Cycle ride in Northumberland: map & data
Total climbing: 300 m
Total time: 05:05:01
29 mile cycle in 5h from 10.00 to 15.00 – average 5.7 mph – windy, but less than the previous day.
Our story: Cycle ride in Northumberland
Day 2 of our cycling weekend in the north of England started at an idyllic spot. Throughout the night, I’d listened to the howling wind and the everlasting bird songs.
We set off in the van, in a gorgeous morning light, and soon forgot just how tired I was. Tired because the previous day we’d done an epic 42-mile ride against a blustering wind. Today, the forecast was for rain and a persistent cloud cover that never materialised.
Instead, we cycled in the sun, after setting off from a pretty village called Embleton (population 672).
From time to time I stopped to take the pictures I bring you here. Every now and then we crossed the railway tracks, and then pedalled on, daydreaming, surrounded by a vastness of blue and green.
Cycle ride in Northumberland: an eventful day
Soon, it was lunchtime. And that’s when things turned somewhat gruesome.
You see, the previous day I’d been kind of suspicious of our slightly smelly lunch, but ate it anyway.
— “I’m not going to be a crybaby”, I thought. “I do enough whining on the bike as it is”.
But this time I opened my lunch box and:
— “Blimey! What a stench!”
My pork rice hadn’t survived the heat. And so, lunch was a swift and forgettable affair; except for the stunning view of Bamburgh castle, and the sea in the distance.
A brave duckling
We wandered off and soon came across an adventurous duckling.
Not long before we spotted it, the wee guy had fallen down a step in the stream, and was frantically trying to find its way back up to mommy.
For five long minutes, mum-duck waited patiently for her duckling to rescue itself; while its six siblings paddled around, blissfully unaware of the mishap.
Eventually the lad found a branch and ran back up; proud, I hope, of its adventure.
After that we cycled for two more hours on quiet roads, ended up at a dead end, retraced our steps — like the duckling; waited for a couple of trains to fly by, and arrived at The Greys Inn for tea.
It’s those teeny scenes that cling on to my memory:
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Camera used: all the photos in this post were taken with my iPhone 13 Pro.