September 13, 2022
The Last Leg: Tynemouth to Durham
The ferry ride was marked by a minor drama: a couple of hours out of IJmuiden, the intercom announced that we were going to turn around and head back to port so that a sick member of crew could receive medical assistance. We didn't, in fact, go all the way back to shore, but just far enough for the coastguard to come out, and for the invalid to be transferred from our behemoth to their tiny boat -- a process which, to my eyes, looked significantly scarier than any number of illnesses. But it seemed to be successful: the coastguard sped off back towards the Netherlands, and we did another u-turn and set out again towards the UK.
In spite of this, we were still bang on time when we chugged into the mouth of the Tyne the next morning.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Disembarkation was again a bit slow, but in the end the cyclists and motorbikers (a handful of the former, a lot of the latter) were waved into the fresh air, welcomed (not terribly effusively, if I'm honest) back to the UK by the border person, and (the cyclists at least) pointed towards the cycle path by a much more cheerful customs person. (Cyclists get a great shortcut out of the Port of Tyne: through a hole in the fence, and straight onto the 'Hadrian's Way' cycle route.)
I was having slight twinges of conscience about having sort of told work I'd be back today, so thought I should take the more direct inland route back home -- less scenic than the seaside route, but with the silver lining of a trip through the wonderful cycle (and pedestrian) tunnel under the Tyne.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Other than a few half-raised flags, I didn't get the sense that the country was particularly deeply plunged into mourning. (All the QE2 commemorative biscuit tins had disappeared from the ferry duty-free shop, but I couldn't work out if that was because they'd been deemed Disrespectful, or because they'd been snapped up by memorabilia-hunters...) The weather was good, and plenty of people were out enjoying the sunshine. I thought I might as well join them -- work could wait another half hour, surely...
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Before very long, I was at the top of the last hill of the trip, and my final destination was just a freewheel away. Queens and kings might come and go, but the home of the Prince Bishops doesn't change much...
Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles)
Total: 1,085 km (674 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
1 year ago