May 23, 2022
Grimsby to Lincoln
train back
My plans today are unclear. All I've outlined is to see some sights around Grimsby's Port and once that's done it'll be a case of seeing how I feel and what appeals most.
My sleep was pretty iffy due to my right arm aching painfully during the night. Maybe it's from carpal tunnel syndrome. Whatever: it means it's pretty early - around 7:00 - when I leave The Yarborough and make my way past the minster and through the deserted shopping area towards the sea, riding alongside the Fishing Heritage Centre before crossing over a metal bridge that takes me to the east side of the River Freshney's wide estuary. There's bright sunshine, but it still feels cool at this time and there are just a few people going to work, looking miserable.
The six floors of the red brick Victoria Mills loom over the road and I cross over to get a snap of the building's top tier, with it's fancy gable. It's then past a Burger King and a sad-looking two-storey hotel that has Chinese characters on a sign above one door stating that it's a Chinese woman's art gallery. It's hard to imagine anyone visting.
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After passing the grand Victorian, but now forlorn-looking Customs House, which has a To Let sign fixed to it, I ride under the A180 carrying commuter traffic and container trucks and pause at the impressive Chambers of Commerce building before entering the Port area.
There's a security gate, but I don't stop as there's a 16-wheeler being checked and the guard is preoccupied. I just pedal down the first turning - Auckland Road - that goes towards the sea.
This Port area isn't somewhere people walk around. Not at any time. It's all pretty open and windswept and many of the original buildings have no doubt gone. The ones that have been built are just utilitarian warehouses and refrigerted storage places.
I was actually here four years ago, but didn't check the older, northern part of it out as I was focused on just passing through and getting to a bike path that runs down the coast. However, there's a section that piqued my interest - a few old streets that looked interested on Google StreetView.
The Grimsby Ice Works has its southern elevation on Auckland Road and the building towers above me. The morning sun highlights it's current derelict state, with most of the roof missing. The brickwork is weather damaged in places and the glass in the windows has mostly been smashed. There's a high, wire fence keeping people out.
Built around 1900, the factory once made the ice for keeping the day's catch cool and was used up until 1990, which, looking at it now, is hard to believe. You wouldn't doubt that the cathedral-sized structure was once the largest ice factory in the world.
Further down the road are a few fish sales offices that look like they're now empty, but it's hard to say for sure.
The big surprise is the half a dozen 1930s cars parked in a tight row at the very end of Auckland Road. They're in great condition and I notice the adjacent buildings all have posters from the period and there's a huge London Underground sign affixed on the corner of one. It's like I'm on a movie set. It turns out that's what it is.
My camera is out and pointing at a poster when a loud voice gets my attention. It's a secuity guy and he's not a happy chappy to find me on my bike just beyond a No Entry sign, which is one that I hadn't noticed - something he finds hard to believe. He points out that photography is not allowed. I knew this about the Port area, but opt to play dumb. He tells me the old buldings are part of a location for a TV series that I've never heard of that's being set in various time periods - this one being WWII. I try to rememeber its name, but soon forget, and the guard can't recall any of the actors' names.
Unfortunately the film set includes the few interesting street that I saw on StreetView, so I can't venture where planned. Instead I cruise to a cafe the securty guy tells me about called Deb's. I need a bite to eat and it seems this humble place will cater to a hungry clientele.
The cafe takes some finding, as it's inside a shipping container that's stacked on top of another one parked inside a fish processing company's yard. Some workers are sat outside having a smoke and I lock my bike near teh fence and go up the steps and into the rudimentary space where Deb is cooking burgers and serving tea. I get an overprced bacon butty and sit at a table. There are four or five workers who look to be in their twenties in rubber boots and aprons chatting about mundane stuff.
After my butty and tea, I ride back into the eastern part of Grimsby and check out a few buildings, mostly just following my nose. One nice find is a tiled pub that's sadly vacant and it's hard to see it ever opening again. It's The Albion.
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My energy is low and riding down the east coast is something that I've done before, so I opt to just catch a train back to Lincoln. There's a departure at about 10:40, which gives me enough time to get a decent cooked breakast near the station before an hour's journey.
I can get back to Dave's and start think about where to tour next.
Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 646 km (401 miles)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
Grimsby looks like it sounds. There’s another Grimsby in southern Ontario I’ve been to. A Scottish games festival was held there every year, which is why I thought the original Grimsby was in Scotland. Now I know.
Cheers,
Keith
1 year ago