Jun
22
2011
0

Tuesday cycle to Seagrave

We set off at the slightly later time of 630 and decided to head to Seagrave with the promise of a really good pie and the longest day to enjoy! We headed out on the A50 to the Glenfield Hospital Roundabout and within a matter of 5 mins managed to get separated and lose each other. After several phones calls and a near miss for Caroline on a roundabout and a speeding car….eek! we managed to meet up in Birstall. We decided to have a quick sprint along the busy A6 to Quorn, before turning off towards Barrow upon Soar.

Finally we were cycling on nice quiet country roads and enjoying a really good downhill to Seagrave. Sadly there were no pies at the White Horse but we settled on fish and chips which were really tasty. We left the pub just before 10 and it was still very light and we saw a couple of hares in the fields (they are massive!).

We headed home via Sileby and Syston and then another quick sprint along the A46 and home for 11pm.

Written by Emma in: Tuesday Nights |
Jun
15
2011
0

Tuesday cycling to South Croxton

So it’s the first fine Tuesday since our Coast and Castles ride, and we’re out for a cycle ride, well me and Claire anyway – lots of excuses from everyone else!

We decided to head out for a shortish ride to South Croxton – We heade out via Watermead Park, through Syston and Queniborough and on to South Croxton. We stopped at the Golden Fleece, which had a lovely menu and ordered a drink. The barman looked slightly stressed and then informed us it would be around half an hour before he could take our order. We took our drinks outside and consulted the map for other food options, but nothing was very near :(    However, after around 15 minutes he advised us he had a table for us and we happily went in and had a lovely sea bass and chorizo risotto!

We set off again (with a quick stop to say hello to Claire’s boss Eleanor who lived a couple of doors down from the Golden Fleece) through Beeby then back along the A47 through Humberstone and were back by around 10.30. Nice little ride, coming in around 25 miles

Written by Helen in: Tuesday Nights |
Jun
13
2011
2

Leicester to Edinburgh: Day 6 – Clovenfords to Edinburgh

Estimated miles: 50

Actual miles: 53

Average Speed: 10.3

Time: 5 hours

Weather….. much better, only a few light winds and showers!

After another hearty Scottish Breakfast and some minor faffing and bike adjusting we were on the road by 9.30 and headed off along the C and C route (for the first time!) towards the Moorfoot Hills  for the climb of the day. We decided (team ‘Girls on Coggie’) to snaffle a power gel boost to aid our journey and headed off through the beautiful rolling countryside. Very few cars and a lot of sheep. We actually really enjoyed the climb and seemed to make good time and enjoyed the 4 miles downhill to Carrington for our lunch, which we had already bought at a little bakery in Innerleithen (very cheap up North). The sun was shining but within minutes it started to rain, so we hastily finished our lunch and got back on our bikes.

We continued through very pretty countryside to Dalkeith and onto cycle/footpaths, which were probably disused railway lines towards Musselburgh and only 5 miles to our final destination. (Although the signage for the miles was a little random).We met up with Team ‘Phil and Jo’ for the final leg into Edinburgh and the Castle, where Team Yellow had only been waiting…….an hour and a half!

A quick swig of Whiskey from the hip flask to celebrate along with the obligatory photo’s. Team Yellow headed off and we held the forte and waited for Team 82 (miles) to arrive just over an hour later…. lots of cheering!!

Brilliant, bosh, tick… we all made it!

Maybe next year we will do leg 2, Aberdeen to Edinburgh? At least it will be down hill and those **cking prevailing winds might actually be in our favour. Although if it involves Hels and I……unlikely!

Day 7, 8 and 9 involved a lot of haggis and whiskey and generally boozing and enjoying ourselves……. no bikes involved!

Enjoy the Photo’s:)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13018420@N00/sets/72157626820737279/

http://oscarmike.posterous.com/

Written by Emma in: Coast and Castles,Long distance rides |
Jun
13
2011
0

Leicester to Edinburgh: Day 5 Seahouses to Clovenfords


Estimated miles: 80

Actual miles: 67

Average speed: 9.8

Arrival time:  7.45pm

Weather:  Sunny start for about an hour, then extremely windy, gusting up to 90 miles an hour, with heavy showers thrown in.  Luckily, this was the longest stretch of the route!
We were on the road for 9am and the weather didn’t look too bad.  The route out from Seahouses  passed Bamburgh castle and we followed Team Yellow (Jude, Paul, Stav and Mat) along minor roads towards Wooler, stopping briefly at a little snack shop.  At this point we realised they were cutting out the Berwick Section of the route (such slackers!).  We went along with it, but our team (Girls on Coggie!) were planning to pick up the C and C route again just past Coldstream where we stopped for our lunch. We’d completed around 30 miles by this point and with our reduced journey, there was only another 30 or so to go.  From Coldstream, Kelso was only around 12 miles, but battling against increasingly blustery winds, it took around an hour and a half and we were ready for a little rest with some tea and cake.  From Kelso we decided to follow the proper route (only 22 miles to go) which zig-zagged around the more direct route to Clovenfords.  It was really hard going so we distracted ourselves with one of my games – naming places in the UK beginning with each letter of the alphabet.  Hels decided we should do it in reverse, but Coggie and I quickly realised we don’t known our alphabet backwards!
Anyway we struggled on heads down, trying to stop the bikes being lifted sideways (so not taking in much scenery at this point!) when a taxi beeped and Charlie was waving out of the window… He had managed to cycle as far as Coldstream with injures.   From Newton St Boswells we picked up the main road to Clovenfords and finally arrived around 7.45. Another very quick shower and more wet hair!
Now there was only Claire, Caroline and Dave still to come – they’d religiously followed the route up to Berwick and were now around Kelso with an estimated arrival of 9.30 – 10.00.  We went out to cheer them in around 11.30 – they were in good spirits after battling for 14 and a half hours and cycling 82 miles but they did have a very nice meal (with pudding) in Melrose!

Written by Emma in: Uncategorized |
Jun
13
2011
0

Leicester to Edinburgh: Day 4 Newcastle to Seahouses

Estimated miles: 75

Actual miles: 75 (+ 7 miles detour, -7 miles shortcut via b roads – cunning!)

Average speed: 10.8

Time: just under 7 hours

Injuries:  1 gash to Charlies leg – 7 stitches

Weather:  Sunny start and a few blustery showers

After stuffing ourselves with a big fry-up, we all met in the foyer at 9, and it was all going well until Hels noticed the flat rear tyre….  Paul leapt into action and it was like a lightning pit-stop repair so that we were only seconds behind the others for the official start of the route by the Tyne Bridge.  After the obligatory group photo, we followed the cycle path along the Tyne to Tynemouth, Whitley Bay to Blyth.  We had a little donut stop (couldn’t resist that sweet, sugary smell) and then headed in land to bypass the industrial area called Blyth.  It was went a bit wrong, we got lost and maybe it was too many people trying to navigate, but finally after about an hour and a half we managed to free ourselves for Blyth to Cramlington (it was the wrong direction but we had escaped Blyth!).  We got to Lynemouth to pick up the C and C route again (however it was via Ashington and added a few extra miles- lucky we’re all so cheery!)   We followed the path up via Amble and Alnmouth but it was slow going in blustery winds so we picked up some B roads into Seahouses to try and claw back a bit of time.  We rolled into Seahouses to our Bamburgh Castle Inn around 6.30 – the earliest finish yet! I am determined to arrive in time at least one evening to have more than a 2 second shower and go out without wet hair!

We then found out Charlie had gashed his calf when the spiky bits of the mud-guard when the bike fell on him.  No taxis would go out to him since he was around 10 miles away so he had to cycle the last stage with bandaged leg – the nurses amongst us waiting to give triage and immediately realised it needed stitches.
We had a fish-supper looking out over the bay, and a few beers in the bar, before the ambulance arrived to check Charlie’s broken leg??  (a gross misuse of NHS services, but there was no other option with the lack of taxis and other transport services).  He was taken back to the hospital (in bloody Blyth!) to get it cleaned, stitched and dressed and returned about 4am.



Written by Emma in: Uncategorized |

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