15 July 2016 (sun and cloud, warm, windy) 85 km

Woo, hoo hoo,oo,oo, hoo,oo,oo, hoo, oo, ooooo,  Ooowohoo, oo, ahoo

Don’t Worry, Be Happy,

Woo, hoo hoo,oo,oo, hoo,oo,oo, hoo, oo, ooooo,  Ooowohoo, oo, ahoo

Don’t Worry, Be Happy now…..

I had wondered how they were going to get everyone off this ferry at 6.30am this morning and here was the answer – this very chirpy tune being piped into all the bedrooms at 5.30am this morning.  Not a bad way to wake up although we both had this song stuck in our heads for the remainder of the day.

The Eagle…..or if Julia was writing this bit…..the lovely white, majestic looking swan….has landed. Yes, we’ve finally stepped foot on the Isle of my birth, at Harwich, 6.30am, after an enjoyable night crossing from the Hoek of Holland, mostly because we both slept well and there was a shower when we woke. Around 9.30pm last night, Julia had begun to feel seasick, so we retired to our cabin to enjoy a good night’s sleep.  After going through passport control, we picked up some breakfast at a Morrison’s supermarket which we ate on the quayside overlooking the harbour and estuary…most enjoyable and felt very English. It was also good to be speaking English again, without having to think about how to get your point across.  As we sat there enjoying our breakfast, we noticed that the boat moored in front of us was the one that was used in the movie “The Boat That Rocked”.  Then we noticed something else……there was a public toilet just across the road…and it was free!  They’ve been so rare in Europe that we’d nearly forgotten what they looked like!

A rare sight in Europe but we saw five more in Felixstowe.

It was now about 8.30am so we asked if we were at the right place for the Harwich to Felixstowe foot ferry…..and we were.  We hadn’t been able to contact them last night so waited hopefully for him to turn up at 9.10am, but he didn’t.  It’s a huge distance to go around the estuary and river in between Harwich and Felixstowe and a busy road to cycle from Harwich to the end of the inlet (probably about 30 km), so we decided to wait for the 10.10am ferry, which did arrive.  It was quite a small ferry and we had to unload our bikes and lift them on.  We had help with our gear from some of the other passengers we got talking to so that was nice.  One guy was a 76 year old cycle tourer who has been going on bike tours for the past 52 years!  This ferry ride was only fifteen minutes long and we were astounded that we just landed at a pebble beach.  

Landing on Felixstowe Beach with the little yellow ferry in the background.

No jetty or anything – you just walked on a set of stairs over the front edge of the boat and down onto the pebbles.  It felt more like landing on a deserted island than catching a ferry in England!  Again we had help with all our stuff and it all felt very homely and relaxed.  We loaded up our bikes and pushed them the 100 or so metres on/through the pebbles until we reached solid ground.  

Then we jumped on our bikes and immediately found the signs for Route 51 bike track and started on our way to Mary and Bryan’s place.  It was a beautiful morning and lovely to be cycling in England again.

The bike route we soon discovered took you via all the points of note in the area, rather than being a direct route to where we wanted to go……and weirdly enough that seemed to consist of the steepest hill in Felixstowe.  But we weren’t too bothered as we had plenty of time and were just enjoying England at it’s best.  

Promenade at Felixstowe

We followed numerous country lanes until we got to the town of Woodbridge where we found a shady spot at a children’s playground to eat our lunch.  From there we were on Cycle Route 1 all the way to Mary and Bryan’s – at least we were supposed to be but somehow we missed a sign and lost the route.  This is so easily done if a bush has grown up to cover a sign, or if somebody is parked in front of one, or if you’re merely distracted by the scenery or maybe the sign has fallen off.  Luckily we had a back-up plan and had written down the names of the villages we should pass through on our way to Halesworth.

A cottage garden that caught our eye

St Michael's church at Framlington

At Framlingham we found the cycle route again so started following that as the B road we had been following was pretty busy.  It took us back out into the lovely country lanes and into another village, but this village was not on our list.  We had actually started following the cycle route backwards and had gone 5km west instead of north.  A guy let us look at his map and we took the A 1120 for about 15km to get back on track.  That was actually not too busy and we just flew along here and it was good fun.  Then we found the village names we had been aiming for originally and spent the last 10km to Halesworth out in the countryside again.  The weather stayed dry for the whole day although it was windy at times.

Heveningham Hall - lookimng slightly different from Hurworth Hall!

We arrived at Mary and Bryan’s about 5.30pm which was great as I’d said it would be between 5 and 6pm.  After the prerequisite cup of tea, I had a shower and helped Mary with dinner while Pete had his shower.  It is lovely seeing my aunt and uncle again.  We don’t get to see them often but it is so easy to feel at home with family.

Had a delicious dinner and then I blogged while Pete, Mary and Bryan caught up with the day’s events on TV.

Pete here again… yes it was really good to be cycling in England again. Riding past amusement arcades on the prom, with the bumper cars and Sooty and Sweep machines. The Felixstowe Rock all lined up in the stalls for people to munch on as they watch their teeth fall out with the amount of sugar it contains, as they suck their way into the stick which contains the name. (Anyone not English, may need to google what I’m talking about). Little things I’d forgotten, like watching a man and his wife playing with their young kids in the sunshine…..he had the longest shorts on, nearly to his ankles, with the obligatory socks and sandals…..don’t want those feet to see sunshine and fresh air. Meanwhile the kids had those long dresses that you see the Amish wearing, with tights. Here’s Julia and I, just stopped for lunch, shoes off at first opportunity, walking around in bare feet. I think I was in my teens before walking around in bare feet was the norm and that’s because I’d lived in N.Z.  The hedgerows, sprawling over into the lanes, with brambles ready to inflict pain, should you get too close and little villages and church spires just sitting where they’ve sat, for hundreds of years.  All these things and more made me feel like breaking into song…and blasting out “Jerusalem,” which for someone who never went to church or has a religious bone in his body, is a strangely powerful song for me and transports me back to England, no matter where I am.  The people we encountered today were happy and ready to chat. Always helps and puts a different perspective on things when you understand the language. All in all….great to be here and I look forward to catching up with everyone, most of whom we haven’t seen in a very long time, some for over thirty years.