Time's Up.....

So after 90 busy and enjoyable days back in the UK I am currently sat on the dockside at Harwich as the night sailing to The Hook of Holland loads - I am on the morning sailing so thought a quick blog update covering the short period since our return from Pembrokeshire would fill the time.

After a lovely visit to the friends near Dethick who are patiently awaiting the arrival of their new van (delayed by Covid and chip shortages) we spent one night on the Britstop in Smalldale leaving us well placed to join other members of the Halcyon walking club at Doctor's Gate at the top of the Snake Pass. Graham led a good 8/9 mile walk over Bleaklow where we inspected the remains of an aircraft lost just after WW2 that had been delivering wages to an RAF base.

 

We then returned to Bugsworth Basin for a night in the Navigation Inn and two in the adjacent car park giving us time to meet up with Penny for a good ride along the canal to New Mills and then out along the Sett Valley Trail to Hayfield and back to New Mills where we enjoyed the Millenium walkway and refreshments before riding out to Marple. Mandy and I dropped down to the aqueduct before we all returned to the Navigation for a substantial dinner.

My rear tubeless tyre had got damaged and proved impossible to sort so next day we dropped in to Whaley Bridge where a bike shop set up a new tyre and I bought some new gloves. We rode up to Kinder Reservoir above Hayfield and dropped back to the small cafe run by Pablo from his narrow boat.

Moving on for two nights at the Sycamore Inn at Birchvale where we had stayed last September gave us the opportunity to ride down to Macclesfield along the canal passing the huge Goyt Mill and then return up the Middlewood trail, the old railway line. An unexpectedly enjoyable couple of hours was spent watching a local cricket match in Bollington with really excellent food from the 'Indian Goat' vending trailer.

 

 

Finally on the Sunday before returning home we parked at Hadfield and rode over to Penistone on the Trans Pennine Trail - this covers its most exposed section and with a stiff breeze it was hard work making the tea and cake at Penistone even more appreciated. At Dunsford Bridge there is a huge project to remove 7 pylons and bury the cable to enhance the views but we both felt it to be an expensive and unnecessary project that was doing as much damage as it would improvements.

I then spent Monday ensuring that everything was ready for this trip - ATS failed to produce a set of tyres but their manager assured me that the remaining 5mm of tread would do 8/10k more miles so I should be OK on this trip.

 

Thus yesterday I headed south down the A1 and in to Suffolk before stopping at another Britstop near Colchester where I bought sausages, eggs, veg from the polytunnel and some of Hannah's delicious chutneys before walking in to nearby Nayland to post a letter. After a quiet night on the farm I hit Go Outdoors in Colchester for new walking shoes and then parked up in Harwich despite the frustrations of app based, cash free parking payment arrangements that didn't work.

I caught the small harbour ferry over to Felixstowe for a close up view of two enormous container ships and then ventured aboard the last manned floating light vessel LV18 which is being rather chaotically restored and houses a remarkable collection of memorabilia from the days of pirate radio.

The modern day RNLI station and nearby lifeboat museum were both fascinating and sobering paying due testimony to the bravery and courage of the volunteers crews and I walked up to the various wartime defences that also reflected the courage of another age.

 

Walking back I saw an artwork that is thought to be a homage to Banksy and then drew up alongside the loading lanes ready for a quiet night.

My onward plans focus on getting in to Germany some time on Friday and then slowly heading east with time around Berlin, up to a fortnight in Poland and then on through the Baltic States and a ferry to Sweden for a slow loop back by the end of August.

A few pics sit here and I hope to update the blog weekly over the next two months.