From Corbridge to Tynemouth ( Day 4)
Updated: Jul 2
Distance Travelled: 31m Elevation Gained :1,213ft.
Today was an absolute joy! We started the day with a breakfast fit for royalty... never in the history of cyclists overnight accommodation is there anyone as good as Tove at Fellcroft B&B in Corbridge. Tove was determined to give us all the inner fuel we would need for our journey today, She is most definitely the Saddle Skedaddle host of the decade. The thought and care that she puts into everything for her guests is extraordinary. We set off, knowing there was a killer hill leading out from the town, and yesterday we would have had to push our bikes up. BUT.. the best news ever .... there was a much stronger wind today and... guess what... it was behind us and virtually pushed us up the hill. The ride was a dream. We meandered through peaceful back roads and onto the cycle track that
follows the river into Newcastle. Hardly a steep hill to be seen. The hedgerows were busting with dog roses and you can imagine the pleasure we felt when we saw this huge field of wild flowers. Had we been in a car we would have missed this altogether.
For most of the ride into Newcastle we were following the cycle path along the valley, often following old railway tracks. It was a stunning route, following the river Tyne all the way into Newcastle with the wind behind us pushing us there!.
We stopped in The Hub for lunch, a specialised biker cafe and cycle repair shop and also the HQ of Saddle Skedaddle. We were tempted to go into the office to say hello, but decided that we shoudn't disturb them.
So we had almost completed the famous Coast to Coast cycle ride. But just before we got to the end point who should we bump into our Mr Sunshine Superman himself! He was waiting to pick up another two cyclists . We spent a lovely 15 minutes or so with him. He is a joy!
Ten minutes later we finish the Coast To Coast ride (for the second time!) We felt both pride and amazement that we had actually managed to complete it!
So, the reason we were so amazed at having completed the ride there are two major issues that cause us age-related problems ... I have great difficulty in mounting and Bob has even more difficulty in getting his leg over! Put away your wicked thoughts here and remember we are talking about bikes!!! I struggle to get onto the bike on hill starts and wobble about like a kid learning to ride a bike and Bob struggles to get his leg over the cross bar .His bike is so weighted down with his paniers that when he tips the bike sideways to get his leg over, the weight of the bike has several times toppled him over. So, the first major part of the ride completed and we are looking forward to the gorgeous east coast and onwards to Scotland. (Rain forecast for the next two or three days... so maybe another offering to the weather gods will help. )
G'night all. xx
Well done both, very proud of you!