I tossed and turned all night on the ferry, finally giving up trying to sleep at 4.30. At 5.30 an announcement came over the tannoy that the restaurant was open for breakfast so we rose and tried to shine. Then it was time to go back to Bertie and disembark. Bertie with the big boys... Continue Reading →
Catching the ferry from Harwich
We had an uneventful journey from home to Harwich. It took about 6 hours with a stop for something to eat. On arriving, we had a wander round the historic town for a couple of hours. Then we had a lovely meal before catching the ferry, and John was pleased to have a pint of... Continue Reading →
Another adventure beckons: Austria & Italy
We’ve waited for this trip for a long time. At Christmas 2019, we booked 5 mountain refuges to hike a section of Alta Via Uno in the Italian Dolomites during summer 2020. However, along came Covid and the world sat still. The trip was put on hold and the bookings moved to August 2021. Like... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 6: Workington to Penrith… the end!
We did it! We completed C2C and Hadrians's cycleway. 472 kilometres (293 miles) across England and back, with 5.4 kilometres (3.3 miles) of ascent... in just 6 days! The last day was tough, partly because the wind was in our faces for a lot of the day, but also because it was through the Lake... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 5: Carlisle to Workington
We started the day tired after being woken by a drunken argument in the B&B at 2.20. Of course, as I’m an insomniac, it took me 2 hours to get back to sleep. Despite that, we’ve had a good, if long day, cycling 100 kilometres again. We left Carlisle along the River Eden following cycle... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 4: Hexham to Carlisle
What a beautiful day! Hadrian’s Wall Cycleway didn’t disappoint and the weather was perfect. The only downside today was our sore nether regions, which made bumpy sections of the route particularly challenging 😆. From the elevation profile of today’s route, we could see it was going to be another rollercoaster day. When we reached the... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 3: Stanley to Hexham
100 kilometres! I have just cycled 100 kilometres! Without complaining… not much anyway 😆. I expected to struggle with it, but I was fine… until the last half hour when it chucked it down with rain anyway! We set off today on the Consett and Sunderland Railway path through lovely scenery. We were very lucky... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 2: Alston to Stanley
Today has been a tough day… especially a tough afternoon. The morning was like a roller coaster as we had 6 big climbs… up down, up down, up down… you get the picture. Then, on the last and steepest hill, just after lunch, Ruby’s battery failed. You can imagine the tantrum… but I did it…... Continue Reading →
C2C & HCW day 1: Penrith to Alston
We arrived in Penrith by noon. It was spitting with rain and I have to admit I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic about the bike ride ahead of me. We went to the loo, changed into our cycle gear and loaded the bags onto the bikes. Then, after eating our ham sandwiches, we set off. The... Continue Reading →
C2C & Hadrian’s Cycleway: this year’s challenge
It’s raining! I didn’t sign up for that! Today we start our 6-day cycling challenge, with almost 500 kilometres (300 miles) and 4000 metres of ascent ahead of us. That’s about 80 kilometres (50 miles) a day and 700 metres of ascent…. What am I doing?! When we planned the challenge last year, I’d done... Continue Reading →