26 July 2016 (cloudy and mild) 62 km

Today our target is a little pub campground in a place called Wrenbury, about 50km from Telford. The weather is overcast and rain is forecast, but I think for tomorrow.  What we intend to do is to stay one night at the campsite and then get a hotel in Chester for the next three nights, giving ourselves a chance to look around this beautiful old town as well as check out some of the numerous bike shops as we think we will buy new gear for our next trip – yes that’s right, next trip.  We are still loving it and think cycletouring is THE way to travel. 

We were up early and downstairs for a cuppa. Julia’s phone is now connected and her plan includes a trillion texts…a million talking hours and a hundred million mgs of data…..or something like that. Whatever the amount, for ten quid, it is sufficient.  Had some breakfast and did the dishes before getting our gear together, ready to hit the road. 

We found our way out into the country easily and started heading from village to village along the quiet country lanes.  The cycling was great and the weather perfect. The surface was flat to slightly undulating and although we did have a headwind a bit later on, it was more of a breeze. 

the University at Edgmond

At Edgmond we met a couple of ladies and asked them about the lovely old university we’d just passed. It had advertised that it had been voted university of the year, by the students and I have to say it was a beautiful facility. They, however, seemed to think that it had been rigged as they get a lot of overseas students going there. 

Found the Shropshire Union Canal at Knighton and jumped on here for a rather uncomfortable 4kms. Spoke to a guy, his wife and grandson who had a gorgeous forty year old mahogany river cruiser, who told us where to get off for Market Drayton. 

Market Drayton

Once off,  the riding was very pleasant. After picking up supplies in Market Drayton, we asked a guy where Norton in Hales was. Received perfect directions, although they came with a warning.  “Ooh it’s a fair old bike ride”, he said.   “It must be about 4 miles away”.  We smiled to ourselves and and off we set.  

Not too much later on we stopped for lunch and pushed our bikes down onto the towpath to sit on our groundsheet, next to a canal bridge as the narrowboats filed on by. It was quite busy actually, but very scenic.

The afternoon shift took us to Swanbach and Aston and also covered some delightful country lane riding, in fact it was, for me the best riding of our time in England. The scenery and buildings were lovely and the fields and hedgerows were straight out of a painting. 

Around 4.15pm, we cruised up to the Cotton Arms, the pub, who have a campground connected. Paid our fees and pitched in a large field next to a couple and their son in a caravan, from the Wirral.  After Julia had chatted to them, she came back and told me about their twelve week old Tibetan Terrier, called Alfie. I then wandered across for a good catch up about the Wirral and Liverpool. Back at the tent, Ju had fallen asleep, so I got on with typing the day’s events.

Debated whether to go to the pub for dinner but in the end decided to cook up our can of minced beef and gravy with corn and pasta – and very nice it was too.  As we finished our coffee and muffin, it started to rain so we got a new stormcover ready (i.e. cut up a rubbish bag) in readiness if the tent started to leak, before we settled in for the night.

25 July 2016 (cloudy and warm) 0 km

Tahlia and Duncan had asked if we would like to stay another day, to which we gratefully said “Yes”. We are both feeling tired after months of cycling every day and very, very appreciative of any chance to sleep in a bed!  It has also been wonderful seeing our niece and her boyfriend and enjoying their company.  Basically we just wanted a catch up day to chill and get important things done like have a haircut.  Julia spent about an hour with her miniature sewing scissors and a comb after the electric trimmer died fifteen minutes into the job.

We suddenly realised we’re nearly at our final destination so tossed up whether to take a trip around Wales but didn’t fancy the hills!  So we have decided to ride into Chester and stay there a couple of nights and maybe treat ourselves to a hotel as the weather isn’t supposed to be that good over the next few days. 

We were going to cycle into Telford today to have a look at the shops but Tahlia offered to drop us off as she was fearful the bikes may get stolen.  So at midday she and Duncan dropped us at the shops and we had a wander around the mall which is huge and has a great variety of shops. Julia wanted to get her mobile phone up and going for the last couple of weeks in England so a visit to the Vodafone store was first. We were also keen to find an updated version of a cycling book we had thirty years ago called Cyclist’s Britain, but no luck.

Tahlia and Duncan picked us up at 3pm and took us to Tesco Extra where we all had a bit of a browse after a delicious coffee at Costa.  Ju and I then bought all the goods we would need for lasagne and we all went back to Duncan’s parent’s house. 

At home Ju and I busied ourselves in the kitchen before we all sat down to a nice meal, complemented with good conversation and some laughs.  Watched some television and revised our last few days on the road before hitting the sack.

24 July 2016 (sun, cloud, rain, warm) 0 km

Another sleep in a real bed. It really does feel like we’re coming to the end of our tour now. We reckon it will only take another two days to reach Peg and Andy’s in Little Neston and that will conclude the riding, then it will be catching up with relatives and friends, before we catch the train to London on the morning of the 7^th where we will spend the last couple of days at a hotel, boxing up the bikes and meeting old friends.

Downstairs, where we chatted and potted around as Duncan and Tahlia made us a lovely breakfast of bacon and eggs, before we just spent the remainder of the morning sitting around talking. Managed to get hold of Briana and Jarryd on Skype which was great as we haven’t spoken for a while. They both look good and Briana gave us a run down on her new job which sounds like it will involve working with nice people in a very nice location. Jarryd too, is enjoying his diving, so life in Oz is going well for them. We miss them and hope to be able to visit them at some point in the near future.

Then it was Georgina and Brady’s turn to chat. It was late in NZ by the time we spoke, but both of them were going out to play Pokemon Go, this huge phenomenon that has swept the world very recently. The fact that it was nearly midnight on a Sunday, didn’t seem to register that they probably should maybe get some sleep…? Brody, it seems may have a bout of tonsillitis and he didn’t sound too good, but looked okay. He has a new job, which sounds like he’s enjoying and is going well, so we’re relieved about that. Georgina is just getting over a cold and is now looking for a job. The house, from what we could see, is still standing, at least parts of it is.

the famous Iron Bridge

Lovely church at Ironbridge

Duncan and Tahlia had been very patient with us as they wanted to take us out to Ironbridge. A village on the river Severn at the heart of Ironbridge gorge . In 1779 a thirty metre bridge was constructed taking two years to complete. The arch bridge was the first of its kind in the world to be made of cast iron. We drove there in Duncan’s pride and joy, a new BMW m135i and very nice it was too. White, with black interior and red leather seats and all the extras. Great ride. Earlier, Tahlia had shown me her new Fiat 500, also very nice, white with black and white interior.

Didn’t take too long to get to where we were going and after a drive through we stopped in at The Half Moon for a drink outside by the river. It was full sunshine and I’d forgotten my hat…duh!   Then it was a drive to take some photos of the bridge and a nice church, before driving to Atcham, where we partook in another drink at the Mytton Mermaid, before a drive home. By now it was raining, although on and off.

Duncan and Tahlia prepared a leg of lamb for dinner with vegetables and rolls, which was delicious before we settled in for the night, spent chatting and listening to music, capped off with some Pink Floyd Live at the Albert Hall 95.

23 July 2016 (sunny and hot) 124 km

Woke to a nice morning and also a sodden tent, due to condensation. I also woke to a sore throat and a cold, not what was required for the distance we had to travel today, to reach our niece’s place in Telford. We’d estimated that after our travels along the canal yesterday, we still had about 90km to go.  The tow paths are fine if you are moving in between single villages, but this is not something we’ll do again for a long distance after today.

By 6.30am we’d made the decision that after a walk I’d taken late last night, we would get on the roads and try to make up some time, before the traffic began. 3km away lay the village of Stockton, tick that one off…not many around at this time, but got directions from a runner and it was up the only hill in the place to a B road, which took us to Southam where we asked a guy at the local garage what he thought. For the early hour he suggested to make some time on the A road to Coventry, which we did.  By 7.15am we were flying along with minimal road users. However, joining up with a busier A45, about 7km out of Coventry, had us on our toes, as traffic flashed by within inches and enjoyable riding had gone.  Because we’d left the canal system we were now resigned to staying on the road until Birmingham, where we hoped to pick it up again – and hoped it would be in good condition seeing as it went through a major city.  Spied a McDonald’s as we entered Coventry and decided to contact Tahlia to give her info on what time to expect us. Bought a rubber breakfast and found no connection available.  That pissed us off…it’s the only reason we go there.  Back on the A45 again and now it was dicey. To all intents and purposes…this was motorway. No breaks in traffic and breakneck speed…..Because there are entry and exit ramps, you have to be so aware of vehicle movement. If nothing else, it was adrenalin pumping for an hour and a half. Road works meant cones at certain points narrowed the road to single lane and where we could, we’d go inside the cones to give more space. Arrived on the outskirts of Birmingham just before 10am and by now it was too dangerous to ride the road. Into a Morrison’s supermarket to buy some food for later and decided to ride the footpaths into the city centre where we hoped to pick up the canals again.  

Birmingham is a city of two million people and is massive, yet compared to London it’s small.  Footpath riding, aside from being slow is also very bumpy as you’re up and down from road to path and the surfaces were crap.  

With our patience running thin, we came across the path for the Grand Union Canal, two miles from the city centre, where we breathed a sigh of relief and hit the tow path, which was in good repair. Of course, coming into a city of this size are a number of canals, so we were conscious of taking a minute to choose the right one. All along the route we were snapping photos. 

We think they are great, but they don’t show how filthy the water is, the huge amount of rubbish lining the way or the dodgy characters that live and frequent these sub road travelways. We were constantly coming across guys drinking and milling around areas, sleeping rough, whilst the filthy water is just a few feet away.

Mixed in with all of this are people walking the paths to work or running, cycling or maybe just sitting staring at the graffiti lining the bridges or watching as the narrowboats cruise along to the next lock. It is a world within a world.  We, by now were making good time, with only the cobbled bridges slowing us down, or the odd path gate we had to negotiate.  We had to watch out for our directions as there are a lot of canals meeting in Birmingham but there were always people around to ask.  I asked one guy, who happened to be black, the way to Wolverhampton and Telford.  I was surprised when he said “Ooh it’s a long way.  That’s Black Country up there”.  I’m thinking ‘have you looked in the mirror lately?’  Found out later that is not what he meant at all – apparently it is so named for all the coalmining that used to go on in the area.

The middle of Birmingham is beautiful and shows how good the canals can look.

As we left Birmingham on the tow path for Wolverhampton, the state of repair diminished, but nothing like out in the country. By 1.30pm, we were sitting on a grassy area, well back from the canal by a suburb of Wolves, eating some lunch and drying out our tent and fly sheet.  

So far, so good…but anything can happen.  

Into the city centre, a little confused as to what road to choose when I spy the signs for Telford and even though it’s a B road, decide to take it.  At the same time, Julia sees a coin phone box and we give Tahlia a call to give her and boyfriend Duncan an idea of arrival time. 

This road was great, not too busy and we made good time all the way to the town of Spifnal, where after a small pork pie and an ice cream, we got directions from a nice fella, for Telford. This took us past RAF Cosford, who had some sort of open day on, although we didn’t stop. Eventually into Telford, looking for the back roads to take us to Tahlia’s place. Amazing how few people know the way to somewhere when they only ever use the major roads. After a period of to-ing and fro-ing, we finally, at 7pm rolled up to their doorway, tired after a massive 124km ride, but very pleased to see Tahlia. It was also great to meet Duncan, who is an extremely nice guy and you can see that they are both very happy. They are staying at Duncan’s parents place for a couple of weeks, looking after their dog, whilst they are on holiday in Hungary and Italy. 

After a drink and showers, we spent the evening enjoying a beautiful meal of prawns, chicken and lovely salad, prepared by both of them. A spa was just the perfect end to a long, tiring day, but one in which we were able to see just how much these two care for each other. It was a fun evening with some sightseeing and a cooked breakfast planned for tomorrow. 

22 July 2016 (sunny and hot) 79 km

So will Mark’s name be Mud, or will he turn out to be the Cycle Tourer’s Guru when it comes to suggesting bike paths…….

I was awake at 6am so set to loading yesterday’s photos onto the computer and then uploading the blog which I finished about 6.30am.  Handed the computer to Pete who started writing yesterday’s blog while I went downstairs to make us a cup of tea, which I brought back upstairs.  I started sorting things out and packing while Pete wrote and when the others rose at 7.30am, we went downstairs for breakfast.  

How cute are these guys?

Had muesli with Lesley while Mark took the dogs out, then a cappuccino and croissants – very nice. 

Rang Virgin Rail as we had booked train tickets to London but they hadn’t shown up in our email so sorted that out and then Ray came round to say goodbye.  We have had a lovely stay and needed a good rest as when we worked out our route to our next destination, we realised it was going to be 200km and we only have two days to get there.  Well we could take longer but we really want to get there on the weekend so we can spend some quality time with our niece.

So this is where Mark comes in.  We had been thinking the best way to get to our niece’s place in Telford was via the canal as there is a towpath along all canals.  We really wanted to avoid all the traffic if at all possible, even if it meant taking longer.  So Mark said there was an old railway that had been converted to a cycle route which started at Arthingworth Village, about 3 km from their place.  It would take us all the way to Northampton where we could then join the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal.  All we needed to do was follow it down to Warwick and then up to Birmingham from there, then Wolverhampton and finally Telford.  It is a very indirect route, to put it mildly, but we figured it would be worth it.  The big unknown with canals however, is the surface of the towpath.  And the big danger is going in the wrong direction when you come to a junction.

But first of all we had the Brampton Valley Way to find and cycle down to Northampton, about 25km away.  We bid goodbye to Mark, Lesley and Ray at ten to ten (fittingly enough – family joke), and luckily I had also been listening to the directions as Pete wanted to turn left at the end of the road instead of right!

Pete here….I was jesting…anyway, onto the road out of Desborough, past the football club, left on Arthingworth Rd, which we then followed through the village until we reached the old railway line. Heaved the bikes up a flight of stairs and set off for Northampton. 

We had to walk most of this tunnel due to the uneven surface, the length of it and the total darkness,

The going was slow initially as we had to negotiate a pitch black tunnel, but once through there we picked up pace. The track was okay in parts and not so good in others. Came across a number of dog walkers, runners and other cyclists. About 4km shy of Northampton, we stopped to enjoy some ham buns that Lesley had made for us, along with a cup of coffee.  By now it was 12pm, so on we went into the town itself. Fortunately we had signs to direct us into the city centre and then we asked people where the canal was.  Into a Morrison’s supermarket to pick up supplies for later, then after a couple of false starts, we found the right path and we were off. Asked boaters along the way as the canal branches off, but we were fine.

A bit bumpy here, but no too bad

To begin with the towpath was adequate….that was as good as it got all day…Then, for the rest of the day, which didn’t end, as far as cycling went, until 7.40pm, the path was bloody awful for most of the 50 odd km we were on it. In many parts, we were riding literally on the bank, not two feet from the water, not able to move further over because of the nettles and brambles which were scratching our arms and legs to pieces. 

Tough going here - about 9 kph

Sometimes you felt sure you were going in the canal and it was only masterful control and sheer brilliance on both our parts, that prevented it. We left modesty back in Desborough..!  We were meeting and greeting all sorts of people, from those on the narrowboats, to those moored at the side. 

Canal dog walkers, normal walkers etc. Because of the state of the path….and that’s a very loose terminology, it was mainly a grass track with some mud chucked in for good measure….we were only averaging 10km per hour.  We wanted to cover as much distance as possible, but as time went on and the light cast shadows, it was quite dangerous.  At Braunston we came off the track to cycle up a hill into the village, to pick up some more food.

Nice bridge but we were more excited about the sealed path - which lasted about five minutes.

Braunston Junction

Had a quick pork pie and cup of milk each about 6pm before rejoining the towpath.  We had considered going by road but we didn’t have any directions to follow.  At least there’s not too many turn-offs on the canal and all are sign-posted anyway.  And if we have any doubts, other people are always around, cruising slowly and very accessible to ask directions.  If there’s one thing that made us feel better about going so slowly, it was at least we were going faster than those canal boats!

Taking a break in the shade and feeling pretty shattered.

Five miles upriver we came across Napton Junction and also a campground.  Even though we hadn’t done as many kilometres as we wanted, we were both tired, so decided to camp here.  Tent up then Ju showered while I set up the inside of the tent then she blogged while I showered.  Ju then cooked us a delicious dinner of chilli con carne with pasta and meatballs while I blogged.  It was again very hot today and both of us have a heatrash on the tops of our thighs.

So on reflection, was taking the towpath a good idea?  All in all I’d say it was.  We had absolutely no traffic and that is worth so much.  We also had a lot of shade and in this heat, that was very welcome!  It was also flat all the way and again, in this heat you do not want to be cycling up hills in blazing sunshine.  

Yes it was annoying dealing with the weeds and the mud and the fact we didn’t get as far as we wanted, but it was a lovely way to see some more of the English countryside and this gentle way of life people have on the canal boats.

21 July 2016 (sunny and hot) 0 km

Woke early…6.30am. Mark had said that he usually walks the dogs, so I thought I’d be ready when he was.  With time to kill, I busied myself with writing the blog from yesterday. When you stay with someone it can be awkward trying to fit this in as you don’t want to be typing your entries, whilst you are a guest in someone’s house, but if you don’t get it done, then you forget things.

Not long after 7am Mark was up. I kept writing the blog whilst he potted around downstairs. When I did get down there, he had the news on, so I was able to get some info. Nothing major happening, just the usual daily rubbish every country experiences. Piled the dogs in the car and off to the meadow where he walks them. Met one of his fellow dog walkers there. Another chap named Peter. Enjoyed a nice walk and talk for about 45 minutes, before heading home.  Munched down some cereal and croissants then sat around for a while trying to get some planning done on the trip.

Had a phone call from Mum and Dad which was nice and they gave us the update from back home. Seems like flu is going through the country. 

Foxton Locks

The plan for today was to head for Foxton locks, not too far away. Aside from being very quaint and seeing the narrowboats coming through, it was great to see the locks system in operation. We’ve seen this before many times on the canals we’ve ridden, but this was a series of ten locks and it never fails to impress with the technology they had two hundred years ago and how simple they made it look.  Took a walk around before having something to eat in one of the café/ pubs on the towpath.  That was enjoyable and another walk followed by ice creams was then on the agenda. 

with Pete's cousin Lesley and her husband Mark

No room for error!

Leaving the locks, we ventured into Market Harborough where we hoped to pick up some camping gas and exchange some Euros. Had the gas, but only a larger bottle so we left it for a smaller one we’d seen earlier in a DIY shop. The Euro is worth bugger all to the pound, which was disappointing, but not a lot we can do about it. Market Harborough is a lovely town full of planters filled with the most beautiful flowers all over the place. Hanging baskets are also plentiful and it really makes the town look spectacular.  Had a coffee at the Swan pub, before heading home to plan our route for the next couple of days.

Flowers aplenty at Market Harborough

At 6pm, after showering, we drove to Ray’s house to pick him up. He was shouting us a meal at The Hare pub in Lodington. Lovely pub, but we should have known it was going to be a strange evening right away. Firstly, Mark couldn’t get what he wanted (pork belly)….they’d run out. Got his next choice which came with feta cheese. Then, after about half an hour, they came to tell him that they had no feta..! Sorted that problem by choosing another cheese, but by now we’d been waiting an hour with just drinks. Ray was not impressed and let them know. To be fair, the waitresses we had were very helpful and told us one of the chefs had called in sick at the last minute. Meals arrived and we chatted as we ate. When it came time for dessert, you wouldn’t believe it, Mark once again ordered a dish that they didn’t have….that’s three strikes and you’re out buddy…! Arrived home after a lovely, yet strange evening and sat around talking until 11.15pm before we were all ready for bed.

20 July 2016 (sunny and very hot with strong headwind) 82km

Woke on hard ground after a restless sleep, but the breeze that had blown throughout the night and the cover of the trees, had kept the tent perfectly dry. Had a cup of coffee when Julia woke as we had no milk for tea, which also ruled out having cereal for breakfast. Packed up a nice dry tent…silly the small things that can lift your spirits, but it means one less thing we have to do on the road. Finding a place to eat and then unfolding your wet tent and fly all over that spot to dry in the sun or breeze…means that spot has to be thought about. Julia found out the computer password and went online to see if she could find Lesley and Mark’s address using White Pages, but in the end she sent both them and Georgina messages and got replies back from both.

Off on our way, determined today to stay on the country lanes whenever we could. However, our first ride into Somersham was on a B road, but the traffic was good. Saw a Tesco Express here, a small Tesco’s and bought what we needed for brekky. Whilst Julia was inside, I spoke to a guy who was amazed to see us here as he’d seen us in Ely only last night. Had a chat with him for a few minutes before he took off for work and then we carried on up the road, where Ju spied a sports field of Somersham Town FC and we ate our food in one of their sideline sheds, complete with table, two swivel chairs and some other chairs.  Stomachs satisfied, it was off again on the way to Pidley.

Breakfast at Somersham FC

Once again, although we had some cloud cover today, it was very warm. However, we did have our  old friend, the headwind, back with us. Without it though the temperature would have been unbearable.  We were cruising at a steady pace, the kms ticking by and managing to stay on country lanes. A couple of times we had a few minutes on a B road, but only to cross to another lane. Didn’t know how far it was to our destination in Desborough, but as the day passed and the mileage crept up, we began to tire with the constant wind and the ever undulating terrain. Seemed like every hill went up, with little or no respite.  

Lovely cottages in the village of Broughton

Counting off the villages as we rode, we were looking for one of them called Titchmarsh, which never eventuated. Now we don’t know whether it was a village, a solitary house or an imaginary name someone decided to throw in the mix, but by not finding it, we ended up going probably 6-7 kms out of our way, as there was no one to ask directions from. Really pissed off now, we finally came upon directions for Twywell, which had been on our list. 

Church in the village of Auldwincle - nt used for worship anymore.

Instead it is used as a meeting place or somewhere
for weary travellers to make a cup of tea.....or
judging by the camp stretchers, to stay the night.
Shame we didn't need anywhere tonight.

Sat in the shelter and shade of a bus stop on a busy B road eating tomato buns, which were the only food we had and a Kit Kat which we’d bought from a snack caravan just by the bus stop along with a coke.  This had been our first stop to have any form of sustenance for 55kms.  The only problem with travelling through these quaint little villages is that none of them had a shop!

The wind was only getting stronger and seemed determined to stop us from getting to Desborough and the legs were really beginning to tire. Turned off onto minor roads again to Grafton Underwold (lovely village), then Geddington, crossed a major A road to get to Newton, then Rushton being the 26^th village we had cycled through today. Finally entered Desborough around 3.30pm, not bad after such a very tiring 82 km ride. Found Lesley and Mark in their Summer house in their small but very well put together back garden. Mark is really into his gardening and it shows, lovely plants and shrubs.

After much needed showers, we all took a walk along the road to Ray’s house, where we were going for aperitifs.  It was great to see him again and he’s looking well even though he’s had some trouble with a rotator cuff injury, which they have now operated on. Still playing table tennis when his shoulder’s okay and still beating guys in their twenties. Sat outside for a short while before the heavens opened and we got soaked trying to bring in the garden seat covers. Retired inside to carry on chatting, before we left Ray’s and walked back along the road to attempt a BBQ, without rain. 

Mark and Lesley's three gorgeous dogs, Bilbo at the front, Tufty on the left and Pickles

Enjoyed a lovely meal and conversation, sitting in the garden as the darker clouds rolled away. Julia, by now could feel herself dropping off after such a tiring day, so she took herself off, whilst we three sat around talking until finally crashing.