Coast and Castles: Video and Report

On day one I had an early start to catch the 06.03 hrs train from Manchester to Edinburgh. Rain started on the way up and stayed for most of the first day. I did a detour from the official Coast and Castles route to go to Penicuik to collect a BCQ checkpoint. I was glad to get out of the Edinburgh suburbs at last as the route goes through housing estates, disused car parks and over stepped rail bridges - not the greatest cycling.

I did the biggest climb of the route and, cycling wise, only met an elderly Norwegian couple going the same way all day. The rain stopped by late afternoon, the Sun came out, the scenery grew better by the mile, the campsite at Melrose was nice and the local pub did a great steak. 74 miles in all. Slept very well.

Day two started with a mist which quickly burned off and the rest of the day was sunny but not too hot. I got an early start about 07.30 hrs and had a great day cycling with frequent stops to film. The cycling was easy and, after Berwick, I started to see many more cyclists although most were going the other way. 

I stopped to say hello to a couple riding Surly Long Haul Truckers and would have loved to stay and chat longer but had made arrangements to camp at The Barn at Beal just near Holy Island. I had about an hour to get there and 10 miles of coastal path to cover so couldn't hang around. The campsite was lovely and quiet and I was in time for a cooked meal and drinks before they shut so had no need of the noodles! 61 miles. Slept well again.

Day three found me lying in till 09.15 hrs! No problem though as I could not cross to Holy Island till 10.30 hrs. It was overcast and there were spots of rain in the air. Lots of cars and a fair few cyclists on the island. It would have been more beautiful there if it wasn't for all the visitors. I would like to go back and stay on the island in between tides when most tourists have departed. Just had an hour there before retracing my route through Beal to the A1 and over.

I cycled a little bit with another couple who were heading to Alnmouth by days end. I was hoping to get a few miles further on to Amble before meeting my wife. I was surprised they chose to cycle down the A1 rather than take the cycle route. My way was certainly hillier but I wasn't rushing. The rain started to pour and did so for frequent spells over the rest of the day. After Bamburgh I knew a fair bit of the route as I've driven around these parts a fair bit.

I was soaked to the skin but warm and having a great time. I knew I wasn't going to make Amble by the time I'd arranged to meet my wife so decided on a rendevous at Alnmouth. I never saw the couple who took the A1 but did find the Red Lion pub. I dried off and managed two pints of Black Sheep before my wife turned up - an hour late. Held up by traffic on the A1 she said! 49 miles today and 184 miles in total. A great little break.

Wet And Windy Mini Cycle Tour

Recently returned from a two day mini cycle tour to Merseyside. I planned a route to collect all six British Cycle Quest checkpoints for the region. I also wanted to try out my new Super-i-Cable (SIC) charging unit. The weather forecast wasn't great but it was accurate - The Wet and Windy Mini Cycle Tour!

Anyway, I got all the checkpoints, gave the SIC a good trial, cycled 119 miles, broke 1 bottle cage, had my first puncture running Schwalbe tyres in over 3200 miles, failed to rendevous with Lorenza who was doing the Manchester-Liverpool cycle ride on her Pashley, got condensation in the bullet cam, gave up trying to find somewhere to wild camp and used the credit card instead, found Haribo Super Mix is a great energy boost and, to cap it all, decided to get the train the last 20 odd miles back to Manchester because I really couldn't face any more miles of suburban uniformity, heavy traffic and crap cycling infrastructure in the cold and wet.

Still, I had a good time. The Vimeo effort really reflects the lack of filming and photography I did. It was either too wet, too windy or I was too cold. Well, Plato did suggest necessity is the mother of invention!

100+ Miles Mini Cycle Tour

Missus and Golden child are away with family for a few days while I have to work. Had two consecutive days off so decided on a two day cycle-camping trip. It's a hard life. 

Day one from Manchester to Hebden Bridge, mainly along the the Rochdale Canal and then the climb up o'er moors to Haworth. Wild camping that night at Wuthering Heights.

Day Two an earlier start with an absolutely gorgeous morning. First an off road route to Wycoller and then on to Colne for a surprise visit to my Aunty. After this nice little interlude I climbed up to Newchurch in Pendle before dropping back to the Leeds-Liverpool canal for a winding, bumpy route to Chorley where I gained speed but also traffic on the A6 back to Manchester. 

109 miles in all and not a drop of rain. Lovely!

Carry On (Cycle) Camping

I am looking forward to cycling in 2011. I have a few days in April when the wife and child are away, 4 days in the summer to do a coast to coast crossing with my brother (route yet to be decided) and a whole week or so in late summer for a longer solo trip - likely travelling the length of Wales although the west coast of Scotland or even the Outer Hebrides may be the final choice. I will also be trying for some local one nighters to knock off a few localish BCQ checkpoints I cannot get to and back from in one day. All in all quite exciting within the confines of my middle aged, married with a child, employed lifestyle. 

So today I have started preparing. Last year on the Pennine Cycleway trip I realised two items let me down a little - my tent was too bulky, past its best and heavier than I would like (isn't everything too heavy when you have to carry it?) and my sleeping bag was only just OK for summer use (it is a hosteling bag rather than a decent camping one and so really was never meant to be used under canvas). So damn the VAT rise, I've gone and done my bit for the economy and splurged on some new camping gear. 

I am now the proud owner of a Vango Force 10 Helium 200 tent and a Mountain Hard Wear Lamina 35 synthetic '2 season' sleeping bag. I wanted both to offer reasonable quality without costing a fortune, be small to pack yet roomy to use and of course be light to carry. No one variable totally achievable without impacting on one or more of the others. So after some research via t'inernet I had a rough shortlist but wanted to actually hold the products in my hand, try them out and compare before making my final decision so I went for an actual physical shopping experience rather than ordering online. 

Cotswold had a number of tents in stock, was happy to have them erected and crawled through by yours truly and one of the assistants was also a cycle tourer of 2 years worth of world travel so could add his useful experiences into the mix. After the help they gave me I decided to purchase from them even though I normally go for the least expensive outlet, however I got a 15% discount by virtue of being a CTC member so there wasn't actually much price difference in the end.

No more B&Bs for me now!*

*unless the weather if really awful or I don't feel well