I don’t know what it is but from time to time I feel an overwhelming desire to see the sea. Well that’s my excuse, so being owed a couple of days off work, I chucked a change of clothes and an extra jumper in the smallest panniers I have, booked two nights in my favourite seaside hotel and set off.
Derby where I live is the furthest English town from the sea, a nice round 100 miles by a suitable bike route to the traditional seaside resort of Skegness (Yes I know small beer to some of you!) Plan was 100 miles there, 50ish mile loop day after and 100 miles back on the third day. I hadn’t planned on it being the coldest week of the winter.
Day one – set off later than expected, waiting for the ice outside my home to look like it was thawing. Wind was biting and I was of course riding straight into it. I could just about manage the wind and cold but about half way it started snowing and that was a step too far. I headed to the nearest train station in Lincoln and was at the seaside by teatime. Fish & Chips and a pint and everything was right with the world.
Day two – you’d have to be mad to go riding, it was freezing, I spent an enjoyable day exploring the area by bus and train, spending the afternoon in Boston.
Day three – a bit of snow overnight, still bitterly cold but with a lovely clear blue sky. After a hearty breakfast I set off with the intention of getting on the train if it got too much. The first few miles were mostly on quiet lanes and there was plenty of ice to avoid, which made it slow going. After a couple of hours it’d warmed up and I was now mostly on B roads where the traffic had cleared the road. All was well till the sun went down, by this time I’d passed the last practical train station and still had thirty miles to go. It became so cold so quickly, caught me out a bit, I let myself get cold before I stopped and put extra clothes on, by that time it was too late and I didn’t get warm again till I was home a couple of hours later. As you do, with the cold I got slower, therefore colder, slower… I was crawling by the time I got home. A mile from home and I noticed I was going to be a touch short of the 100 miles, so did I go round the block to make it up? Of course
Thorn Mercury by
Paul, on Flickr
few more photos here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phbike/albums/72157693185041655/with/40118027192/
