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.