Dover Durness Day 3: Great Shelford to Burton le Coggles

Distance today         79 miles in 5hrs 28mins
Height Climbed       2470 feet burning 2204 Kcal

Distance so Far       213 Miles  in  15hrs 13mins
Height Climbed      8349 Feet Burning 6267 Kcal

Great Shelford is on the edge of Cambridge and there was easy access to the massive network of traffic free cycle paths that pass through the city. So within 200 yards of leaving our accommodation, I was riding next to a railway line heading into the city. A short diversion through a science park, and then next to the guided bus network, a curious way of normal buses running in a concrete track with little guide wheels keeping them inside the walls of the concrete channel. They have car traps to stop cars using them. 

Then onto a series of back streets, parks and on road cycle paths, over the river and back to the guided bus network. A major city crossed with little fuss. There were even diversions for the cycle track, which was great until it stopped and left me abandoned. I tried to get back onto the route though another science park (a posh name for a trading estate in Cambridge). I found a way though, but the gate was locked. Only open day time on weekdays. Bugger. I tracked back along the back on the units and found another way back onto the track.

The tailwind had returned, and on this good tarmac surface I pushed on. I could see another closure under a bridge. High metal barriers obscured the view through, buses were diverted. But as I closed there was a cycle/foot path through.It didn't last though. Another closure. This time someone in a van.

 

How do I get round, I'm not local? The young woman, probably an intern, had been told that

everyone would know but clearly not. She suggested left then right. I checked the map. It should

work. I'd been warned that there may be a closure, but it is really frustrating to have a closure and no proper diversion. We agreed that a piece of paper and a map would've helped. I moved on. Following my nose, and at the cost of three miles, I returned to the route.

Not to say its not flat round here, but 30 miles done and only 600 feet of climbing done. Passepartout and I met in Great Stukeley, and we shared current buns and filled a water bottle and off again.

The day passed: Rolling hills, quite roads, a flower Concorde, an

old American plane at some unused base, then the tar and chipping started. 3 sections of a couple of miles. At least they weren't done yesterday, with the sea of chippings they leave for the cars to roll in, and the cycles to slide on. No there was enough here to slide on corners and for the odd car to pass at 50 and fire stones at my legs. 

 

Another meeting with Passepartout and onto Rutland and a cycle event sign.
Maybe a time trial or a sportive. At the next junction there were Raynet members, amateur radio enthusiasts who assist at events. It was the ladies race of the Bourne Classic Cycle Race, confirmed by a later sign. They were 50 minutes behind me. At the speed I was traveling they could catch me soon!

Onwards and clouds came in. The wind picked up futher. My tail wind was cross tail so still useful. Less than 10 miles to go, would I get wet? I pushed on. I want to keep the bike in the room tonight so it must stay dry. 1.5miles to go, it starts to spit, I can see the rain to my left. I push on and pull into the pub carpark and the bike and I head for cover. The rain stops.

Dover Durness Day 2: Horndon on the Hill to Great Shelford

Distance today         63 miles in 4hrs 05mins
Height Climbed       2293 feet burning 1613Kcal

Distance so Far       134 Miles  in  9hrs 45mins
Height Climbed      5879 Feet Burning 4063 Kcal


There is nothing quite like a nice straight downhill to get into the swing of things, so it was a lovely surprise and a great start to the day to find a 1:10 downhill just half a mile from the nights accommodation. It was quite early too, well earlier than intended. We were up and fed and ready to go by 8.30 so no point in hanging around, especially as it was sunny.

Essex is nice, but fairly flat and quite samey. Arable and quite a lot of trees, and a bit rolling. Most of the crops are in, so it is mostly ploughed fields.

There was a field of sun flowers looking over the hedge at me which was a surprise.

Dominating today was road works. Generally a "road closed" sign means might be closed to a cyclist. The one yesterday, was passable on the footpath, then down the road dodging the large holes dug for updating the mains.

Today though it was closed. Proper closed. The trench across the road was about 4 feet wide and the man I talked to was up to his chest in it. I thought about taking a run up at it, but maybe not. He told me to take the diversion, but these are often a long way, further than necessary, as they can only divert onto roads of the same class or higher. He said that yes, I would end up on a very busy A road and suggested a different side road. A big hill and a ride on the distgribor roads though Basildon and I was back on course.

Later in the day there was another: This time the whole bridge was missing. The gap was wide and deep and over a electirfied railway line. A look on the map suggested I could get down a lane and across the railway on footpath. It worked. Only getting of the bike to wheel it across the track after obeying the traffic lights for the pedestrian.

The bee has been having a great time. He is enjoying the village signs found in teh center of the villages and having a close look at a few. 

We passed the end of the runway at Stansted. I didn't notice a thing.

Passepartout, drive the other way and said she had planes taking off over the car, at my end nothing. Except these signs, which we decided to strictly disobey

 We also found some nice buildings including some pargeting

 After the rather short day today with its lovely tailwind we are back up to 75 miles. This is all very well but as I am doing 850 miles in 10 days and am well below the average at present you can be sure some longer harder days are on their way. Lets hope for more tail wind, or at least cross tail.

 

Dover Durness Day 1: Dover to Horndon on the Hill

Distance today        71 miles in 5hrs 40mins
Height Climbed       3586 feet burning 2450Kcal

Distance so Far       71 Miles  in  5hrs 40mins
Height Climbed      3586 Feet Burning 2450 Kcal

After over 35 years of thinking about this particular trip I have finally started. I suspect when I was younger it would've been self supported with a tent and all that, but time moves on and I am not so keen. The dog would not be keen either.

So, at 10.00 I pedaled out of the National Trust Car Park on the start of the first day. Well that was the plan. The car park was thick gravel and I was in the small cog at the back. I got off and walked. Then restarted down the slope and stopped again to take a photo of Dover harbour, then again another view of the harbour, then the sign to the car park as I left, and finally Dover Castle. Pictures taken I started properly.

The bike felt heavy and slow even down hill. This was going to be hard. The climb out of Dover wasn't bad, and I was quickly on the downs above and on the back road to Canterbury.

Canterbury seems to lack cycle paths on the south side, of at leas

t those I could find, so it was a quick play with the traffic then into the city center and onto the traffic free pedestrian and cycle zone. Nobody had told the pedestrians this, and they conspired to bring me to a slow walking pace over the cobbles. The babies and small children in prams and buggy's shock and they passed over the cobbles. I know how you feel mate.

Cycle paths found I left the city and climbed up to next to the A2. Fun it is, riding on a narrow cycle path the towards the oncoming lorries. Turning north running parralle to the A2 I ran through Faversham, Sittingbourne and onto Gillingham. Sittingbourne was at a standstill traffic wise. Denise took way longer to catch me and get ahead again. I cycled up back roads and through the park. 

Gillingham and Chatham were negotiated on the cycle paths, and sometime footpaths when I lost the

cycle path. I wasn't looking forward to the heavy traffic here, but they can go as fast as they like when I am in my very own lane. This is all well and good until they decide to dig them up: cars get diversion signs, I get to do loops in Rochester looking to see if an alternative was provided.

A short climb again, down small lanes to a large trading estate.The road ends and there is a small hole in the fence with a cycleway sign. Past the car re-cyclers and it is onto the Medway Canal towpath. I can't really see the canal. What I can see is clean, but it hasn't seen a boat in years. Miles of mixed gravel in a striaght line with the canel by my side. I know Gravesend is near, but it doesn't wan to come. 

Then it does. When I last visited I thought it lived up to its name. Perhaps its the sun shine, but this time its not so bad (as last time), I still wouldn't choose to go back.

I could now take the ferry. It takes people and their bikes to Tilbury and is the lowest point on the river where you can cross. Instead I meet Denise. She is not keen on

driving on the M25 and over or under the river to meet me. So bike on car and I drive to Tilbury. There is traffic everywhere. We take an hour and a half to do 20 miles. Then it is back on the bike.

I try to carefully research the route. I check that a line which says is a cycle path is something that can actually be ridden. Sustrans have a nasty habit of choosing a cheeky sandy path, or ploughed field and taking unsuspecting cyclists down it. The path by the river is not a sustrans

route. It starts well. Then I have to carry my bike over a wall into the river. A sign warns that it can be under water at high tide. I'm ok the tide is going out. The path is good, right up next to the flood wall on concrete. There are another three sets of steps at a pier, then more concrete. Finally the path rises onto the top of the wall and I am safe. A few roads and into the nights accommodation car park. No Denise.  A quick ride up the road finds her outside the other pub waiting for me. 

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Distance so Far       0 Miles  in  0hrs 0mins
Height Climbed      0 Feet Burning 0 Kcal

So it's Tuesday night. We've been packed since Monday evening, just toothbrushes and minor bits to add, and we could be off. But one more day to wait. I'm excited and anxious all at once and want to go now.

Tomorrow its one last day in the office, then home, pack the car and we drive to near Dover. Neither of us are particularly looking forward to having play on the M25, but hopefully by the time we get there it will be passable.

LE Bee testing his rain coat

Then Thursday morning it's a short trip to the White Cliffs of Dover, then leg over the cross bar for the first time in 10 days of general north north westish. 

I do hope you have time to join me on the way. We will keep it light and fun. 

All for now

G

Mr LE Bee’s (Second) Adventure - Dover to Durness

As you may know I do rather a lot of cycling. Nine years ago, whilst sat sunning myself in a café with good cake, a bee accosted me. This bee was not after my cake, but a favour. It turns out he was one of the mass of bees stationed at Henstridge Airfield to support the work of the Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance. Although he enjoyed his trips out and gained immense satisfaction from the work done, he was looking to broaden his horizons. 

He had found limitations to the amount of buzzing around he could do in one day, and got far too hot and buzzy in a car. He had tried holding onto cars, but got blown off as they picked up speed, and then had to avoid any following car as he tumbled around in the air flow. It appears that after extensive research that riding on a bicycle was just about the ideal combination of outdoors and airspeed for a bee to take.

He turned out to be quite a friendly bee, as bees go, and is quite persuasive. The upshot of this is that he wanted to travel the length and breadth of the country, and by looking through car windows at road atlases had decided that Land’s End to John O’Groats was not enough and he wanted to travel via the four cardinal points: The Lizard in south; Lowestoft in the east; Ardnamurchan Point in the west and Dunnet Head in the north. 

So we made plans and we did it. We did 1350 miles in 14 and a half days and it rained on 13 of those days. Our blog can be found at http://gregcycle.blogspot.com/2010/

The other day in the warmth of Easter there was a mad buzzing at the door. Mr L.E.Bee is back. Apparently, although we raised money for the air ambulance, it appears that they have only been and spent it, and they are going to need to put some fuel in soon and he wants another adventure. (He said coins in the meter, but he is a bee after all).

So we are off again at the very end of August for me to cycle while he shelters from the rain. This time it is Dover to Durness, the opposite corners to Land’s End to John O’Groats (bottom right to top left). It’s not much shorter than the traditional End to End and we have to play with the traffic close to London. He has agreed to fly up the hills, guard me from wasps, and not to complain when it rains.

In order to motivate me and Mr LE Bee in this madness, we would ask you to sponsor us both in aid of the Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance. Being a bee, he can’t carry much and carrying coins one at a time back to Henstridge is very hard work, so he would prefer paper money or cheques. I on the other hand will take the loose change from you pocket as it all helps.

We both thank you for your kindness.

 

Ten years ago, my cousin’s 13-year-old son, Elliot, was hit by a car while waiting for the school bus, killing him. The Air Ambulance attended. The last ride was for him, so is this.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dover-durness