To Catch a Ferry

Thursday, August 04, 2022

Our original plan had been to find our way, with our bikes, to Basel. Then to ride to Budapest. But getting the bikes to Basel was complicated, with Eurostar still not carrying them due to Covid (!) and friends ahead of us, already on the ride to Budapest, mentioned that the route was not as interesting as hoped, less so than in France (the part of the route we had done pre-Covid) and that 36C was no fun to ride in even with prevailing headwinds. So Bev and I changed our plans, to stay closer to the North Sea coast and, hopefully, more tolerable temperatures. We had spent a week holed up in a hotel in Greenwich, isolating as suggested (but not required!) until we were no longer Covid-infectious. We booked a cabin on the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and could have waited out a few more days in our shabbily expensive hotel before getting a ride to Harwich but, still somewhat restricted by post-Covid energy-doldrums, decided instead to ride slowly to Harwich. It was only 80 or so miles so three days would be easy. We thought.


After bidding a somewhat socially-distanced farewell to my mother, we rode the few hundred metres to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, under the Thames. As a teenager, growing up in Greenwich, this was a regular playground, cheerfully ignoring the "No Cycling" signs. We were a little more law abiding this time, 50 years later.

 After a last look back at Greenwich, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, from the north side of the river, we dove headlong into London traffic. Not so much fun but we did manage to stay on the route, despite not having quite figured my navigation technology. I had a gpx file of the route on my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt for turn by turn directions. Unfortunately, this was the first time using the Bolt in the UK and I hadn't loaded the UK basemap. So there was a line to follow on the small screen, and I could anticipate upcoming turns, but the line was against a blank screen, not overlaying a street map, which made navigation challenging.

We made it as far as Romford, wheezy and weary from Covid, and found a pleasant hotel room. Much nicer (and less expensive) than our isolation room, with its disgusting carpets, in Greenwich had been.

And we even made it to a pub just before their kitchen closed.


Friday, August 05, 2022

Three days should have been easy to Harwich but we hadn't made much progress on the first day so we'd have a couple of long days to make the ferry. But, as luck would have it, a berth had come free on the night after our booking and we were able to switch easily. Pressure off. And a nicer cabin, with a window, which Bev felt would ameliorate her sea-sickness. (The crossing was totally smooth, courtesy of flat seas and modern ship stabiliser technology; we hardly knew we were at sea.)

The further we made it from London, the more the scenery improved. Still almost totally urban but hints of countryside. But it was hardly a ride I'd recommend; too much traffic and, for us, the navigation still entertaining. But we made some progress, despite the heat. We were aiming for a hotel on the far side of Chelmsford but, when we arrived, the last room had just disappeared. We had to retrace our route back into town to a hotel with delusions of grandeur. Which it didn't quite pull off. But we had somewhere comfortable enough to sleep on a busy Friday night in the height of summer.


Saturday, August 06, 2022

Finally we started to feel we were in the countryside which improved my mood considerably. Navigation was easier, too, now that I had downloaded the required maps to my Bolt (UK, Netherlands, much of Germany - and Czech Republic, in case we make it to Prague.



Some of the riding was on improbable tracks and farm tracks away from the regular hustle and bustle of S E England.
 

My brother Chris had driven out to our route and was riding back towards us to meet for a late lunch. When we met up, we had  ride along a narrow canal path bordered with stinging nettles to a pub for food. Then wearily back on the bikes to where Chris had parked. Again, very pleasant riding in the late afternoon. Until Bev suffered some (nerve?) pain in her right knee. Initially quite excruciating, it settled to a painful ache. We had a rest by an old churchyard.


It was sad to part ways with Chris after such a short ride as he headed back home, rejuvenated a little by his short escape from the city. We plugged away, feeling old and tired, until we arrived at the Colchester County Park camping area and settled in for the night. The first time in the tent this year. And very pleasant it was, too.

Sunday, August 07, 2022

Pleasant though not especially memorable (which is my way of saying that writing this, a week later, I can recall little, if anything, of the ride!) the ride brought us to Harwich, and the port. A few hours early.

Four days from Greenwich to Harwich. A mini-tour before Europe. No speed records broken but good to be back on the bikes.

Tidal estuary near the coast.




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