29 July 2016 (morning rain, afternoon cloudy with sunny patches, mild) 32 km

Today marks the end of our 5300km cycle ride. Over the past three months we have travelled from Munich to Merseyside, via Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Rep. Germany, Netherlands and across England. As I write this entry, we are sitting at the kitchen table of David Mann, in Chester, virtually a hop, skip and a jump from our final destination, in Little Neston on the Wirral.

The past week has been very much one of winding down, with our pace and distance showing as much. At David’s house over the last day and a half, we have been able to relax, contemplate on where and what we’ve seen and enjoy conversation with a fellow cyclist, who understands exactly what life on the road has to offer, both the good and bad.

The forecast today was for rain clearing, but as is so often the case, the elements are something that we have no control over, so we are not surprised that currently it is raining. Whatever it decides to do today, we will take the easy ride to Peg and Andy’s house where the cycling part of our travels will finish. To me, it’s a bit like Chris Froom cycling along the Champs-Elysées. The race has been won, there are just the final procedures to go through to achieve the desired goal.  There is much catching up to do with friends and relatives over the next week, which will be fun.

You know you're getting close to Liverpool when even the monuments are missing a wheel!

David was in the Crown Court today sitting with another magistrate and a judge. We said goodbye to him shortly after 9am as we prepared our gear for the ride. He said there was no need to rush off ourselves so when the rain started again we lingered and had some coffee and toast even though we’d shared breakfast with David earlier over more fascinating conversation.  Now that we were clean and dry, we were in no hurry to get cold and wet and the forecast said the day was supposed to clear up. Uploaded the blog and caught up with some other messages and info from home, before the skies cleared and we felt it was safe to head off.  

thanks David for welcoming us into your home.

We had found a traffic free cycle path on the Sustrans website that would take us to Neston and the easiest place to pick it up was Chester, so that was where we headed first.

Chester is a hugely historic town, so there are always tourists roaming the streets or walking the Roman walls. It was nice to be in a city that I used to come to as a teenager and it felt comfortable being there. The hustle and bustle, the chatter, in the distinct scouse-like way of talking. The weather was now fine with sunny spells. After buying a pub lunch, two steak and Guinness pies, mashed potato and peas, with gravy…delicious….we had a little wander around the shops before making the final ride to Little Neston. 

Conditions were now great for riding and we were able to take the traffic free cycleway at the river Dee, around the racecourse and out toward Queensferry. This was so relaxing with no traffic to contend with and a great way to finish our journey. I’m not sure when this route was established, but it’s a huge asset. There were plenty of walkers and cyclists on here even at 5pm on a Friday evening. Stopped near Deeside to munch on some wild blackberries growing at the side of the path, before travelling through an industrial area and then onto the marshland track…all sealed…heading past Burton and Ness, toward Little Neston.  It was the perfect way to end our trip – we even passed the sewage works in outer Chester and had a headwind all the way, just so we knew we were on the right track!

We even managed a brief stint in Wales!

As we approached The Harp pub, a lady walking her dog struck up conversation with us. She was amazed that we had travelled so far by bicycle and been on the road, living in a tent, for so long.  Up Marshlands Road, recognising now, the familiar streets from so long ago. In 1986, when we made our first cycle tour together, Peg and Andy’s house was our base where we could feel totally at home and relax. Julia had been sick on the first stages of that trip and I thought at the time that there was no way that she would resume the tour. But after a week of care by Peggy and a comfortable home in which to recover, she was keen and eager to go.  She has never looked back.

As we neared the house, there was Peg, standing outside. She had seen us coming. Soon Andy was with us and although we’ve seen them in New Zealand, this was our first time back at their house since 1989. It was much the same but the gardens have matured into a lovely area. The house was still as welcoming as it ever was and soon we were ensconced, enjoying the conversation that always flows freely when we get together, wherever that may be.

The finish line......and what an amazing ride it has been!  Thanks for enjoying it with us!!!

So, once again, our trip is at an end. The time has flown and now it’s back to resume our lives in NZ, with our families and Rufus, our dog. Really looking forward to seeing everyone again, but as with every tour we’ve done, we leave a piece of us, on the road. (In Julia’s case, the skin of her left knee and in mine, part of my chin and both knees!) For the next week, we’ll be enjoying time with these guys and meeting up with my old friends from teenage years. Relatives across the water are also on the list and I can imagine that time will pass quickly, before we journey to London, by train, to fly out of Heathrow, having caught up with friends in the capital.

I will be writing my reflections on the tour over the next week just to put the finishing touches on the blog. But for this journey….as that famous cartoon character Porky Pig would say…th th that’s all folks…!