Sunnyside Up

Well thanks to the support of many good people along the way, I always seem to finish sunnyside up!

It is a wonder the English haven't shipped me back to Australia by this time.


Back in St Neots, Harry and Pam took me and their Grandchildren on a couple of delightful outings to Anglesey Abbey and Houghtons Mill. We had a wonderful time roaming around beautiful gardens and buildings in perfect weather.



At Oxford

 I also spent a day looking at Oxford, another university University city.    

Anglesey Abbey



a barge going through the locks


 


Abi and James on the Great Ouse River.

After a week recovering from my accident in the care of Pam and Harry, I reassembled my Bike Friday and ventured forth once again to explore the spectacular Yorkshire Dales.

I took the train north to York where Tim another warmshowers host welcomed me. I left my trailer with him whilst I explored the city, steeped in history and partly surrounded by the ancient city wall which I walked all along.

I spent one and a half days exploring York and its surrounds at the junction of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire .

The Shambles, inner city and walking only allowed, were straight out of my school  medievil history books with tiny narrow cobbled lanes and overhanging second story buildings. I walked through the Minster. It was truly awe inspiring. I even looked through the Railway Museum. Train spotting is a big hobby here with such a variety of old trains running along the tracks as well as the modern versions.

I cycled out to a post office to collect my poste restante mail. Returning I was stopped in the bike space at traffic lights preparing to turn left when an ambulance came screaming up behind me. Startled, I realised that I needed to move left to give clearance and allow the ambulance through quickly.

I hastily dragged myself left trying simultaneously to uncleat my left foot. You guessed it. I crashed to the pavement in front of goggle eyed pedestrians. What is this woman doing? It didn't help my sore shoulder but mainly I just felt like a fool!

That evening Pam emailed me saying "by this time you will know you are without a phone". What on earth was she talking about? A quick search revealed my phone was gone. Tim rang my number to find an honest lady had picked it up where I had fallen. Doh! I have it again now.

Two nights were spent with Tim who was very friendly and hospitable and cooked me up some yummy scrummy risotto. He has also been hosted whilst cycle touring In Australia and New Zealand. Tim escorted me out of York ( don't laugh ) armed with directions for a scenic ride starting along the river bank.

 I  spent a half hour chatting to a train spotting couple on a railway bridge and I hopped inside their car to strip off a layer of clothing.

Sign on track says 200 miles to Edinburgh

Sue and Karen At Fountain Abbey

I had a lovely stop over at the 18th century Beningbrough Hall and Gardens. The weather was perfect, brilliant warm sunshine and cool air to ride in. 24 country miles later I was in Harrogate after my navigator led me on another great shortcut. Great except for the short rough stretch full of huge craters and the horse gate, designed for horses to step over. It is hard to jump a trailer and cycle but luckily, two willing young lads out jogging assisted me to lift the whole caboodle over and I continued on to be hosted by Dan and Karen.

Fountain Abbey

What a delightful stay I had with them. They were fun and Dan originally from the US was a great tease. They had been hosted whilst cycling in Spain. Dan and Karen felt I mustn't miss seeing Fountain Abbey so off we drove in the spring twilight out into the countryside, past a gypsy encampment, many fat bunnies playing happily and also many colourful pheasants running too quickly for me to photograph.

We walked over green hills to discover the ruins of a huge 11th century World Heritage listed Abbey towering up from the valley of the river Skell in an enchantingly beautiful natural and remote setting. In fact the river runs under the Abbey and the waterflow was used by the ingenious monks for flushing toilets and other things.

Skakespearean plays and musical evenings are conducted there. I would love to experience that magic atmosphere.

A great but late dinner, wine and time spent looking at my tomorrows ride with Dan passed the time very quickly. Next morning my heroes Dan and Karen loaded my trailer into their car. They had a  lunch date just past the MAJOR hill of my day. Yippee. Dan also escorted me from town along a very scenic route with directions to pass over the toll bridge complete with troll ( in reality a lovely little man)  and to continue along a bridle pathway.

Greenhow Hill

Greenhow Hill after Pateleys Bridge is exceedingly steep and long. Three sections are over 16%. Thank goodness I wasn't pulling the trailer. I still walked part of the sharp bits but it was all worth it when several separate cyclists saluted me as I cyled over the top to speed down into the delightful honey pot village of Grassington. I sat amongst wandering sheep and crowds of people and boiled up my billy, ate lunch and retrieved my trailer from Dan and Karen. I would love to see them again one day.

Uphill out of town , then another 10 miles easy riding along a spectacularly scenic small road lined with rock walls.  I was looking down on a sparkling beck that flowed through the valley and up to rock walls dividing fields of sheep. Lambs were gambolling around in the sunshine. I arrived at a pub where the patrons were sitting outside in the sun and was cheerfully directed around the corner to the Kettlewell YHA hostel in the Yorkshire Dales.

I spent a day tramping the stunningly beautiful hills and wandering around the picturesque village before cycling 15 miles on to Malham YHA. One extremely long steep hill to1500ft and  then down, down, down.

I  had to walk down one section as the weight of my trailer was too much for the small bike and my inexperience at dealing with such a rapid descent.
At the bottom Pete, the YHA Kettlewell landlord caught me up with my netbook computer!  What did I tell you? I think that concussion must have had lasting effects.

Malham was also absolutely gorgeous but riding out to Gordale scar, a huge limestone  gorge and waterfall plus on to Janet's Foss waterfall and then back to Malham then right up onto the moors to Malham Tarn was all steady climbing. I left the trailer at the hostel though.

The Tarn was interesting in that it is a Lake right at the top of the moors and also that Charles Darwin's house still stands in complete isolation looking across the tarn.  The moors are the high plains of the Yorkshire Dales. You've heard that old expression "up hill and down dale" It must have been invented in Yorkshire.

Another 15 miles up, up, up and then plummeting down past shaggy long haired cattle took me to Settle and Giggleswick, neighbouring villages.

I could manage one sharp climb only by separating bike and trailer and relaying them up the hill. Two concerned gentlemen stopped to check on me as I strained forward heaving my trailer up on foot. They wanted to take my trailer on ahead for me but I was coping and refused their offer. They later rushed up to me in the Settle marketplace to congratulate me on my huge effort.

In Giggleswick I stayed with Clive and Sarah, warm showers hosts again. The centre of their home was built in the 16th century. Additions were made over the years. Some walls were 3 feet thick. I stayed in a sloping roofed bedroom. I sat by the fireside for the house was very cold. However a cosy bed , hot shower and friendly company all made it an interesting 2 nights.
                                                                                                

Victorian Ribblehead Viaduct 1874
I cycled a 40 mile  loop out to Ingleton and on towards Hawes with lots of climbing. More fantastic scenery and little villages along the way. Glorious sunshine and cool air. Wow!

My first puncture was in my front tyre when I was just past Clapham. No problem to fix it. 20 miles further on just after I had boiled the billy for a cuppa, another flat! Glass. No more tubes with me, they were back in the trailer. I used the puncture repair kit. Not too hard. From here on home was all downhill. Yippee!

1/4 of a mile and bump, bump, bump, flat tyre again. grrrrrr. What to do. I knew it was useless but I removed the patch and tried another.  As soon as I peddled off it went flat. 8 miles to go and it was 5pm.

I started walking. I tried to flag down a few motorists but there was nowhere they could really stop and they ignored me. With flapping flat tyre I kept walking. Eventually, 3 miles on,  I found a small pub. I went in and discovered the publican was a man I had spoken to in Settle the previous day.

My luck was in yet again and Linda was just about to drive back to Giggleswick in her small car. I had to dismantle the BF down to bare bones but I managed to get all of the bits into her tiny boot, Hooray.

That night Clive got out his superior puncture kit. He cleaned and sanded, patched and glued 3 of my punctured tyres. I also had 2 more new ones so I should be set now....shouldn't I?

I had now had enough for the present of striving up hill and down dale no matter how wonderful the surrounds. I took the morning train west across to Morecambe Bay and then had a very pleasant 35 mile ride down to Blackpool to spend a relaxing night in a hotel for a well earned rest before cycling the last 10 miles back to Marie's to work again.

Oh yes there was one other problem!

 My Garmin led me astray again. Turning into an alley seemed like a good idea at first. As the alley doglegged for a mile or so vandalism and masses of smashed glass made me very uneasy. I thought I would soon be through to a main road again. Not so.

When I did eventually get to the end a massive gate barricaded me from the road. What to do? Going back was too frightening. It had been very isolated with smashed derelict buildings. What if I met the perpetrators?

I was rescued by a driver who had stopped outside the gate. At first he ignored my cry for assistance. I called again and over he came. An oldish ginger haired man with a cleft lip. A nice man.

There was a brick fence beside the gate. High but partly broken. Separating BF and trailer we were able to lift them high enough to get over the break in the wall. Thank you again.

Wonderful people the English.

Like I said, Sunny side up!

Calamity

Four  Days Cycling

Hugs and Goodbye to Marie. I will return to spend more time as her carer. We enjoyed ourselves.

.

I travelled by train south to Shrewsbury in the heart of Shropshire. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury and it has very many heritage listed houses including a lot of Tudor style buildings, distinctive by their black stripes on a white background. I spent a couple of hours cycling along the River Severn as it encircles the town. It was really beautiful as rowing teams paddled up past the white swans. Willow trees with their new greenery hung over the water and blossoms covered many trees and as always  there were masses of daffodils and a variety of  of other spring flowers.


The park was full of people out walking and pick-nicking in the warm sunshine. I brewed a cuppa and had some lunch, chatted to a few locals and peddled up the steep hill to the town centre.

I then cycled further south to the pretty village of All Stretton where I asked directions to the bunkhouse I was to stay in. It was up a winding gravel path and set on the base of the very steep hills. I checked in and found that I was sharing the quaint old converted barn with 8 mountain biking men. Smiles!

Whilst they were off on a late cycle I walked the hills. I soon joined up with Steve and his dog. Steve was also a mountain biker and was checking out the slopes for a riding trip. We climbed right up to the highest ridge where we had a superb view of hills and valleys for miles around.

The "Sweaty Helmets"  were a lovely group. They invited me to join them at the village pub for a drink and a meal. English pubs are wonderful cosy havens with golden lamplight and warm fires in cosy little rooms. Jim, the "Grand Helmet" due to his seniority presented an award for the most outstanding cyclist that day. The award was a pink furry pair of pigs ears and a curly wurly tail guaranteed to cling to the helmet at very high speeds.

Here is the bunkhouse....cosy isn't it?

There were men running around in towels as all were chivying each along to vacate the one shower.

A night at The Yew Tree Pub

Those blokes sure know how to cook up a good breakfast which they offered to share with me. Bacon and eggs, toast, tomatoes, sausages and mushrooms and black pudding. I ate my baked beans.

I rode off next morning and pffft, flat tyre... a thorn. I locked my trailer to a post and walked back to the bunkhouse where Peter helped me to change it. They had a better pump than me. John gave me 2 pieces of his special oats, orange juice and ginger cake to give me energy for the day.It was delicious, yum, wish I had the recipe

I am currently not quite such good friends with my Garmin. It decided that the A49 was not for me...a good decision ...BUT... instead it guided me up a verrry  long steeep hill. Dragging my trailer behind me. The last part of Lyth Hill was gravel. Admittedly I was treated to a birds eye view of green farmland with black faced sheep dotted about the hills.
My Garmin also tried to take me on an eleven mile loop later on to avoid 4 miles of the A49 which wasn't so busy anyway. That time I argued with my navigator and won!


The down hill was a delight however and the scenery as always on my country rides was delightful.


It was a long day to Hereford. A day of April showers and hail. I sheltered in the lee of a barn and brewed another hot drink and some lunch until the sun shone through again..I had a head wind but the quaint villages, flowers and trees in blossom everywhere made for an enjoyable day. I was dressed warmly. Thank goodness for my new thermal cycling pants and my leg warmers and my arm warmers and my thermals and my woolly hat and my goretex on the top! I had never worn so much to cycle in.


Arriving in Hereford at 4.30pm I had a wait until my warm showers hosts were due home at about 6pm. The shops were all closed being a Sunday so I cycled up hill to their house in hopes that they might arrive early.


No such luck...a phone call saying they actually wouldn't be home until around 8pm. They were parachuting from an old Russian biplane! Dan suggested I hang out at a warm pub nearby.  I was soaking wet and tired and grotty and didn't feel like a pub visit before a shower. I found a bucket and a tap in their yard, a cloth from my bag and proceeded to clean my mud covered bike and trailer and to clean and oil the chain. All of this in the cold evening with the rain still falling on me. Finally, thoroughly chilled, I decided I had better go to the pub.


I asked directions along the way and ended up instead sipping 2 hot cuppas whilst snuggled up to Barbaras fireplace having a lovely chat. All's well that end's well. Rosy cheeked and warm I walked back to Dan and Jens' home.


Dan and Jen soon were in my good graces by serving me up a delicious baked dinner and helping me with directions for the following days ride. They were good company and made me very welcome. It is always a relief to be part of a real family, including any ups and downs, at the end of a days ride instead of twiddling my thumbs in some guest house room alone. Dan also adjusted my gears for me as they had been slipping.


Next day was cold but dry, hooray! I rode to Gloucester and took the train to Chepstow. This was Dan's good plan to save me riding up at least half a dozen seriously steep and long hills. I just didn't have it in me to pull the trailer up them. It would also have meant cycling 115 kms or 72 miles mostly big hills. Am I getting old weak and feeble or what?


Getting off the train an elderly man assisted me to carry the trailer up the steps across the railway track. I was concerned that it would be too heavy for him. A nice man except for the fact that  he followed me for a while trying to convince me that I should get to know his friend Jesus. In haste I mounted my cycle and rode off, too late to turn back I was ascending yet another long steep hill. Every time I came to a crest it continued on. I missed looking through the castle because I wasn't going to ride down and up again.

The long descent to the Severn River 3 mile long suspension bridge was fabulous. It was absolutely awesome cycling over such a long bridge feeling it move as the traffic crossed.

My new warm showers host Jon came out to show me the way to their historic 250 year old house. What a treat to stay there. I had a snug and cosy room. Jon was a bike mechanic and replaced a missing screw for me. Pandora a woodwork teacher was delightful and they were looking a little like "The Good Life". We adjourned to the local pub for a friendly evening. Even dogs are welcome when their owners pop in for a quick pint whilst out walking. Another warm experience.


Jon worked out the best route for the day and it was working well until nearing Bristol I crashed.


I was mounting a low kerb to escape two large trucks. I made the mistake of approaching it with my wheels parrallel and it was a bit wet. The bike flicked sideways and I went down hard. My head and left shoulder took such a bang. I didn't move for a while! Then I rolled onto my front, head on my arms and two men approached to help me up. "are you alright?" they asked. I said yes but in reality I was stunned. I wandered on walking for a short way then mounted my BF rode a few yards and pffft another puncture.


It was so hard changing that tyre and pumping it up with my little hand pump, my headache and my very painful shoulder.I walked to a garage to get more air but although I put my 60p in I couldn't get air. Then I found a shop which had a pump.They pumped my tyre for me.


A short way down the road and it went flat again. The valve blew out this time. I now have a new back tyre!
I was so distressed. I prepared for another tyre change. I asked passers by if the train was close by. It wasn't.


Another man approached. A council garden truck had noticed my distress. They threw everything in the back of the truck and drove me to the station. They loaded me, my bike and trailer onto the train from Templemead, spoke to the guard who was very helpful and with a helper carried everything whilst I changed trains for Bath. Same again at the end and Lewis my new "warmshowers" host met me, took all of my belongings home and put me on the bus to the hospital. I was in pain. Xrays showed no breaks. I had a classic rugby injury of shoulder ligaments that had taken a severe bang. 


Unfortunately I lost my 2 week job that I had ridden four days to get to. I wasn't capable of turning up. I also vomited 3 times over the next three days and hurt in many places. I felt really ill.

Lewis was absolutely fantastic. He helped me in every way he could. He twice went to the bike shop for tyres and tubes. He carried all of my gear home and back over a half hour walk to the train when I left. He walked to the hospital to bring me home. I was useless and so disappointed. Emma is a gorgeous girl. They are a young Sydney couple working in England. I stayed with them in the Marlborough Buildings opposite The Royal Crescent in historic Bath. It was a beautiful place. I stayed one day and did a guided walk tour.

The Avon River at Bath

Next Harry and Pam came to the rescue. They came into London to help me change from above ground to underground and back then out to St Neots. Meanwhile I had three willing young lads carrying my belongings on and off the first train. Harry and Pam took over from there and again I was concerned at the effort they were making on my behalf.

I am now recuperating at  Pam and Harry's. Well looked after and soon to be feeling lively again.


What a bother I was to so many but how wonderful were they. It goes beyond thanks. I the lady of many words cannot find enough to express my gratitude to them all.