining again, so it was back on with the waterproofs. Another question answered on the way through Stibbard. A few miles further Andrew heard a loud hissing sound from his rear tyre. While changing the tube it rained even harder as a small storm passed through. There was a hole in the tyre and the tube had burst as it was squeezed a bit too much. With 90psi and extra luggage weight, there is a fair bit of strain on that poor inner tube. He replaced the tube but couldn't do much about the tyre (note: add duct tape to the packing list!).

 Picking Blackberries

Not to far from Stiffkey and Andrew's bike went all wobbly. Another flat, same tyre. He found a sharp object in another place so patched that hole but in the meantime Grace went ahead to see if she could buy some tape to temporarily repair the damaged tyre. They didn't have duct tape but had tyres available (small village general store: milk, bread, bike tyres?!) Andrew fixed the tube and we were back on the road. We finally arrived at the campsite in Stiffkey, near the marshes on the North Norfolk coast. It was getting very windy but we were nicely sheltered behind a hedge. We were relieved but tired after a long day so headed to the local pub for dinner. Very nice food and a welcome change to being in the rain.

Wednesday:
Today we planned to take a day trip to Cromer (about 20miles east along the coast). We stopped at local store which was a lovely shop/cafe with nice selection of home/gift stuff and also some groceries. We grabbed a few things for dinner and had a hot chocolate (what a luxury). The shop is only open for half the day on Wednesday which seemed a bit old fashioned at first, but they are also open Sunday mornings and they need some time off! We then headed back to the store that sold bike tyres and asked for a tyre. The man was confused by the metric dimensions and said that Andrew 'wasn't a real cyclist' because of that, but seemed to understand 28 inches. He then rummaged through his workshop and found one. Andrew's tyre was holding some pressure so we decided not to change it yet and just keep the pressure topped up. We noticed these ruins which turned out to be an old priory in the town (which shall now be known as the not-a-real-cyclist-spare-tyre-town).

We finally set off east with the wind behind us and even the up-hills weren't too bad. We walked around Cromer and stopped at a cafe for lunch and and ice-cream by sea. There is a pier (typical English sea-side town) but the sea was very wild the wind was cold.

We took the coast road home as it was shorter and less hilly, but as we anticipated it was hard work cycling into wind. Despite this we were back by 5pm with time to relax and cook dinner. Andrew's slow leak meant that we had to stop and pump up the tyre every 5 miles or so. We were very glad for our Topeak Multi Morph pump which is small but easily achieves 80psi.

Thursday:

This morning Andrew decided to try changing the tyre to avoid the regular top-up stops! The new 28" tyre that we were sold was too big (diameter) for the rim. So much for the 'expert' at the shop with his imperial measurements. More patches and Andrew was running on the old tyre again.

Just west of Stiffkey we stopped at Wells-next-the-Sea. They were psyching up for the Tour of Britain which was about to pass through the town this morning. Lots of people asked us if we were in the Tour. Little did they know that racing cyclists don't ride cheap hybrid bikes and carry 20kg of luggage!!

We stopped at Castle Rising on the way, where there is a historic castle ruin.

Good trip to Kings Lynn, though as we arrived in town had to dodge all the mothers on the school run, walking and parking all over the place. The centre of town seemed a bit bland, but there was a really nice park and great cycle routes. After a stop at the supermarket we made it to the campsite south of town which was quiet and had nice facilities.

Friday:
Down the busy road for a bit then onto national cycle route towards Ely. It was supposed to be an easy (flat) but long day. It was actually hard work with a lot of wind. Andrew had another puncture so he plastered the tyre with patches as well as the tube. Ely could be seen from miles away because of the massive cathedral.

 

Ely was a small, but nice city. The cathedral was amazing, and it was disappointing that we didn't have time to take a good look through. They charged for entry too, so we just took a quick peek:

We topped up on maps (iPhone still not working properly) and headed on to Cambridge. As we entered the city centre it was amazing seeing all the beautiful architecture, seeing people punting on the river, smartly dressed academics meeting for coffee, and bicycles everywhere! It would have been nice to stop for a while but it was already 5:30 and we still needed to get food for dinner and set up camp. The campsite was quite busy, but big. The staff were friendly and amazed we had come 56 miles today. They joked that Grace would get a boyfriend with a car next time. Little did they know that camping was probably more her idea (and it's too late, we are already married).

Saturday:

Homeward bound today. After a cold (4 degrees) start the sun warmed everything up and it was a lovely day. It was a long(ish) ride to Castle Hedingham by which time we were really starting to get sore bums and needed a rest. This route took us through Steeple Bumpstead, only notable for its funny name. We had lunch at the pub we went to last time. Good food and the lady at the bar was about to head to NZ for a year to work, starting with Paihia. She noticed our NZ cycle jerseys. Always a good conversation starter.

The final 20 miles to home were hillier and longer than we remembered, but at least the weather couldn't have been nicer. What a relief to shower and sit on our lovely sofa!

An enjoyable trip, despite some bad weather and punctures, and a great sense of satisfaction to have completed our first (short) tour!

Now, time to order a new rear tyre (700mm, not 28" this time!)

Isle Of Wight

We caught the 8am train (arrived at the station just on time), quick ride across London (having practised the route a few weeks ago), just in time for the next train to Portsmouth, a short ride to the car ferry terminal and perfect timing for the next ferry. We waited near the sign for pedestrians and cycles (but not in the middle of the road where we would get run over) watching cars driving onto the ferry, only to see the ferry ramp get raised. We asked the attendants who were directing vehicles when we were going to be let on, but they said we'd missed that one. Basically it wasn't their job to instruct pedestrians and the guy whose job it was said we weren't waiting in the correct place (the correct place being in the middle if the road in front of the sign) so he couldn't see us. The guys who could clearly see us didn't care. They said that this has been a problem in the past and that they needed another member of staff just to direct the pedestrians. We were only two of four bikes and at least five other pedestrians who were also flummoxed by this attitude and disbelief seeing at the departing ferry. The next ferry was only about 15min wait so we we made sure to block the road and wait in the correct place this time.

It was a minor setback that was mostly annoying because of our lucky run so far. On the island before 1pm, already fed on the train/ferry, we set off. One of our concerns about this trip was hills. Our concerns were justified as the carpark/exit from the ferry at Fishbourne was a steep hill! It flattened out but there were many undulating hills which with 25kg of bike and luggage was hard work! We made regular snack stops and enjoyed the scenery. There is a 'round the island cycle route' which is clearly signposted and usually avoids main roads. We were surprised by the volume of traffic but figured most people have to drive to get anywhere (there are buses and a short section of train line) and the population isn't small.

Our biggest concern was the detour up Culver Down - a hilly point which we knew was a steep climb. We made it to the top (after a short rest part way) and enjoyed great views at the top. It followed a few small hill climbs which meant we were already tired. This was the site of one of our British Cycle Quest questions, otherwise we wouldn't have thought of climbing that hill.

Almost there!

What we thought was not far to the campsite near Sandown was a long 5 miles of hills. We were very relieved to arrive, set up the tent and enjoy a hot shower. Andrew prepared dinner (chorizo and tomato pasta) Grace did the laundry (you don't carry any more clothes than you really need - an additional change of clothes = more weight!).

Our setup

We slept pretty well thanks to our (light) inflatable mattresses and (light) pillows. Our (light) tent kept us warm and dry (when it rained at 6am in the morning). Luckily by the time we has made our porridge the weather had cleared. Our laundry had not dried much and subsequently got rained on but the tent dried out. We were on the road by 10am on our way along the south of the island. Not too many hills to start with, although we detoured to the village of Godshill to get another question answered. The name Godshill gives it away. It's on a hill! We missed the small 'Chapel' on the way through some roadworks so headed for the 'Church' thinking that may be where the answer was. We bought some local chocolate from a chocolate shop which gave us a good sugar boost for the steps up the hill. The hill wasn't much in the end. A service was about to start but a very friendly man (who has relatives living on Waiheke and around NZ) said we could look around for a few minutes (wearing our cycle gear, carrying helmets!). We asked about the chapel and he explained it was back down on the main street. We were glad we missed it though, because the church was really nice and the walk back down via the street took us past several thatched cottages.

We stopped for lunch on the side of the road where we could conveniently lay out the wet clothes to dry!

As we neared Freshwater in the west, we had two long steady climbs. It was great to reach the top and enjoy the views again (chalk cliffs to the west and beaches back to the east). It was also a good chance to finish our sandwiches (we had lots of food breaks rather than filling up all at once).

 

It was a nice ride downhill to Freshwater and to the campsite. We quickly put up the tent and rushed off to the supermarket before closing (Sunday trading hours in the UK) only to realise that the Co-op and Sainsburys Local where not 'real' supermarkets and were open until 10pm! Back to camp, drop off food then we cycled out to the most western point called The Needles, a series of chalky lumps off the point.

Near the point was a carpark and amusement park (the typical tacky British seaside kind) and a chairlift down to a beach which seemed a weird thing to have. We cycled to the very tip where there is a National Trust site called the Old Battery, an old defense battery, but as we were quite late this was closed. The best view was from further back at the 'amusement park' anyway. We enjoyed dinner (same again!). This time we had our own picnic table at the campsite which was very convenient (sitting or crouching on the ground isn't comfortable for long).

Monday morning, 6:30am and it rained again. Fortunately it cleared and the sun dried out the tent before we packed up. Our ride started on a pleasant quiet cycle/walking path up to Yarmouth, then east to Calbourne to visit Winkle St. This is a quaint little street next to a beautiful clear stream. Another great spot to stop for a bite to eat.

Next we headed towards Cowes in the central/north of the island. Our final question was along Victoria Parade but we couldn't find the plaque with the answer to the question. I took a photo of a plaque but figure this wasn't the correct one and that the question was probably out of date. After some fish and chips we went back along the parade to look again but couldn't see anything else. Later I looked at the photo on the camera and realised that the answer was there, at the bottom of the plaque that I had photographed!

There was a 'chain ferry' across the river to East Cowes, free for pedestrians and cyclists. It literally cranked itself along two very chunky chains across the river. Up the hill towards Fishbourne with our final stop at Osborne House, which was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's summer retreat that is managed by English Heritage. We ended up joining EH as this was then an incentive to go and see more sights, and a special offer for 6 extra months free. The house was very large though we only saw part of it. As usual very decadent and elaborate for a royal home, with one wing decorated in Indian style as Queen Victoria had taken a very keen interest in Indian culture. There was also a Swiss Cottage built to teach the children how to cook and each of them had their own garden patch of which Prince Albert would pay for the things they grew. As it was rather warm, we treated ourselves to ice creams and went to look at the bathing machine, yes the Queen had a contraption which allowed her to bathe in the sea without being visible by anyone else. It wouldn't be proper for the Queen to be seen in a bathing suit, now would it. More of a novelty than a practical contraption.

Then it was time for the final run to the ferry terminal. One hill near Fishbourne we were dreading as we had seen in on Saturday, but after all the hills we had climbed, it wasn't bad at all. We were just in time for the next ferry, arrived to Portsmouth slightly early which meant we made the next train, got across London without problems, then had to stand on the National Express train for an hour to Colchester because a person had been hit by a train and caused a large backlog of passengers. As a result, we had to run from our carriage half-way down the train back to the storage coach to retrieve our bikes, otherwise the conductor would have assumed everybody was off/on the train and departed with our bikes and luggage. Home in 4 hours!

It was a tiring weekend but very enjoyable and we decided that we will continue with the cycle touring idea. Next trip is a week-long tour of East Anglia.