Tag Archives: cycle

Leg 10 – into Scotland and on to Edinburgh

1 Reply

10 May 2013

Warning, this post might go a little odd, it was a long day and hard ride. 71 miles, across some serious hills to begin with, and into a nasty headwind all the way.

I awoke to a grey day but at least the rain had stopped, and I’d had a cosy night’s sleep under the Monkey Puzzle tree post lots of food the evening before. Packing up a wet tent is never good, but is something I’ll have to get used to I expect, gave it a good shake but impossible to get it dry without some sunshine.

I breakfasted and set off before 9am, wanting to make good time up into Scotland and to Edinburgh. Little didn’t know at this  point what the day had in store for me. I cycled down into Berwick-upon-Tweed, and across the bridge into the town proper, before finding a McDonald’s on the outskirts for a quick second breakfast and to upload a couple of blog posts via their wifi.

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed

To get into Scotland I had to hit the A1, crossing the border after a few miles, with hills getting hillier, and a headwind building from the East. Sunnier though.

Scottish border

Across the border into bonny Scotland

I finally turned off the A1 at Burnmouth, which was somewhat of a relief given the traffic, and headed down to Eyemouth along the A1107, following route 76. The headwind was getting stronger making hill ascents trickier, but the countryside was lovely and the sun was out, so all good. I had a break in Coldingham post a long climb – quick rest and a banana from my fruit basket, on the St. Abbs road in a nice warm sheltered spot. I didn’t go all the way to St. Abbs as would have involved long hill back up into Coldingham, and I was already feeling a bit tired.

I followed the coast road back towards the A1, past a wind farm having a particularly productive day. Some pretty long hills up, followed by some lovely long descents despite the wind which meant I had to keep pedalling to prevent stopping, even downhill.

Wind farm

Yet more wind farms


 

Scottish Borders countryside

Scottish Borders countryside

I had to cycle down the A1 again for a bit, whereupon I passed a sign which as well as advertising various tourist attractions, mentioned Goblins abounded in East Lothian, but that you might not see one; I’d had a feeling I was being watched for some time.

Goblins

Goblins


I turned off the A1 to Dunbar where I lunch from a local bakery – nice chicken tikka masala slice and cake. Met up with a large group of cyclists on their way to Newcastle from Edinburgh, they were enjoying a nice tailwind, I had the opposite to contend with. They were riding for a children’s charity and taking three days, looked fun but think I prefer cycling on my own or in a smaller group.

In Dunbar I also passed a Peruvian busker, sending familiar notes drifting through the town from his pipes. I’m sure I’d seen him in Norwich at some point. Quite strange to hear in Scotland where I was more expecting bagpipes. He had a funny hat on, maybe he was a goblin.

From Dunbar I headed off once more into the fierce headwind, which was proving very draining. I had to turn off route 76 to keep following the coast, and headed up to North Berwick past Tyninghame and Whitekirk. I passed Tantallon Castle and the impressive Bass Rock island.

Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock Island

Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock Island


I turned into North Berwick where I had a break. I’d had a tiring day so far with my bike feeling heavy. I had suspicions someone or something had slipped stones into my panniers but couldn’t find any. North Berwick is a lovely spot and would be worth a return visit.

North Berwick 1

North Berwick 1


 

North Berwick 2

North Berwick 2


 

Goblin Mound

Possible Goblin Mound or Citadel


On the subject of the large hill/mound to the north of the town, it was a little bizarre coming out of nowhere, and very imposing. Don’t know if it was man made, I suspect not, probably volcanic origins, or more likely Goblin in nature.

The clouds started to draw in now and it was getting colder, so I tried to pick up the pace, heading down the coast through Dirleton which had an impressive castle, then past Aberlady Bay.  As well as getting colder my lower back started to ache on the right hand side which I tried to ignore; suspect poison darts from the Goblins who’d realised I’d rumbled them.

I rode past Gosford Bay where there were several goblins kite-surfers out taking advantage of the wind that had been plaguing me. They were going really well but hard to capture in a photo.

Kite Surfer

Kite Surfer


I think I was starting to hallucinate at this point so I ate some sweets to try and get some energy and sanity back, before continuing along the coast past Cockenzie and Port Seton, then on to Musselburgh where the charity ride from earlier had started. It started raining at this point but I didn’t bother with a waterproof, it would have been too much effort to get out.

Rode on determinedly towards Edinburgh city centre, hoping to make last orders at the Virgin Money lounge above which our Edinburgh office is based. I road around quite a lot of Edinburgh looking for the office, due to going wrong then getting trapped by roadworks. Everything is a lot more difficult when you’re tired. Finally found St Andrews Square, which should have been easier seeing as I passed really close to it about 30 minutes previously, however unfortunately it was well after 17.30 by that point. Thanks for the donations though Edinburgh colleagues!

Worth mentioning that Edinburgh drivers are a little mad, and quite aggressive, plus there are lots of buses to contend with. I think Princes Street had the highest density of buses I’ve ever seen in one place, even more than London or Marseille, and they’re all driven by goblins as far as I can tell. You also have to watch out for the tram lines they’re installing at the moment, no trams until next year however the lines are easy to get your wheel stuck in; several cyclists have apparently fallen afoul!

Negotiating more of Edinburgh I made my way to Hugh and Meredith’s flat, friends who I’d been threatening to visit for years but never quite made it. Arrived in time for dinner, a very welcome Mexican cooked up by Meredith, followed by strawberry tart and ice-cream. Great to catch up and also learnt lots about Lego Star Wars from their son Noah. He could seriously go on Mastermind with specialist subject Star Wars, not sure 6 year old general knowledge would quite work out though I’m sure he’d give them a run for their money. Also got some laundry done so good for at least another couple of weeks now 😉

Full of food, and with thoughts of goblins receding I retreated to a comfy bed, although thinking about it Hugh does have a Goblin tendencies, especially when he gets his bottle of Everclear out – if you’re ever offered this drink run away!

Tough day, hardest yet with wind and hills, but good to end up with friends. Tomorrow equals finding a bike shop to get new brake blocks, tyres, and a once over (for the bike not me, although I could probably do with it), then going down the Union Canal to Falkirk, and on to Stirling. I might also try and find a chemist for sore nose remedy, and anti goblin hallucination drugs!

Leg 9 – to Berwick-upon-Tweed via Northumbria

3 Replies

09 May 2013

After a sound night’s sleep courtesy of Lynne and John, woke up feeling a little dehydrated. Think I need to make sure I drink enough even when it’s cold and I’m not sweating much. It was a beautiful morning with bright sunshine and only the odd fluffy white cloud, however the forecast was for rain later. It often seems to do this in Northumbria, starts off lovely then deteriorates as the day goes on. I made sure I had my waterproof handy after jinxing the weather by applying sun cream.

After a superb and hearty breakfast (full English) I bid goodbye to John, Lynne having left for the office early, thanks again for putting me up guys, recommend no.28 for all touring cyclists! First I cycled back up the hill for a quick look at Warkworth Castle, the first of many I was to see today.

Warkworth Castle 1

Warkworth Castle 1


 

Warkworth Castle 2

Warkworth Castle 2


Warkworth Village

Warkworth Village


Warkworth Village 2

Warkworth Village 2


I then headed back through Warkworth and over the bridge, turning right on to route 1, intending to follow it for a bit before turning inland to visit Alnwick, a short detour down memory lane and to restock with supplies. Reached it in good time after a couple of invigorating hill climbs, and stopped in at Barter Books, the UK’s biggest second hand bookshop and well worth a nosy around. Unfortunately I had no spare room in my panniers, could have spent hours there looking over the dusty shelves of venerable tomes and interesting books of all genres.  Feel certain there must be a few magic grimoires hidden amongst the collection, some scenes from the Harry Potter films having been filmed in Alnwick.

Barter Books, Alnwick

Barter Books, Alnwick, well worth a nosy


I meandered around the town some more and past the castle, but didn’t enter – too expensive at £14 to justify a flying visit and I’d been there before. The castle was used for some of the Hogwarts scenes. After restocking with supplies (pasta, sauces, fruit, chocolate and lunch), but forgetting breakfast ingredients, d’oh, I left Alnwick and made my way back to the coast, down to Howick, along to Craster (wondered if there was a Keep there aka Game of Thrones), and on to Embleton.

Bike with banana attachment

Bike with banana attachment


Alnwick Castle 1

Alnwick Castle 1


Alnwick Castle 2

Alnwick Castle 2


Passed a lot of sheep and lambs lying about in the sunshine. Do sheep lying down mean the same thing as cows lying down, that it’s going to rain? My Gran always said that about cows apparently. It did start to rain about an hour later so reckon so.

Northumbria is littered with castles, a testament to it being on the border with Scotland and more warlike days. I passed several more including Dunstanburgh, right on the coast. The below is the view from route 1 which passes right by it.

 

Dunstanburgh Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle


I did divert from route 1 briefly as it seemed to leave the coastline and I want to stick to it for the most part, but rejoined it at Seahouses, where you can get a boat a out out to the Farne Islands to visit the seals, colonies of sea birds, and St Cuthbert’s pad; he spent his later life there as a hermit. He was also prior of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) which was somewhere I wanted to visit later, but the tides were wrong to get across the causeway, would have to wait for another visit.

Seahouses 1

Seahouses 1


Farne Islands

Farne Islands in the distance


I didn’t have time for a trip out to the Farne Islands today, and besides I’d been there before, plus it was getting pretty wet and cold. After having lunch (again) I chatted to a fellow Ridgeback Panorama tourer for a bit, always nice, before moving on up the coast past Bamburgh Castle which is very impressive, standing tall and imposing.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle


Think Bernard Cornnwall used this location as inspiration for Bebbanburgh, in his Uhtred books which are a great read, set in the period of Alfred the Great with battling Saxons, Normans, Christians and Pagans. If memory serves it was restored by the same person who built Cragside, Lord Armstrong, a great industrialist and inventor. Both places well worth a visit – Cragside especially but was somewhat off route.

I had to leave the coast post Budle Bay to avoid the A1, so moved inland on route 1, and up and down a few more hills. Met a couple from over the pond on heavily laden tourers on their way from Glasgow to Amsterdam, on their first visit to the UK. Nice to chat for a bit and they said how friendly and helpful they had found everyone so far, very encouraging. They started on the 01 May too, and were cycling into the headwind today which I didn’t envy them. Recommended a trip to Norwich on their way down to Harwich to get the boat. They were somewhat surprised I was in in shorts – said I was acclimatising for Scotland!

Continued on to Beal in the drizzle, and stopped at the Beal Barn Cafe for a hot chocolate, followed by a beer as it was still raining – got to keep hydrated after all. Beal is at the head of the causeway to Holy Island, but as mentioned the tide was in so it would have to wait for another visit. This is the second time this has happened to me, poor planning, maybe third time lucky. The Cafe has free wifi and was nice and warm so spent a good hour there sheltering from the rain, and downloaded a new WordPress app for my iPad, hence the photos now. Friendly staff too who gave me marshmallows for my hot chocolate, must have taken pity on my somewhat bedraggled state.

Lindisfarne

Holy Island in the drizzle


Beal Barn Cafe

Beal Barn Cafe – rehydrating


From Beal I headed towards Berwick-upon-Tweed. Had to travel on the A1 for a bit to make up some time, and I wanted to get to the campsite to get out of the wind and rain. The A1 was surprisingly okay, despite the big trucks – probably hit it at a quiet point. After an 8 mile stretch I turned off into Scremerston and headed into Berwick looking for the Pot-a-Doodle campsite – they have wigwams which I thought sounded cool. I doubled back through Wittal in a big circle, on a very bumpy route 1 along the cliffs which I was glad it’d avoided earlier. Eventually found the campsite back in Scremerston, but it was closed. 

Rode back to Berwick and found a different campsite – East Ord House Park, which accepts tents and had a cosy spot for me next to a monkey puzzle tree. Quickly set up the tent and got a very welcome hot shower, before retreating to the on site bar for a huge plate of liver and bacon, side salad and onion rings. Really nice and very much needed. This was to be my last night in England for a while being only a stones throw from the border, so I had a couple of pints from the Belhaven Brewery, as recommended by the friendly clientele, to mark the occasion, whilst writing up my blog from the comfort of the bar.

All in all a great day at around 70 miles, and trip down memory lane, if a little tough at a couple of points; I did resort to playing some Pantera and Disturbed off my phone at a couple of points to get me up a few hills! Then Coldplay came on which slowed me down somewhat – this was on speaker by the way as don’t agree with cycling in earphones, but there was no one else to annoy apart from the odd bemused looking cow.

Off into Scotland tomorrow, and round to Edinburgh which I hope to reach in time to visit the office in St Andrew’s Square, should be doable depending on the weather. Looking forward to seeing Hugh and Meredith who have offered to put me up for the night.

Bike and body still doing well, although one unpredicted side effect of lots of cycling is a very dry nose, and think I might have burst a few capillaries therein. Will visit a chemist in Edinburgh but probably just needs to acclimatise to lots of outdoor activity!

Leg 8 – to Newcastle & Warkworth

5 Replies

08 May 2013

After a good night’s sleep I awoke to a duller day requiring more layers due to an overcast sky and colder wind. Eating nearly  the last of my porridge I realised I’d definitely need to buy supplies soon, luckily I had a B&B stop at a colleague’s house planned for that evening.

After a quick check of the route on my maps, due to my Garmin still being disabled (must email them!), I hit the road in good time and pedalled back to Seaham, before turning North up the coast towards Sunderland. The clouds were building up and looking more and more threatening at this point however I hoped to avoid the worst of any rain which was moving up from the South. I stopped in Sunderland for a second breakfast at a McDonald’s, the first of the trip, because they have free wifi and I needed to do a blog update. Breakfast wasn’t to bad either as it happens.

Post hobbit breakfast I crossed the river, negotiating some serious traffic and exchanging a few pleasantries in the process. I actually enjoy the challenge of cycling in cities and it makes a nice contrast to sleepy country lanes. It doesn’t intimidate me, you just have to keep your wits about you and respect the rules of the road. Don’t jump traffic lights, it really annoys drivers! Mutual respect is the way forward.

Continued on to Whitburn Bay where there were a few kite surfers out braving the cold North Sea, then on to South Shields, a pretty dull and dirty ride so far.

Whitburn Bay and kites

Whitburn Bay and kite surfing

I turned inland following the banks of the Tyne and the Keelman’s Way cycle path, to get to Newcastle. After quite a few ups and downs, a few wrong turnings and random horses wandering about, I reached the cycle/pedestrian bridge in Newcastle and crossed over the Tyne.

Newcastle cycle bridge

Newcastle cycle bridge and Opera House


Up into Newcastle I rode a bit of a circuitous route to get to Gosforth, where work have our main office. I wanted to avoid the duel carriageways but succeeded in getting slightly lost due to the warren like nature of Newcastle and it’s suburbs, and the fact my map wasn’t fit for purpose at this point! It also started raining, typical.

Finally reached the office and had lunch with some colleagues. Great to meet up after a week on the road and take advantage of the canteen – got a free lunch too courtesy of the boss who should also be joining me for a leg at some point – no pressure Dave! Another colleague was a little late turning up due to his motorbike breaking down on the way up from Norwich, wheel bearings disintegrated which could have been a lot nastier than it was.

Back on the road, post a morale boost and with jelly babies in hand, I headed back to the Tyne and followed the North bank out to the coast, passing through Byker Village, which I’m assuming gave rise to the tv series Byker Grove with Ant and Dec, and then Wallsend. Wallsend was a bit unimpressive, I’d heard it wasn’t much but I expected a bit more for the end of Hadrian’s Wall.

Wallsend

Wallsend


I reached Tynemouth Village after cycling along Hadrian’s Wall cycle path, past various dockyards and ships, and found an impressive castle on the bluff.

Tynemouth Castle 1

Tynemouth Castle 1


 

Tynemouth Castle 2

Tynemouth Castle 2


After the morning’s ride the coastline was much more impressive, and nice to spend the majority of the ride on cycle paths or the promenade.

Tynemouth Village

Tynemouth Village


 

Tynemouth Castle 3

Tynemouth Castle 3

 

Into the mists

Into the mists


Continued on through Whitley Bay, where I didn’t stop, making really good progress despite the nasty weather. The sun would come out occasionally and make everything steam. Things looked quite eerie in the mists, especially the slowly turning now familiar wind farms. Sound also goes a bit different in the mist or fog so was a bit spooky, and I thought I might be cycling into Ravenloft (obscure reference there). I was also getting quite tired so started singing to keep rhythm up – probably sounded quite bad but belted out a few Queen numbers anyway.

Had a long yet invigorating stretch up to Blythe, where it started raining again so I put my waterproof back on. I decided not to bring waterproof trousers and just get wet legs. Lycra and thin shorts dry quickly so not regretting it yet. Crossed a couple of bridges and continued north to Newbiggin, which has a plinth in the harbour with two people standing on it. I assume these were statues rather than real people but it was still quite misty so who knows!

Newbiggin

Newbiggin – people on plinth

Continued on through Lynmouth and Ellington, where I passed a bit of a brawl between a group of girls, steered clear of that one, they fight dirty, not a great place. Back on route 1 I passed through Cresswell and then along a coastal track beside Druridge Bay. Really nice ride as the sun started to come out, and the route goes through a bird reserve. There were quite a lot of twitchers out, and a few other cyclists to say hello to. It was getting late at that point and in wanted to make Lynne and John’s in good time so pushed on harder, but had to stop a few times to admire the views.

Highland cattle

Highland cattle


 

At one random point I suddenly remembered where I put my passport and driving license, which had been worrying me for a while. They were cm’s from me in my handlebar bag underneath the money pouch. A safe place! Phew. Had some liquorice from Whitby to celebrate. Also noticed the Ridgeback was starting to make grinding noises, probably due to the rain and sand, so made a note to give it a wash down and lube the following day.

Finished with a ride through Amble, then on to Warkworth with the sun silhouetting the castle – got the picture somewhere but don’t think it’s uploaded to the cloud yet for some reason. A great days ride, bit longer than expected at 81 miles (plotted it on Garmin connect later that evening), but very satisfying to get through the adverse weather and see some friends.

Stayed at a colleagues B&B, No. 28, in Warkworth, Lynne and John Ross, thanks for putting me up guys! John had cooked a fine chilli which really hit the spot, and there was plenty of it to satiate my cycling carb requirements. Also had a couple of pints in their local and tried a different beer, Wymer I think, was very nice. Good to have a natter and swap stories of various adventures. Lynne’s sister is currently sailing from New Zealand to Tahiti, sounds amazing yet slightly terrifying. Good luck to her and her husband! I heartily recommend their B&B for cyclists, bikes can be locked away and they’re great hosts.

Found a note a work colleague had slipped into my panniers when I wasn’t looking wishing me good luck from everyone, thanks Jayne!

It was weird to go to sleep in a real bed again, but I was very quickly snoozing and looking forward to seeing more of Northumbria the next day, and places Lu and I visited a few years ago.

Leg 6 – To Whitby – rest day ahoy!

1 Reply

Still a couple of blog posts behind but getting there on the catching up front. Photos will have to wait until I get to a computer, or I might put up a complete gallery individually if get to a good place with wifi for my phone to connect into. Trouble is the wordpress app on the phone isn’t that great, several usability issues that could be fixed relatively easily and improving it lots.

06 May 2013
Seeing it was a rest day had a later start to the day, not setting off until 10am. My legs were aching slightly from yesterday’s exertions so definitely good timing on the break front. Packed up in the sunshine, with little in the way of wind, just enough for the kids camping nearby to get their kites up in the air. One of them proceeded to nearly dive bomb me several times accidentally – was slightly worried any sudden gust might take them over the edge of the hill and down a steep drop, that would have been character building at the very least!

Had a wander around the campsite and was bemused to see several caravans with satellite dishes or tv aerials, not sure why people would want to watch tv in such a beautiful spot but guess they like their home comforts, and don’t want to miss their favourite soap.

Bay Ness farm also hosts an off roading centre which I thought was a little dangerous, perched as it is at the top of a very steep and long hill, but probably adds to the adrenalin rush. A group of men were standing around a rugged looking jeep being loaded on to the back of a pick-up, all peering at the underside and admiring the damage done the day before; bent axle, bits sticking out that shouldn’t be, I’m sure my friend Neal would have been able to identify the bits far better than I, into off roading as he is. The owner of the jeep was promising to put photos up on his website of the post mortem, all very exciting if you’re into cars judging by the convivial atmosphere and general mirth and grunting. I prefer bikes, easier to mend and generally less expensive, most of the time.

Anyway I mounted my trusty steed for day 06, seems like longer than that since I left Norwich, and made my way back down the hill that nearly broke me the day before. Think I’m going to have to get some new brake pads in Edinburgh! After a couple of false starts I found the Cinder Trail, helped by some locals who called out that I was going the wrong way, must happen a lot. Headed North towards Whitby with the black dust coating everything again, making me think I should have taken the road, however the trail goes through some great countryside and wasn’t too bumpy today. I wouldn’t like to do it in the wet but fine in the sunshine, and I was having day 6 of sunshine so all good.

Quite a few other cyclists and walkers out for a bank holiday morning outing, general greetings exchanged in passing. I try to vary my greetings now otherwise gets boring, so occasionally I throw in some French, or Italian, the latter being trickier as I know very little Italian. Even broke into a tuneful ‘good morning, good morrrning’ at one point due to some downhill exuberance, which seemed to confuse the elderly couple I passed, they smiled though. I was passed by one other tourer, the first serious one I’ve met so far, on more of a mountain bike than my Ridgeback so he was coping better with the terrain. We had a brief conversation on the merits of different tyres for this sort of track; I was worried mine might get shredded at some point. I think I’ll either have to change to fatter tyres or stay on them roads more, although saying that haven’t had another puncture, touch wood, since day 2.

I made it to Whitby in good time and checked out the Abbey, which looked suitably Gothic and impressive (insert photos but look it up on google for the time being). Couldn’t see any Goths though, probably a bit bright, and I’d forgotten my goth get up, wouldn’t have fitted in the panniers too well anyway.

From the Abbey I walked my bike down an extremely steep and cobbled road into the town, it was a little hair raising at times with such a heavy load. If I’d let go could have caused quite a pile up at the bottom due to the sheer volumes of tourists out today. Whitby was absolutely rammed, so before going any further I stopped for a bacon and egg roll from a great little cafe at the bottom of that hill. Only £2.50, the yoke did go everywhere though and I had to do some emergency cycling top cleaning.

I continued to brave the masses for a bit, taking in Whitby’s lovely narrow streets and odd mix of shops, from the standard touristy ones where I bought some liquorice and ice cream, to the weirder curiosity shops and goth jewellery and clothing boutiques. And of course a host of fish and chip shops, more than I’ve seen anywhere else. I did have to be careful not to take anyone out with my panniers as I cycled out to the harbour, it was so crowded and people don’t hear or look for bikes, plus they were in general holiday bimble mode so weren’t very alert.

One comment, people really need to get on their bikes more or do some exercise, haven’t seen quite so many overweight people in one place for a while. They’ll be a heart disease epidemic at this rate; something close to my heart, as it were, having had an erroneous electrical pathway in my heart fixed a couple of years ago. Amazing operation via catheter ablation, I got to watch it on a screen whilst it was being done, under the effects of morphine. I remember grinning inanely at the nurse. Glad it’s fixed as your heart rate going up to insane speeds is not pleasant for an extended period of time and made the Docs think I was having heart attacks. In and out in 2 days, hurrah for wonders of modern medicine and the NHS.

Having had my fill of crowds I retreated to the campsite, Broading’s Farm, located just outside the town. Nice and quiet site with good shower block, always important, and friendly owner who let me charge my mobile. Lots of friendly dogs too, including a black lab puppy I think, very inquisitive. At this point my Garmin decided to break, and wouldn’t turn back on despite leaving it to charge for ages. Think it needs a hard reset but can’t do that on the road as don’t have the right tools, will try and find a shop in Newcastle or Edinburgh. Until then the Nemesis device will be out of action, probably a good thing given the last few days of it going wrong. Will use maps for a bit and see how I get on, plus write to Garmin with some feedback when this is over. It’s great when it works but has gone wrong too often, and now I’m going to have to record my miles manually.

Spent the next few hours reading my book, Josie Dew’s Slow Coast Home as recommended by a mother and daughter I met when out training in Norfolk, seems like an age ago but was only a couple of weeks. Great read so thanks for the recommendation. I also napped a fair bit.

Headed back into Whitby in the evening for more feeding and a few beers. Chilled out in the Shambles Bar for a while, which overlooks the harbour and serves great ale. Unfortunately they’d run out of food due to the bank holiday masses, who as mentioned earlier could really have foregone a meal or two and left some for me.

I had dinner at the Fisherman’s Wife, tomato soup followed by haddock and chips. Best haddock and chips I’ve had so far and the waitress gave a donation to the Big C which was great, must add it to my page. The restaurant has a great view over the beach and harbour area. Took some more photos which again I’ll put up at some point – there’s going to be hundreds of them, might have to buy a camera if iPhone runs out of memory. Saw a few rowing jigs, think that’s what they’re called but could well be wrong, out for an evening’s team session, haven’t seen the like since I holidayed in Cornwall.

I did miss the Magpie Cafe which I’d wanted to visit, it was just too busy; the queue was massive for hours. I spent a few hours in the Buck Hotel Inn bar writing up my blog and enjoying a few pints of Tim Taylor’s Landlord again, really superb pint and seems to taste even better up North, must be because it’s closer to home. The bar has free wifi and was playing some great old school tunes as mentioned in my post last night.

So, fully rested and fed I made my way back to the campsite, in a slightly wobbly but responsible fashion, and crashed for the night. Aching legs and body all forgotten, and ready for tomorrow’s leg over the River Tees and beyond. Feels like quite a long way from home now but morale good and looking forward to the next week. I recommend Whitby for anyone that’s not been, i’ll be trying to make it for the Goth festival next year 😉