Auntie Helen
Well-Known Member
MrsChellers\' boaty ride
So... yesterday's ride. I'm trying really hard to keep up the miles to maintain my position on Cyclogs (a mileage tracking website - I am vying with various chaps for top place on my team); it can be hard at times but with beautiful days like we've had this week it was an appealing prospect!
Plan in the Chellers household was to go for a quick afternoon sail. The boat is moored 15 miles from home so I sent MrChellers off in the car to get everything ready and I set off on my bike.
I followed the NCN51 from the Colchester area towards Walton-on-the-Naze. This is a very good section of NCN route and there are few cars, smooth roads and it's a reasonably direct route.
I was cycling across the Tendring Plain which is a plateau about 45 metres above sea level. And Walton is by the sea so I obviously have to descend off the plain onto a bit of rolling countryside. The views today were lovely:
I was cycling East into an east wind, though, so wasn't going very fast. However I felt like I was making reasonable progress through Tending Heath, Stone Street, Beaumont-cum-Moze, Kirby-le-Soken and finally Walton-on-the-Naze. The final mile is down Coles Lane, the route to the marina. Spot all the masts in the distance:
When I arrived at the marina I found the car and put my bike in it (safer than locking it up outside somewhere).
I then walked to the pontoon still in my cleats (there are some crocs on board). I was a bit worried I might get the metal cleat on the sole stuck in pontoon metalwork!
Arrived at the boat and gave myself a post-cycling treat...
Thing is, we were both so tired and the wind and tide were a bit awkward, so we decided not to sail after all, just hung out on the boat and had a snooze. James did a bit of rummaging around in some of our under-seat storage areas and found, horror of horrors, some beer that had passed its 'best before' date. Don't suppose we can be proper East Coasters if we let beer go out of date!
So after a couple of hours I did all the above in reverse (including assembling the trike from the car) but the ride home was much more whizzy with the tailwind. I added an extra 8 miles on the journey home to bring my total for yesterday to above fifty (and for the month of April, 978). A lovely afternoon in the sunshine.
So... yesterday's ride. I'm trying really hard to keep up the miles to maintain my position on Cyclogs (a mileage tracking website - I am vying with various chaps for top place on my team); it can be hard at times but with beautiful days like we've had this week it was an appealing prospect!
Plan in the Chellers household was to go for a quick afternoon sail. The boat is moored 15 miles from home so I sent MrChellers off in the car to get everything ready and I set off on my bike.
I followed the NCN51 from the Colchester area towards Walton-on-the-Naze. This is a very good section of NCN route and there are few cars, smooth roads and it's a reasonably direct route.
I was cycling across the Tendring Plain which is a plateau about 45 metres above sea level. And Walton is by the sea so I obviously have to descend off the plain onto a bit of rolling countryside. The views today were lovely:
I was cycling East into an east wind, though, so wasn't going very fast. However I felt like I was making reasonable progress through Tending Heath, Stone Street, Beaumont-cum-Moze, Kirby-le-Soken and finally Walton-on-the-Naze. The final mile is down Coles Lane, the route to the marina. Spot all the masts in the distance:
When I arrived at the marina I found the car and put my bike in it (safer than locking it up outside somewhere).
I then walked to the pontoon still in my cleats (there are some crocs on board). I was a bit worried I might get the metal cleat on the sole stuck in pontoon metalwork!
Arrived at the boat and gave myself a post-cycling treat...
Thing is, we were both so tired and the wind and tide were a bit awkward, so we decided not to sail after all, just hung out on the boat and had a snooze. James did a bit of rummaging around in some of our under-seat storage areas and found, horror of horrors, some beer that had passed its 'best before' date. Don't suppose we can be proper East Coasters if we let beer go out of date!
So after a couple of hours I did all the above in reverse (including assembling the trike from the car) but the ride home was much more whizzy with the tailwind. I added an extra 8 miles on the journey home to bring my total for yesterday to above fifty (and for the month of April, 978). A lovely afternoon in the sunshine.
