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| Merseyside.....we made it!! Liverpool looking very modern across the River Mersey. |
It’s funny to be sitting in a house at a table typing this
up. All except a few entries have been written sitting cross-legged in the
tent, watching the sun disappear, or waiting for another clap of thunder or
sheet of lightning to light up the sky. At times we’ve been peering through the
mesh of the door at some wild animal which has been curious about a small house
that has appeared overnight and has come to check us out. We’ve been as still
as possible trying to capture the moment on film.
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| An ever-changing work of art constructed by kids on the Wirral side of the Mersey and added to continually - LOVE IT! |
Then of course there have
been the moments that our freecamp has been discovered, as we sit drinking tea
in the very early morning light, almost ready to pack up the tent and leave
without anyone knowing we were ever there. This should be a happy time. We once
again have taken ourselves away from the normal procedures of life and on a
bike loaded with two panniers, a tent and some sleeping gear, have, under our
own steam, covered over 5000km. It’s all done at a slow rate of knots to be
able to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the countries we visit.
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| Lighthouse at New Brighton on the Wirral |
Cooking on a tiny gas stove, which we both agree, has been the best piece of
equipment we purchased, before our previous tour to Finland. Small things that make you smile, like packing
up a nice dry tent in the morning, rather than a sodden one or knowing that the
supermarket you’re about to enter has a certain brand of cereal that you both
love and makes your breakfast just that much more enjoyable.
The little routines that you develop as you go. The order in
which you take your gear out of the tent when packing it up, sweeping out the
inside with our mini dustpan and brush, so that it’s clean when you set up
again that night. As we rode throughout Europe we encountered cyclists with
pannier bag covers to give added waterproofing….not us…a roll of ten 60 litre
kitchen bags (and we only used six of them ) for about a Euro, which did the
job perfectly. Making a pillow with just the right amount of clothes, placed in
a dry sack and leaving the right amount of air inside to give you the best
sleep. When we were riding in the rain…don the waterproof
raincoats……really..?...is there such a thing, on with the waterproof
pants….yes…these really were…! But to
keep our only pair of shoes dry….two plastic shopping bags, pulled over our
feet and tied at the lower leg with Julia’s hair ties. Windproof leggings from MacPac….brilliant and
Ju’s polar fleece from The Warehouse…( where everyone gets a bargain ) was
fantastic. Silk sleeping bag liners…can’t live without them…super lightweight
and keeps sleeping bag clean. I didn’t take a towel to dry off with, but a
flannel, small and you can wring it out.
We are always very proficient when it comes to putting our
tent up, no matter what tent we have. Before a tour we will practise setting it
up and once on the road the same format is undertaken each time. Each of us has
certain tasks with putting it up or taking it down and these don’t vary, so it
is up and down in a flash, which reduces stress when it’s blowing or pouring
with rain.
Our tent did it’s job very well considering some of the
heavy downpours we had. Most of the rain we had was at night, which meant that
on a couple of occasions, we had to abandon tent, for cover under some other
form of shelter. We were able, fortunately, to erect our dome under cover of
the shelter and enjoyed a comfortable night’s sleep when we did so. On a couple
of nights the rain was so torrential that we were ankle deep in water and had
we not moved, we would surely have floated away on the current. This dome was slightly smaller than our last
one on the 2014 tour and we did notice the difference, so this one too, is to
be given away for someone else to get some use from. We are looking for one next time with three
poles and a better vestibule so that when exiting or entering the tent in the
rain, it does not get inside the living area.
Our sleeping mats were excellent when we first bought them a
few years ago, but now they tend to lose air during the night, leaving the
unfortunate recipient laying on the floor. They are a great design though and
have kind of velour on the top, which means firstly that you don’t slide off
them and secondly, when someone turns over in the night, the other person isn’t
woken with the squeaky noise that most other mats give off. They too were from
Mac Pac.
Because I have very little hair on top, the sun comes through
my cycling helmet air vents in the top of the helmet. By wearing a “buff “on my
head and then the helmet, it stopped me getting sunburnt there, although on hot
days I did need to keep soaking the “buff” as it became very hot. Sunscreen was
always necessary and something we could improve upon wearing. Didn’t apply every
day, but should have done, even on cloudy days. Lip balm, which I am always
having Julia on for wearing, is a must, as lips dry out very quickly in any
conditions when on the road.
Our pannier bags, which are now thirty and twenty seven
years old respectively, finally have earned their retirement. Julia’s Karrimor
bags are beginning to get a bit beaten up, although they still do a good job.
My Tika bags, which are canvas, went out of production in 1993 and although
they are still useable, a new set will be on the cards for next time. Ortleib
is probably the most common brand around nowadays and everyone we’ve spoken to
who has them, really rates them. However, because everyone has them, could see
us look at some other brand, although only if they are as good. No use cutting
off your nose…… Julia has moved away
from wearing her cycling shorts on this tour, but I will continue to wear mine,
made by Ground Effect, in New Zealand.
The gas stove would be one of the best buys we made before
London to Helsinki and it continued to be a fantastic workhorse. As long as we
fed it gas, it cooked up a storm. Getting gas didn’t seem as hard to find this
time around, but you do sometimes have to search it out. Head torches were used every night, but the
most expensive one packed it in first….there’s a lesson there..! All in all I think our clothing allocation
was perfect. We only used our colder gloves on a couple of mornings and then,
only for a short time, but we used everything else constantly. Our only pair of shoes came through the
journey intact, mine moreso than Julia’s, but hers were older anyway. Because they were all we had, other than a
pair of jandals, they were well cared for. Jandals were great once we reached
camp for relaxing in, or first thing in the morning, packing up the tent in wet
grass, saving our shoes from getting soaked.
Our snaplock ties on the carriers were much more efficient than bungy
cords and can also be joined together to make a clothesline.
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| Luggage stripped down (no tent, no sleeping mats, no groundsheet) ready for our train journey to London. |
Our mountainbikes were brilliant and although not designed
for touring, did the job, once again in fine style. Because we are able to go
off track with them, you do have more leeway than a conventional touring
bike. The adventure tyres we had, once
again came through the tour without a single puncture, a marvellous effort and
a great relief. I had a whine/squeak on
my bike, which did become annoying, but once Dave, the bike mechanic, got it
sussed, I had no more problems.
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| Our last week was spent based near Neston. |
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| Captain Andy, Uncle Terry, cousin Debbie, Pete and Saint Peggy! |
The last week of our trip was based on the Wirral, in Little
Neston, with my aunt and uncle, Peg and Andy. They have always been there for
Julia and I over a thirty year period, making us feel at home and comfortable,
as though it was our own house. We cannot say how much we love these two for
that and we were able to catch up with relatives and friends, most of whom I
hadn’t seen for at least thirty four years.
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| Pete with cousin Phillip and Uncle Brian |
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| Ju and Pete with cousin Debbie |
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| Little Jane, Jane, Vicky and Pete with Joanne at the front (being held upright by the look of it!) |
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| Alexis, Andy, Pete, Asha and Julia |
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| Andy and Pete |
Those friends were a huge part of my teenage years and the good times we
shared were very special to me. Julia
was not on the scene in those days, so I was anxious introducing her to them,
for her sake as well as mine. My worries were unfounded as they accepted her
unreservedly which only confirmed to me, what a great bunch of people they are.
They have good lives here and their personalities which was what brought us
together many years ago, haven’t changed. They, like me in New Zealand, have
watched their families grow and I know that we’ll remain in touch.
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| Joanne, Little Jane, Pete and Jane |
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| Barbecue at Jane and Gary's place |
We met their
partners and had a great time, albeit, too short, but I will be forever
grateful to them for including Julia as though she had known them for years. It
was as though we had been together for the last thirty years, rather than
12,000 miles apart. I will be extremely sad to leave them.
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| The Razzle Dazzle ferry across the Mersey, painted by Sir Peter Blake! (not the NZ one though). |
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| This day it was a bit dreary, but the next day..... |
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| St George's Hall |
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| The Liver Building |
Liverpool, my birthplace, is now an amazing city. It was
great to see how much the city has changed over the years, all for the better.
A lot of time and money has been pumped into it and it has a huge variety of
shops to cater for everyone. It was so
enjoyable just to wander the streets listening to the “scouse” accent and feel
at home, in a city that I haven’t been in for so long.
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| The Albert Dock - totally revitalised |
Finally. What can I say about Julia. She is the most fantastic
wife I could ever wish for. Firstly, she puts up with me. Nothing ever phases her and
along the way, we have some of the most amazing adventures. To share those journeys with her over the
years has been wonderful and I hope to spend many more years cycling the “road
less travelled” and experiencing new cultures and countries and marvelling at
this wondrous planet, which offers two cyclists so much. Until next time, thank you to all the people
we came in contact with. You made the trip for us and confirmed that this world
has such a lot of good things going for it.
Pete……4th August 2016
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