A nice full english again - this time no mushrooms (and WHAT IS IT with no smoked bacon - on ANY of our breakfasts!). A glass of orange juice and a nice sugary cup of tea.
Now you will recall from Day 2 that we had some alcoholic beverages...perhaps more than we should have had. And that we had a curry. Well todays start was pretty daunting...we were heading out of Stanhope and there's a 2 mile climb out of it...and it's steep!
We thanked the landlady for her hospitality and off we set. Back the way we came for about 1/2 a mile and then turned right...onto a very steep looking hill. Just as you thought you were getting to the top at a bend - on it went - round that bend - then another! It seemed to take an age...and the countryside was opening up. Alot of flat terrain around us...though this road just seemed to climb...and climb...and climb.
A sculpture - I think before Consett (maybe after!)
And it's friend
But - the weather was nice - and it was a good detox for our night of debauchery! To be fair - after the second day - we deserved that night!
So we carried on up the hill and there was a right turn off the road (which was still going up!) and onto some relatively rough track. And this is where my nightmare started. As I said - my bike was a road bike - and it did not take kindly to this terrain - of which there was around 20 miles (with the very occasional on tarmac bit through Consett. It truly was horrible. Really difficult terrain.
It was made worse by the fact that this was our 3rd day and we had already cycled 100 miles. So we were a little tender anyway.
A break was required
At 122 miles done, we were on the North side of the River Tyne - and a very horrible looking river it was too. I wouldn't have liked to have ended up in it! There was the BAE factory on the north side with a beautiful looking Challenger tank sitting proudly outside.
So we were no on Hadrians Way and cycling to the town centre (or at least the riverside town centre). At 126 miles we came across a market on the riverside. It was absolutely buzzing and a welcome change from the previous 20 miles across country track. We saw a chance for a stop. Davey and Andy got a burger each and I bought some different flavoured fudge for the kids...then had a fried egg roll which was delicious. This was the first food of substance we had since leaving Stanhope as there was very little about between there and this point.
Burger time on the bank of the Tyne
As we sat and had our food...Davey looked and said "You know, I think that's where we're staying tonight"...we were only 50 yards from our beds! And yet we had another 10 miles to go...we were a little gutted. But Davey had the bright idea of handing our bags in so we could drop some weight. Unfortunately our rooms weren't ready yet - but for a small donation to a charity (if only they knew!) they would look after our bags. So we dropped our gear off.
A wee rest at the market in Newcastle
However, I forgot to put my fudge in so put it in the back of Andys jacket. It was not to be edible after. Through no fault of his, the sun had sweated it...sorry kids...no fudge for ya.
We cracked on - only 10 miles to go....oh yeah...and the 10 miles back! That really was horrible. 10 miles extra for nothing.
We trundled along with a new impetuous. We could smell the end. It was near. Cycling up a hill about 2 miles from the end I saw a black Forde Mondeo at the top of the hill...could it be? Did Sharon and the kids decide to come? I cycled towards the car...closer and closer...ever excited...and saw it was not our car. My heart really, really sank. I really thought they had made it!
As we headed onto National Cycle Network Route 1, Davey pointed this out to me...and I told him that we did switch routes at some points...but had to come clean that I had no idea what the end looked like. I had seen pictures of the start, but not the end, so didn't know what to look for.
As we cycled through Tynemouth and along the sea front, we saw a group of cyclists up on a hill and suspected that was the end. And it was. We were there. We made it. 150+ miles (read the blog to see why it was 150) and 3 days with some huge climbs...and it was over. The sense of relief was far greater at that point, for me at least, than the sense of achievement.
All together at the end - as we were from the start - though a bit more fatigued
Davey Blackmore
Andy McIntyre
Billy Riley
We had a few photos taken and after a couple of futile attempts to get a taxi company to take us back - we gave up and cycled that horrible 10 miles back to Newcastle. Never has a Travel Inn looked so beautiful.
What? we deserved it!
I'm sorry to the wee lassie in the background there - this was unintentional!
We showered, changed and headed off. Time for a few beers and some food. A pizza and plenty of bevvy and back to the hotel - oh yeah - after some of the best lamb in the UK - right Davey? lmao!
The view from my Travel Inn room
I woke up in the morning very early and as stiff as a board. Little did I know Tuesday would be considerably worse. We had some breakfast and I said my goodbyes to my two comrades and headed off to the train station for 10am to get the 10:40 train to Carlisle. I had a 2 hour stop in Carlisle before I got the train to Kirkby Stephen where we were staying. Sharon and the kids were a welcome sight after sleeping with those two smelly buggers!
In Summary
We had a brilliant journey.
It had it's ups and downs - mentally and literally physically.
We had some great laughs...Andy heading off into the bondi...doing his Usain Bolt impression at 6 in the morning...me coming to a complete standstill on the hill of death...Davey having his cycling shorts on back to front for the whole of the first day.
And we had some bad times...Andy's off down the hill was almost quite serious - especially with me bearing down on him!...seeing the cloud coming down in Hartside Cafe...being pissed on with rain for a WHOLE day...some very, very steep inclines...realising we had an extra 10 useless miles after reaching the end
At the end - we were knackered and sore. We said that's it. Crossed off the Bucket List and no need to do it again. But I think it's fair to say that we wouldn't swap those 3 days for any others. They're in the Journey of Life scrap book - not to be erased.
Davey I've known for years. We met in the British Army in 1986 and have been friends ever since. Andy I had never met - and he was a very welcome addition both to the ride and to the gathering of donations.
Well done lads and thanks for an awesome trip.
Thank you to everyone who donated to St Helena's Hospice through my Just Giving Page.
It's been great.
No comments:
Post a Comment