Day 19 : Northampton to Flamstead, 50 miles, wet and dull!

Today I was intending to travel from the Hopping Hare in Dunston, on the northern outskirts of Northampton, to Waltham Abbey YHA near the M25 and the Lea Valley.
First of all the weather was horrible and towards the end of the day a south-westerly wind was buffeting me about.
I did know that the whole of this route was not complete and that my Sustrans route maps refer to some routes opening in 2002! However, I was not expecting quite as many alterations from the maps and missing and confusing signposts.

Nene Whitewater Centre is an artificial (pumped) whitewater course just to the south of Northampton.NCN route 6 passes immediately adjacent to the course. According to their website (www.nenewhitewatercentre.co.uk) three pumps control the discharge of water down the 300 metre whitewater course allowing the Centre to control flow rates thereby altering the course’s difficulty and skill Levels required to paddle it. It certainly looked fun and really suitable for the weather!

I wished I'd stayed longer watching the fun people were having at the Nene Whitewater Centre because it was after this I managed to find myself misdirected into Hardingstone and then had to find my way out of a new housing estate by a very muddy and slippery grass bridleway totally unsuited to my laden road bike. The Google street view that I have given this link for this might look alright on a dry clear day but it was wet, dark and windy. This was a fairly low point for me!!!


The rest of the day was wet and I thought I wouldn't get out the camera very much. Milton Keynes (MK) promised a lot to start with, clear signs (perhaps a little too often) but then rapidly descended into farce as signs had either been moved for fun by locals or otherwise vandalised. I must have spent a good extra hour exploring the canals and paths of MK. The only good thing I can say is at least there were paths, overgrown and infested with tree roots they might have been! Anyway I did manage to get a way out of MK vis Fenny Stratford and the A5(T) and the A4146 towards Leighton Buzzard (LB) for a distance. looking at the map now I have no idea why anyone would ever contemplate going the way I did - especially when I see with the A5 I could have got past LB in half the time. Grrr!!

16.00 in Stanbridge

16.00 in Stanbridge, Bedfordshire. I'm still on route 6 at this point but realise with 33 miles on my current routing to Waltham Abbey I needed a Plan B. I was going at less than 10 mph, in strong wind and then having to navigate through lightly signposted paths around Dunstable, Luton. Welwyn Garden City and Ware I was going to reach the Plan A destination very (too) late!
It was at this point that I noticed the A5 was the most direct route if was still going to go to Waltham Abbey or even to get to London. So I I put on extra lights and checked out reflective jacket etc and headed off down the A5. It is fair to say that my view is that trunk roads are to be avoided at all times and especially when cold, wet (with a great deal of spray) and very dull). There was some provision in places for cycling, large warning triangles, but remedial classes for those drivers who are so desperate to get where ever they are going that they have forgotten to look where they are going.
To cut a long and tiresome story short I ended up just before the M1 at Junction 9 considering my options to keep heading south along A5 to St Albans. Then I realised I was in the rain just outside this Premier Inn which looked like a good idea at 17.30. So that where I stayed and I was so relieved. I told myself I'd be up earlier to get a good run at the whole journey back to Kent. I did sleep well. Zzzzz

Day 18 - short video piece

- Day 18 travelling south from Market Harborough on the old Great Central Railway track plus a short and poor quality shot of a steam train leaving Leicester North station 

Day 18 : Shepshed to Northampton, 56 miles, sun with cloudy intervals

Shepsted is a small town a few miles north-west of Loughorough and I knew it was going to be a good day when I opened the curtains to see most of the rain clouds had vanished. I took route 6 all the way to the north of Northampton via Loughborough, Leicester and Market Harborough.

Bike parked in sunshine below the bedroom - each door is an entrance to 3-4 self catering units

Loughborough, as I had expected from its sporting reputation, was well stocked with cycling provision. The best aspect being the attention to detail in the routing of the paths especially at junctions; there are certainly other places that I'd passed through that could learn a lot here.

There were also neat design features to make sure cyclists can join traffic flow without being run down.

I'm not sure that I have ever been anywhere in Leicester other than stopping in a train at the main station. I realise my transit through the city was fairly superficial but I am getting the impression that from the cycle route of old canal tow paths and railway lines I do see a side of these cities that it is not seen by people in their cars or simply shopping.

Leicester City Centre Park

Leicester City Centre Weir on the River Soar

Route 6 leaves Leicester to the west along the old Great Central Railway line, there is an alternative route 63 that is three miles shorter from Leicester to Market Harborough which goes due south. However, it has 11 miles less traffic free routing and the climbs are steeper or so I am led to believe!

The ride I took was great and there was still some hard climbing from Leicester to Saddington, five miles north of Market Harborough. 

looking towards one of the steepest climbs since the Yorkshire Moors.

The section along the Grand Union Canal just before Market Harborough was very tranquil; I particularly liked the various bridges that peppered the route, each one with a name which I can only presume related to the land owners for whom the bridge was constructed to provide access.

One for Jane - just to make sure she knows I hadn't forgotten Frankie!

horses in Leicestershire

Market Harborough market place where I had a late lunch of ham and cheese pancake followed by a lemon and sugar one. They were huge! 

From Market Harborough to Northampton route 6 is traffic-free for 16 of the 18 miles and follows what is known as the Brampton Valley Way. This consists mostly of railway lines, including over 800m of unlit section in tunnels but also some canal tow path closer to Northampton.

Kelmarsh Tunnel (480 meters). I got out both front lights this time and it was much easier going!

13 miles to go and stopping to call Jane from the side of the route whilst it was still light!

Day 17 : Hope Valley to Shepshed, 50 miles, heavy driving rain all day

I set off for Shepshed (4 miles NW Loughborough) after 12:30 in the hope that the rain might ease off a little and there is little to indicate in this picture quite how wet and windy it was. However, the rain did manage to get the Ryder Cup in South Wales delayed for some hours so and I'm sure that was not just because, as a Scottish newspaper put it, the event was brought by money to a river valley in South Wales!

Nearly out of the gate! 

,,,,and I'm off (9 seconds later) via Calver, Baslow, Chatsworth House, Beeley, Rowsley, Matlock, Cromford, Wirkswater and Duffield to Derby

... another 6 seconds later on the road and I'm still trying to remember all the place names from Derby to Loughborough as I was determined not to open up any of my panniers and get everything wet.

Whilst I have no regrets taking the route I did in the circumstances, there can be no doubt that  the A6 on a Friday in heavy rain, with showers of spray and half the road flowing like a river 10% of the time was not much fun! I was particularly pleased with myself that I cycled the whole way up the hill out of Cromford, without stopping once, on the B5023 all the way to Wirksworth. This was partly to keep me warm as I was by now soaking all the way through - the water from the road having penetrated everything from underneath!
I took the opportunity, on the way down just after Wirksworth, to take off all my wet clothes and put new dry ones on. The icing on the cake was a £8 sheet of polythene, 'novadry' poncho that Decathlon sells for cyclists in these circumstances. It really looks awful but I had carried it  and thought that now was definitely the time to get it out. Apparently it is breathable but I think only to a point. Anyway it did the trick and I got all the way to my destination with only my feet feeling like they were in a bucket of cold water.
The upshot of all this is that I did not stop to take any photos, or to look at the soggy frontage of Chatsworth, or the historic mills and sites of the Peak District.
From Derby going south, I joined Route 6 and this was a real joy - 18 plus miles of canal rides seamlessly flowing into wide railway paths taking me as far as Worthington. 

The first section of route 6 out of Derby is called the Canal Path but some of the canal into Derby has now gone. At this point, just beyond the bridge, the end of a narrowboat can be seen indicating the adjacent Trent and Mersey Canal.

The Trent and Mersey Canal by Swarkestone Lock. The canal goes from the Bridgewater Canal, near Northwich and Sandback in the NW, across to Shardlow, where it links to the River Trent. The later point is interesting from Jane's family history as relatives of hers are Shardlows that come from this area. This bridge at Swarkestone dates from 1810 but original ones date back to the 13th century. The original river crossing marks the furthest point south reached by the Jacobite army of the Scottish Young Pretender Prince Charles Edward Stuart in 1745. There is quite a flow of water coming through the culvert just below the bridge on the far canal bank.

The Canal path was wet but was a great ride - I expect in summer it can get very busy and as it is very narrow in places it might be difficult to travel at my 'cruising speed' of 15mph.

I took this photo to show the care taken in marking out the route and ensuring it is suitable for horses, walkers and cyclists. This disusedrailway line was particularly wide, the bridges in particular were very noticeably wider, and it could have had more than two lines.

Well signed, smooth and rolling country roads took me on towards Shepshed. I stayed at The Grange Courtyard which somewhat surprisingly has no front entrance and hides itself a little too discreetly behind the old red brick of the stable yard. Unfortunately, Shepshed appeared to have only one really good eating place within walking distance - a very popular, lively and fully booked Italian establishment. I dodged the numerous well lubricated gangs in the poorly lit streets to take home a huge Chinese take-away! Perhaps I now understand why the Grange Courtyard may prefer to hide itself away from sight. 

On a day that I thought I would have no photos I do appear to have taken some, even if the last ones shows signs that my camera was already a little wet!

Day 16 : High Melton to Hope Valley, 32 miles, brilliant sunshine and warm

What a great day's weather I had and most of the route (even though it was fairly short) was traffic free. There was much to remind me of Yorkshire's mining and industrial past as well as a lot related to its flourishing industrial present. I followed in 62, 67 and 6 routes that brought me to Sheffield City Centre and then followed the main road out to Castleton and then took the spur off to Grindleford.

Breakfast and the overnight at The Stables was as good quality and value as it was advertised and  the clear blue sky was a very welcome change from the previous few days!

I haven't looked to see what the areas were like previously but for much of the way to Sheffield the surrouding areas looks like they had been reclaimed from previous industrial use.

Approaching the Elsecar Heritage Centre - home to many interesting industrials artifacts include a Newcomen beam engine used to pump water out of Elsecar New Colliery from 1795 until 1923, when is was replaced by electric pump. 

The cycle route up the quite steep 'Inclined Plane' whcih as the plaque explains was lain from Milton Ironworks to Elsecar Canal Basin - built c1840 and dismantled c1930 it transported 500 wagons a day. I assume it worked a little like a funicular railway with some wagons going up whilst other went down.

Old weir and bridges on the approach into the heart of the Sheffield City. Many of the industrial units in this area were very much alive and working.

The top - looking over Eyam Moor towards the South

Another view from the top - showing the patchwork of field boundaries stretching far into the distance

Cycle routes abound in the Peak District and some traffic free ones in particular were drawn to my attention by my brother and family. The High Peak Trail from near Buxton to Cromford looks great if your going downhill and The Monsal Trail which from next year should enable people to travel the whole way along this disused rail line including the tunnelled sections. I did pass by the Monsal Viaduct last night once I had arrived in Hope Valley (although not by bike) and it looks like a fantastic route to take - on another visit! 
My brother also pointed out that there is a lot of potential for renewable energy sources, particularly small scale hydro, in the peak district. There is good advice and examples of investment made at the friends of the peak website. In particular I thought these publications of theirs were useful

• Peak Power - Quick Guide to Micro Hydro  
• Peak Power: developing micro hydro power in the Peak District (full technical report including Appendix A listings of the sites covered)

Day 15 : York YHA to High Melton, 51 miles on a very wet day!

There is a risk that I could feel a little sorry for myself but I do seem to have been a little unlucky with the weather of late. However, that is not to say that I haven;t been lucky in other ways. Today's ride, although very wet (did I mention that yet!), was fantastic and I really enjoyed it. 
That was partly because the issue with the back axle has now entirely gone away. I have to thank the guys from Cyclestreet bike shop (Dawes dealer) in York and I now have a new wheel on the back, the previous one had had a good run, the ride is as good as new. They dropped everything, and despite a hearing of a fatality of someone they knew overnight, they both were extremely helpful and did what was necessary to get me moving again. More of the country needs businesses like this. 
The next door deli is also fantastic and I had a couple of very exciting sandwiches later in the day that I bought there. I also learnt that the faster time for Land's End to John O'Groats is less than 2 days and that the guy on the left in the photo below (done the trip twice) completed one of his runs in 7 days including a 180 mile day!! I still think the Dean of Rochester at 12 days was fairly good going. You won't be reading about me complaining about any long days for me in future.   

Jon Dean (right) MD of Cycle Street at 1 Heworth Village, York The business has been going for six months and  provided me with great service  (http://www.cycle-street.co.uk/)

York is clearly one of those cities that takes its cycling very seriously. The road markings and cycle routes are brilliant all over the place - although I was told that bicycle theft is on the increase. A really great place that I must get Jane to take me back to.

Route 62 to Selby follows an old railway line and has been a traffic-free route for the last 25 years.

The path is fantastic and fast for at least 50% of the way to Selby

Selby Abbey, founded in 1069, 

The Abbey was apparently founded when Benedict saw three swans on a lake in Selby, and he saw it as a sign of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is why the official crest of Selby Abbey is three swans.
I was familiar with Selby as an important coal mining town but was no so familiar with the fact that its position on the Selby Canal led to it having a substantial ship building industry. According to the Wikipedia for Selby the current Greenpeace craft bearing the name Rainbow Warrior was built in Selby in 1957  

One of a number of locks along the route - not many boats using the canal today though!

Riding along side the Selby Canal makes short work of the distance from the cooling towers of Drax to those of power stations closer to Doncaster.

There were plenty of people out working in the rain today from the people clearing the vital land drainage ditches near Selby to the manually operated level crossings closer to Doncaster. In fact I am not sure I have ever seen so many level crossings in a stretch of 2-3 miles before - from Ouston Wood to Bentley; some automated, some operated manually by others and one I had to open and close all the gates myself.
I stayed at Doncaster College's Conference Centre - the Stables at High Melton - that has rooms for hire when not used for other purposes. Jane found it for me and at £30 including breakfast is great value although I couldn't eat last night as there is nothing within walking distance I am looking forward to a big breakfast in the morning.

Day 14 : High Leven (Yarm) to York YHA, 53 miles, overcast, dull and mild

Good journey over the top of the Yorkshire Moors on Route 65 via Hutton Rudby, 
Swainby followed by some very steep climbing sections to 

Swainby Village Store - source of my ham salad sandwich for lunch today.

Osmotherley just a little beyond Yorkshire Water Cod Beck Reservoir where there is an a slightly off-road section on Route 65. Here I looked out for a little a sausage dog that had escaped his owner's lead and onto the higher ground. 
The journey across the top of the moors was very pleasant despite the weather.

It can get a little lonesome when the weather is like this ...one of my companions for the day!

One of the gentler hills before getting to the top of the moors

The first really steep downhill section - given the wieght I was carrying on the bike, the wet road and the mud etc I had to take these very slowly!

Although there were a few stretches of steep downhill before I reached the White Horse Hill above Kilburn nothing had really prepared me for the lengthy and severity of this drop - perhaps the home of the Yorkshire Gliding Club at the top should have been an obvious clue and the faces on the ten or so horse riders who had just made it to the top. Apparently in the Milk Race a few years ago riders effortlessly tackled this climb.
(very steep downhill by the white horse) and then along to Easingwold which was very pleasant. 

Looking back towards the hill, a little indistinct in the gloom, from Kilburn village

The ride down past Linton-on-Ouse to York was then fairly simple.

Approaching York, I was reminded that it was a long way back to Edinburgh and I hadn't in fact taken the most direct route. The did note that the four track mainline here was particularly quiet for the whole time I passed. 

Bootham Bar - one of the gates in York City Walls provides access into High Petergate.

West end of York Minster whose bells were ringing out loud and clear and could easily be heard from the YHA a  mile away.

Still some reoccurring issues with the back axle on the bike which I hope to get fixed whilst I'm in York. I've found a place on the internet that looks promising so here's hoping. 
At the recommendation of Jane, who studied Psychology at York University, I had fish and chips for supper buying these from Drake's in Low Petersgate.   

Day 13: Castle Eden to High Leven (Yarm) : 27 miles, overcast, wet, cold

The main achievement for me today was getting the back wheel sorted - travelling less than 30 miles will simply mean I have more to do tomorrow in order to get to York. Hopefully the weather will improve a little as it was desperately dreary today. 
The street lights were still on in Blackhall Colliery on the Durham coast at 10.00 this morning as I travelled to an industrial estate alongside Peterlee. Unfortunately the bright lights and sounds of Strawberry Cycles here weren't able to help - they specialise in MTB (mountain bikes) with either much longer or shorter spokes than mine.
After limping down to Stockton on Tees, I eventually managed to get the bike back to normally with the input of Doug at Halfords; Doug was also a great source of knowledge on cycling in the North Yorkshire Moors. At least getting to Stockton enabled me to have a look at the Infinity Bridge that I saw win the Supreme Award at the Structural Awards (designed by Expedition Engineering - I love the graphics for the people on their website- led team) in the National History Museum last year.
On the positive side of things in Stockton the cycle routes were well marked and plentiful - it is a little unfortunate that the northern end of the bridge approach paths are incomplete and some of the light fittings are already corroding.

Infinity Bridge in Stockton-on-Tees opened 2009 and cost £15m to build. It is for pedestrian and cycling use. The bridge is a dual, tied arch bridge or bowstring bridge. It has a pair of continuous, differently-sized structural steel arches with suspended precast concrete decking and one asymmetrically placed river pier. The tapering arches are fabricated from weathering steel plate box sections. The arches both bifurcate within the spans to form a double rib over the river pier. A reflex piece between the two arches holds them together making the two arches one continuous curve. No other bridge is known to have quite the same design. 

From Wikipedia... There were more than 1,000 entries to the competition but this was slimmed down to a shortlist of five. The successful competition design was by Expedition Engineering and Spence Associates.

The subsequent design was led by Expedition Engineering assisted by Arup Materials, Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, Black and Veatch, Bridon, Cambridge University,Cleveland Bridge UK, Dorman Long Technology, Flint & Neill (checkers), Formfab, GCG, GERB, Imperial College, RWDI, Spence Associates, Speirs & Major, Stainton, and William Cook while White Young Green were project managers.

 Apparently the Old Mill B&B that I'm staying at tonight has a hot tub outside - I'm going to pass on that!