Scotland

After I left Edinburgh, I was ready for the vast wilderness of the north so many people talk about. I stocked up with food and clothing. I wanted to expedite my travel north, so I chose a more direct route following the national bike route system. I rode north, but after getting turned around a bit and waiting out a rainstorm, I did not make it to Perth in one day, so I stopped at a cheep B&B and continued the next day. Here the bike route got better, and I was able to follow it more easily through some very beautiful roads.

Local interests are also marked upon the bike routes, and I took a few detours to see more castles and estates along the way. I stayed at a terrific Hostel in Pitlochary before heading into the Cairngorms National Park. This is the edge of whiskey (scotch) country, and I had to choose between the “Whiskey Trail” and seeing Loch Ness, which I chose the later, but not before stopping at Dalwhinne distillery which was essentially on the way to Ness. I was too pressed for time to take the tour, but did stop in the tasting room for a few samples. Turns out I'm not much of a scotch man, as the strongest stuff (that was not for sale) actually hurt my tong a bit. They matched the samples with chocolate that did some interesting things with flavor combinations, but I'd appreciate the chocolates on their own, too.

I stayed at a campsite that was very cold at while still at elevation, and temperatures dropped down into the 30's at night. There was still snow visible in the mountains valleys. The Scots in the tent next to me provided me with chicken curry and a beer, a sign of Scottish Hospitality? I received milk the next morning... I'm starting to feel like a charity case.

The trip to Lock Ness was off the bike route and involved taking a few busy roads that were very scenic, but were busy with fast traffic. I'm hopping tomorrow, a weekday, will bring calmer traffic. Otherwise I may take a boat ride the length of Loch Ness, missing some of the landward sites in the process, but would be a good way to rest. We'll have to see how it goes in the morning.

Generally, I've found this area to be very scenic, but colder then I thought. Most of the time there is a cool, fall like chill to the air that makes for refreshing riding and reminds me of the Autumn in New York State. The temperature has me hampering for cider and doughnuts from home. The rain has been dodgy and threatening, but the sunlight has huge psychological impacts and warms the body and lifts the spirit. The terrain itself has been somewhat mountainous, with the highest pass 1500 feet above sea level. Thankfully, the wind has subsided. The mountains are open and mostly treeless, except for purple heather and sheep which graze along side the roads. Clean streams and many Lochs and wetlands spot the terrain with roads in mostly good condition. I took a bunch of photos along the way.

Things have been surprisingly Irish, too. There are plenty of Celtic survivors and roadsigns are bilingual in Gaelic. On a personal note, the woman have been more attractive then I anticipated, too. I guess the kilts, hairy legs and shot put put me off, but the woman have made the cold weather more tolerable.

I still plan on riding to Inverness tomorrow, but getting farther north seems questionable. The weather and timing my trip to Ireland is starring to come into play. 

Coast and Castles to Edinburgh

The ride out of York took me through North York Moors National Park, an area of rolling mountains covered in purple heather, grazing sheep, and lots of wind. The lack of trees made for good visibility and very picturesque panoramas, but the open mountains also opened up some very turbulent winds. Some were definitely 30+ as the wind funneled up the mountain valleys. The side winds made for some very wobbly ridding across the driving lane as I tried to compensate for the gusts. I did not clip in to my petals, and I fully stopped for cars to pass. This is one of the areas I really focused on safety. It was over one mountain, through a ford, over a cattle grid, and back up another mountain with grades up to 25% and heights of about 1000 feet each.

This was an amazing but exhausting day, but my lack of planning put me at the cheap hotel in Middlesburg. It was worn out, decorated with high school football memorabilia from the 1960's which was sentiment of the owner more then a sense of style. Middlesburg was not much for tourism, but had a fairly extensive industrial areas of power plants and ship builders. I even passed what looked like a dry docked oil platform.

I was able to make it to Newcastle the next day and found a good hostel. I only toured Newcastle for about half a day, seeing the Millennium bridge, Black Gate, shopping center, and other highlights. I really felt like I needed rest off my feet. Most of the live shows were on summer holiday, and I opted out of the animated movies, so took an anti-social day and and rested at the hostel. I did find a cheep market and bought things to make a lamb stew, and a few snacks for the road.

 

I was going to head north again, but after some research I decided to take a slightly longer route along the bike route 1, the “Coast and Castles” route, which had more sites and amenities along the way. The route did not disappoint, and after buying the annual Heritage Membership for access, I saw no less then five castles, cathedrals, or fortified estates along the coast, all strung together by well marked coastal paths that ran along beach dunes and high sea cliffs. These were another string of epic riding days. Holy Island was a bit of an experience, where I had to plan my ride by the tidal roads that were only passable during low tide. Even so, the flat marsh land was wind swept and sea water lapped over the edge of the road. The wind forcibly swept streaks in the puddles of water on the road.

I did not pack much distance in the course of these days, but stopped frequently to see things along the way, which included a night over in bed and breakfast, a night camping opposite a really nice beach where I had dinner on the sand, and again at traditional youth hostel. The windy was really the story weather wise. The forecast called 25-35mph winds with gusts up to 50mph, which I believed as I tried to ride against them. I found I was in the wind's eddy when climbing hills, but nearly stopped with headwinds when going down hill. My progress slowed, and I once again used low gears on flat ground to keep moving at 5-7 mph. This brought back feeling of Denmark, but this was more intense. My face was staring to turn red with windburn. My progress slowed and I took another day at a bed an breakfast in Haddington to get to Edinburgh the next day.

I heard there was some sort of festival going on in Edinburgh, but didn't know what it was all about. It turned out to be a very huge arts festival focused on live performances. The 400 page program was packed with thousands of performances that go most of the month, and run the full range from cabaret, opera, spoken word, play, dance, music, and especially a lot of comedy, improve shows, and standup. You could spend a lot of time watching the back to back street performances. Most of the shows cost about $15. I've seen one and have a ticket for another show tonight. I've also seen a couple of free standup shows that take place in taverns. One downside, I've been overwhelmed with options, and annoyed at the disorganization, including venue mapping, unclear pricing and scheduling. You'd be surprised how hard it is to get a ticket for a show the next day. Still, the town has a fun, party atmosphere and the bars are open late to accommodate the crowds that I've heard tipple the town's population. Many people are promoting acts, with wild makeup and costume somewhat normal on the streets and at the supermarket. Talk to people and they may ask what show you are with.

Aside from the festival, Edinburgh is a cool little town. The Scottish kilts are for sale everywhere, but I've only seen a few actually worn. Whiskey is also hot seller, and I tried a little at late guitar show. I saw Edinburgh castle, which was quite impressive. Like many of the others, it has late origins in the 12^th century, and subsequently expanded, but never captured by force. I bought a new jacket as its colder then I expected for August, as well as replacement water bottles, and a tune up for my bike as an excuse to store it safely at a local bike store. Gelato is no longer for sale, but “jacket” (baked) potatoes are quite popular. Things seem to be fairly dense in the city, with tiny cramped shops that I'd expect for larger cities. Buildings are not tall and basements are used frequently. Scottish accents are starting to get thicker, which I really get a kick out of, thought I had a hard time describing the haircut I wanted.

Nottingham and York

Next on my way north I headed to Nottingham, but not before checking out at least one of the famous Elizabethan estates that were in the area. I went to the Burghley Estate and had lunch in the park there, but was pressed for time, and did not take the tour of the house or “garden of surprises” that had a collection of oddities. I would compare this to the Builtmore house, but this is still used as a private residence.

This detour put me out of the way a bit, but I was still able to hit Nottingham in one day, and spent one day there as well. Nottingham did not disappoint with Robin Hood references, street names, “the arrow” bus service, among others. The rest of the city was rather disappointing. The area I stayed in was rather run down, with “checks cashed,” cheap supermarkets, and a casino being key landmarks. The city center was a bit better, but still seemed to be rough around the edges. Nottingham castle was destroyed after political revolt in the 18^th century, and the tour simply showed what once was. A smaller museum stands in the center of the castle park, but has more on WW1 and world history then separating Robin Hood fact from fiction.

What I did not know was the industrialism, specifically lace manufacturing that took place in the city. There is also an elaborate network of underground tunnels that I toured

briefly. I also patronized some of the historic pubs, such as “Ye ole trip to Jerusalem,” founded 1189 A.D. Still, I felt that one day was enough, and I headed north the next day. I wanted to go to Sherwood forest, but decided to head straight into the Peaks District, which is a protected natural area in the UK.

The peaks district didn't hold much to the Alps, but did did have long series of steep rolling hills that were fairly exhausting. I found that tucking down works well to conserve momentum through the valleys and start up the hills on the other side. The rolling countryside gave way to grassy ridges as my elevation slowly ticked up. The landscape was dotted with cattle and sheep, that were actually pretty adorable. There were quintessential stone walls, stone buildings, and single lane stone bridges through the center of small villages. The weather was great, and this had been some of the most pleasurable riding so far.

Part of the trip was on a converted railway line, which made things somewhat easier. I had trouble finding the path, and after some frustration, realized the path was below me in a reused railway tunnel. Little navigational tricks like this continue to crop up, but most of the time work out fairly well.

I camped on farm in Buxton, which was a bit smelly with freshly fertilized fields, but otherwise peaceful and quiet. I stayed another night in at a bed and breakfast in Hadfield before heading through the north side of the Peaks Park, which was supposed to be the most challenging. Here the bike trails were overgrown, miss marked, and difficult to follow, so ended up on some pretty busy roadways. I tried to snap a few photos of the nice countryside between the guardrails and passing trucks, bit didn't stay long. The GPS came in handy once again, showing alternative routes on suitable roads and bike paths that brought me right into downtown York.

I felt like I should see York, at least to see if the original is any better then the remake. York is actually a cool little city with a ton of history that stretches back to Roman empire when it was the “Capital of the North.” The history extends through middle ages, the Vikings raids, the Renaissance, the industrial era where chocolate was a key trade, and York was also significant railway hub. It rained the entire day, which I didn't mind in the museums and the bike in covered storage. I actually timed the forecast well for once :) I bought an umbrella and was able to tour the narrow streets lined crooked timber frame buildings selling modern goods. This felt like an old city more then London did. I was able to see York Minster, get a few cask ales from the local brewer, and get a Yorkshire pudding for dinner. My only complaint is the hostel, which although centrally located, has loud music until late with a modern bar and patio below. It is quite a sight to watch dunk girls stammer around cobblestone streets in high heels.

I honestly have no idea where I'm heading tomorrow. Newcastle is my next stop, but seems to far to make in one day, so perhaps I'll try for a campsite at some midpoint. Stay tuned.

English Hospitality

Next on my way north I headed to Cambridge. Why yes, I went to Cambridge. I camped outside the city and went to the central square for a farmer's market breakfast. The official university tours started late in the day, so I went for a “punt” tour that began every fifteen minutes. These are flat bottomed, person powered craft that sidestepped the strict trespassing rules by using public waterways, where most universities and monuments were at least partly visible. For me, it was a chance to sit and relax while our guide did the work and pointed out the sites we passed. It was another fantastic day, and soon the river was filled with boats of all types bumping into each other, and at least a few mishaps. The tour was about an hour, and I headed out of the city afterwords. I needed time to make it to the next campsite, after all.

It was another really good day of riding. The weather was clear, and a decent tail wind picked up to push me along. I flipped on the GPS, plugged in the campsite road, and off I went. This turned out to be a pretty miserable navigational failure as I was lead to the wrong road that had the same name. To make mattes worse, I was stuck between a highway and a river with no clear way out (aside from overgrown trail I used to get there.) There were no hostels nearby. It was getting late, and I was a bit tired. Fortunately I travel self contained with food, shelter, and everything I need for at least a day, except maybe for a refill of water. I was getting ready to pitch a tent in the woods somewhere, but felt I should ask permission, seeing as I'm now in an English speaking country.

What happened next I did not see coming. I really just asked for, and hoped to be let into one of the nearby fields and not have to worry about getting kicked out in the middle of the night. I was a bit hesitant to start banging on doors, and actually felt pretty ashamed in doing so. But one thing lead to another, and I actually stumbled upon a very posh neighborhood barbeque, and was invited in. After carefully maneuvering my bike around the Aston Martin in the driveway, I was allowed to shower, change, eat and drink wine until fairly late at night when candles and desert came out. In return I tried to share some stories of my travels and travel plans, but they seemed more curious and amazed at what I was doing.

I was still expecting a lawn, or perhaps a couch to sleep on, but I was setup in a bedroom (with private bathroom) in a renovated English estate. My host offered for me to relax and spend two nights, which I did, but I insisted on helping a little, and spent about half a day doing lawn care and other little jobs. Still, nothing was asked of me, yet I was provided really good food, wine, shelter, even laundry was done for me. I was, and still am, beside myself and humbled by the generosity and hospitality I was shown when a complete stranger showed up at their doorstep. It felt like a host family, or host community as I got to know the neighbors who threw back to back dinner parties. A HUGE THANK YOU to my new friends who are reading this. Your kindness won't soon be forgotten.

 Please note I've uploaded over 400 pictures from this, my trip to London, and other events to flicker.