Why the Scots emigrate...

As Nic alluded to in the previous post the weather in Britain has been a bit dismal. Since arriving back in Britain in mid July – over a month ago,I can count the number of days without rain on one hand. They also seem to all occur when we have arranged to have a roof over our heads. Due to the weather we have enjoyed a couple of B+Bs as well as the hospitality of the Brooke friends and family. We had already imposed on Nic's uncles back in April (when the English spring was full of sunny promise and forecasters making rash statements such as “it will be BBQ summer”).

Both sets of Brookes (pictured) had made us very welcome as have the Davisons and Goodwins in Suffolk, Nic's gran in Derby, the Harris seniors in Yorkshire as well as the Harris juniors in Kendall. It is so nice to be saved from the rain and the uncertainties of travelling by friendly faces, real towels, warm dinners and a bed. We are currently staying with (and being spoilt by) the Nixons in Knutsford and are steeling ourselves to face the elements tomorrow when we head out along the North Wales coast to catch a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin.

Scotland was very interesting, beautiful and the countryside did suit the weather we saw it in. We had both really wanted to go as have (distant) family connections to the area. Edinburgh was a great city. Exploring the castle we heard a piper on the battlements as well as a kilt clad wedding in the chapel there. Holyrood park is an amazing bit of wilderness in the city and we climbed Arthur's seat before walking past the very interesting and new building of the Scottish parliament and visiting the museum.

Fort William was our next fixed destination. The ride up into the Highlands was dramatic passing through deserted moorlands with banks of heather growing, rivers and multiple views of Bens as we travelled through the Glens. For some of the ride we were able to follow a cycle route along an old railway with amazing views of the valley and some of the steepest hair pins I have seen (not sure how the trains did these!)

We rode through Glencoe, site of the massacre in the days of the Jacobite uprisings. Joining National trust while in Yorkshire has been a good move as the site in Glencoe was Scottish National trust and we also got into Brodwick castle on Arran. We had hoped to get a roof to stay under in Fort William but had not appreciated the popularity of this destination and were lucky to get a campsite. Our stay in a studio apartment in Edinburgh for three nights had somewhat compensated for this.

Our campsite in Fort William was at the foot of Ben Nevis. After cycling 80km to get there the next day we ignored the required gear lists for climbing Britain's highest peak and went up experiencing four seasons in one day with rain, low cloud, wind and brilliant sunshine. Beautiful views of the loch after nearly 3 hours climbing. The mountain biking near Fort William the following day was a less successful day out as I was a little tired and sore and decided that I had had enough after doing the World cup trail (still ended up having cycled for over 2 hours that day). Brief light showers every day in the Highlands although I think this helped keep the midges at bay.

We left Fort William to cycle down to Oban and across to Tiree (where Nic's great grand father emigrated from). The ferry ride across gave us some fantastic view of Mull. Tiree not being very big had one campground at which for the very first time in our months of camping we were turned away as they were full! A bit disappointing however it meant we got free camping on a little beach with sheep and a few other free campers to keep us company – in the rain. True to form as we had booked a B+B in Oban for our return, the weather the next day was blue skies and a brisk breeze giving us nice evening to stroll the Oban waterfront.

Heading south hoping to leave the rain behind us we cycled down the Kintyre penninsula then ferry hopped across to Arran back to the mainland. We were guided by a Scottish cyclist we had met on the ferry through the urban areas of Ardrossan and had a surprisingly enjoyable ride through the county of Dumfries and Galloway with quiet roads, rivers and forest lining the way. Four days after leaving Oban we got to Carlisle in rain and were advised at the tourist office, where we went to find a B+B, that we were making a sensible decision to ditch the tent as there were severe weather warnings!

This did not stop us setting out the next day in a gale towards Keswick where we were meeting Garth (one of Nic's NZ friends) in an hostel. There is nothing more dispiriting for a cyclist who has just climbed up a hill that from a distance had looked vertical (and up close certainly felt that steep) to reach the crest hoping for a coast downhill only to almost get blown backwards reducing the downhill speed to less than 10km/hour. It was a slow trip and I think has killed our camera.

We can understand why so many Scots emigrated – there is only so much rain a person can take.

A sort of homecoming

I'd never seem a customs officer look flummoxed before, but now have. The outcome most likely of two New Zealander's entering Britain for the third time in six months, still saying they didn't want to work, and in this case with one of them having been born less than 30 km from Harwich, our port of entry. The always thorough questioning of British customs lasted long enough that cars behind us in the queue switched lanes to avoid us, but eventually we were (last) through and out on to the roads of south east england in cool but gloriously sunny conditions.

The first couple of hours riding back in Britain provided immediate confirmation of the rules of thumb we'd developed during our two days riding to the ferry during April: A roads won't kill you (probably), but aren't that pleasant; and English country lanes make glorious cycle paths.

Three hours after we left the ferry we had managed to fit in a decent English breakfast, the aforementioned A roads and lanes, navigation the wrong way through Colchester's one way system, and were knocking on the door of Lyndsay and Geoff, the first of many old friends and family members imposed upon to shelter us during our travels (thanks again to Marilyn and Steve, Gran, and Pete and Bar also). The many roofs along our way have been most welcome, particularly since our arrival back in Britain has disavowed us of our hopes of having three summers in a row... Without going into (cursing and swearing) details, the British summer weather has been all it is cracked up to be.

Fortunately, other aspects of being back in England made up for the weather. Obviously the chance to visit old friends and family was a huge bonus for me in particular, especially as everyone has made us feel so welcome. It has also been nice being back in a land where everyday conversations are not a test of intellect and stubbornness. The advantages of being in an English speaking country extend also to making visits to museums, castles, and other attractions that bit more rewarding as well. The beauty and variety of the English countryside and accompanying villages has also been wonderful for us to cycle through. And of course, I couldn't end this paragraph without noting that we are now back in the land of real, hand pulled ale!

For reasons we're not 100% sure of we have been visiting a lot more “tourist attractions” since returning to England.

From our first two destinations we visited Colchester and Hedingham Castles, both of which are Norman keeps – Hedingham Castle containing a very impressive Norman arch.

In Cambridge we stopped by the Fitzwilliam museum (which kept us busy for hours, particularly the great Darwin exhibit) and admired the various colleges from the backs. We've paid homage to Jane Austin with visits to the stately homes of Burghley and Chatsworth (where I got to splash in the same fountain I used to as a child!). We've also seen magnificent and contrasting cathedrals at York, Ripon, and Durham. An especially meaningful visit was made to the less dramatic but equally wonderful Edwardstone church where the graves of my father and brother are. Probably the nicest things we've done in England though have been simple countryside walks, whether through the grand grounds of Harewood House or the modest lanes of Suffolk.

On a couple of occasions in England the world has felt very small. The day after we arrived back we were getting towards the end of our visit to the Colchester museum when a voice said “Rowan?” simultaneously with me turning and thinking “is that Mel Abbott?” - which of course it was. Later, while in York, we were walking towards the Minster when we stumbled upon Seosamh Costello, an old work colleague of mine. In a country of 60 million plus the coincidences of being in the same place at the same time as someone from halfway round the world is a bit too much to comprehend.

Our most recent departure from England was over the land border into Scotland near Berwick on Tweed. The riding leading up to this crossing had been, for me, one of the most anticipated parts of the trip – the Coast and Castles cycle route up the Northumberland coastline. Upon mentioning this plan to various people the response was universally “oh, that coast is really stunning” - so universally that I was a little nervous heading into it that my expectations were too high. Suffice to say they were met and possibly exceeded, with stunning coastal vistas added to by spectacular ruined (Dunstaburgh) and complete (Bamburgh) castles and the myth shrouded isle of Lindisfarne. Without doubt one of the most amazing routes I have travelled.

I can't conclude this entry without mentioning Newcastle. We weren't there long enough (about an hour) to determine if it was an all round great city or not, and only saw the obviously stunning Angel of the North from a distance, but from a structural engineers point of view it was sheer heaven. From one point (actually many points) the number of spectacular bridges visible was almost overwhelming. It was particularly special to ride across the Gateshead Millenium “tipping” bridge – for more explanation try google.

Next stop Edinburgh, and a whole different blog entry.