1317 miles total
The 3G network is not that good in the bits of the Fens that we've been staying at the last few nights - can get a strong 1G network and with this can read my emails usually but can struggle to reply, but can't get onto the internet.
Am lying in the tent feeling very stuffed as Roger went to Asda which is not too far from the campsite and came back with a tub of Ben and Jerry's icecream for me - 'Fairly Nuts' - absolutely delicious - I won't mention that he ate 10 cheap choc-ices in about 5 minutes flat!! - he emphasises that they were only small choc-ices!! Can see that this will be tea for tonight!
We left the 'back to nature' campsite and the tree named Robin in good time - another hot day. Couldn't get the photos to upload on the last blog, so here they are now:
Lincoln Cathedral:
The disused railway track along the River Welland from Lincoln to Boston:
The River Welland:
Camped under the tree named Robin:
Saturday continued: More narrow lanes following round the field edges until we joined the busy main road to take us over the mouth of the River Welland where it enters The Wash. Lunchtime saw us spending an hour on a bench in the shade of some trees in a childrens play area in Holbeach while we made our butties and ate them. A very well provided play area - even had a large sandpit with a digger in it the kids could sit on and use a bucket to pick up and dump sand in piles. Tesco's was very conveniently next door for a toilet stop, a read of the newspaper headlines and a quick shopping trip. We arrived at the campsite at Four Gotes - after a bit of a struggle to actually find it - by 2 oclock or so. Lots of family tents with large family groups bar-b-queing etc. A small swimming pool as well which I made use of to cool me down before I went for a shower. As I was going into the toilet block, a guy shouted over to me (back view again I hasten to add) - 'You're gomg into the Ladies you know!' - then when I turned round he said 'Oh, You are a Lady!'. To quote Victor Meldrew - 'I don't believe it!!!'. I'm getting a serious complex about this.
We phoned Barry and Janet to see where they were and what their plans were for meeting up with us - they were a few miles away from the campsite I had earmarked for us to cycle to the next day - south of Kings Lynn. They were going to leave the van there and cycle up to the campsite at Four Gotes - going the most direct route. So, there was Roger and me nicely settled in at the campsite, having cycled our 30 miles for the day- and they were just setting off in the real heat of the day.
They arrived about 6 pm or so- full marks to them both - they'd cycled about 30 miles- and Barry was pulling a trailer behind him - fully loaded - must have been an impressive weight.
Out came the fridge full of lager,beer and wine (I kid you not) and loads of meat to go on the Barbie- yes, a disposable barbie came out next, plus a 4 man, 2 bedroomed tent with tent pegs that weighed a ton, plus a double blow up mattress with foot pump - they tell me you can hang clothes up in the back of the trailer to keep some for 'best'. Just how Barry had the strength to tow the trailer I don't know - and he's towed it for 2 weeks in the Pyrenees when he and Janet toured there a few years back. His nickname from Janet is 'One Sheet' from the advert for paper towels for wiping spills up - I've not seen the advert so can't comment - something to do with the view Janet gets of Barry's buttocks moving up and down as he powers up an incline with the bike ad trailer!!!!
Mad as he is for cycling with it all, especially in the heat - the food and drink was very much appreciated and enjoyed. Many of the family groups decided to pack up and go home as a rain storm was forecasted for later on in the evening - and Barry said another one was due about lunchtime the day after (Sunday). Took ages for us to get Janet and Barry's tent up (done it once before in the garden at home) - it was finding the right technique for inserting the pole ends into the sprog ends that caused the problem.
Those that opted to go home early probably made a wise decision as we had a tremendous storm just after we'd gone to bed - rained very heavily, but had stopped by the time we got up. Overcast and grey, with flat light - enjoyed an egg and bacon roll from the reception area at the campsite - they set up shop there every Saturday and Sunday morning - needed a guide to find our way round to the hatch in the wall (which was actually a large tent) to make our order - some serious pruning of the overgrowth was required - wouldn't have found it by chance that's for sure. A pleasant morning ride on flat roads, having to watch out very closely for route signs - 4 pairs of eyes being very useful as many were obscured by the undergrowth and getting told off in Wisbech for cycling the wrong way up a one way street, but we were just following the Route 1 signs.
Shopped in a Summerfield's and bought our favourite Coop Coconut and marshmallow cakes - not quite as cheap as when they were on special offer in Scotland for 70p. Difficult to find anywhere to sit for lunch as no benches - so stopped on a grassy knoll under a village sign of Islington. Did rather look as though the gypsies had arrived in town as Barry got the fridge out to sit on, and he and Roger had the remaining cans of beer and lager, while butties were made and eaten. Could see the net curtains twitching in the house opposite - with first the husband coming to look, followed by his wife. I'm sure they must have breathed a loud sigh of relief when we tidied everything up and cycled off. Must have looked very strange, four over 50 year olds having a picnic on the grass verge.
Thought we had got away with the storm promised for Sunday lunch time - but no, came with a vengence as we reached the outskirts of Kings Lynn. Absolutely soaked to the skin (and Sue in the bad books with Roger for not stopping under a bridge on the way - couldn't see the point as we were already soaked through by this point, and could have been there hours waiting for it to stop - and Janet and Barry had to drive home after we finally arrived at the campsite, so needed to keep going really) - lots of people caught out in their summer clothes in the rain - in the end we stopped at Wimpies in the centre of the town - 4 dripping wet people - the staff were very accommodating about the wet puddles Janet and Barry left on their seats - they have no rear wheel mudguard so if cycling in the wet you get all the spray from the back wheel on your back and bottom.
The rain more or less stopped as we finished our drinks, but did rain again soon after we left, but then dried up, even if it stayed very grey and overcast. As we cycled towards Sandringham the flat terrain of the last two or three days started to become much more undulating in nature once again. Also the open fields were replaced by woods, lovely cycling through the estate around Sandringham, even if we didn't manage a view. 50 miles today, at an average of about 9.5 miles per hour. We were all glad to finally arrive at the campsite and Barry's van. Put the tent up, made a brew and some butties - ate these and the Co-op cake, Janet and Barry had a shower then left for the 2 - 2.5 hour trip home - and Janet was starting a new job as well this morning (Monday) - I hope all went well for her and she wasn't too knackered or stiff!!! We will e seeing them both again in a months time in Denmark, as they will be cycling for 2 weeks with us. Barry has decided he's going to get some panniers for Janet - so we can slow her down up the hills.... the day reminded me very much on Enid Blyton's Famous Five (in our case 4 people and a trailer rather than a dog) so went sleep listening to a recording of Five on a Treasure Island on my Ipod.
A damp and grey morning this morning, kept trying to rain and for most of the day felt as though it would rain, but hasn't as yet. A very undulating terrain today and 30 miles under our belt once again. Unfortunately my back wheel is out of line once again, and the back brakes have been catching - probably most of yesterday as well. When you spin the back wheel off the ground can see how out of line the wheel is. Also really wearing the back tyre away -much more tan on Roger's back wheel. Seriously considering sending the lap top home by post before we leave England to try and get rid of some of the weight in the rear panniers on my bike. Hoped there would be a bike shop in Burnham Market where we stopped for an early lunch on a bench in the very busy main street - a Cornish Pasty (best one I think I've ever had) for me (last one in the bakers) and a chicken tikka pasty for Roger, and some cokes.
Just as we finished were aware that a guy was being filmed on the bench next to us - had a cycle hat on and was pretending to be tired after cycling (which he wasn't doing! - even had a pretend bike with all the gear as a prop for the shot - all carried around in the back of a white van. Roger asked him what they were filming for - says it's for a piece about the Tour of Britain cycle race which will be going through the village - then a little after, Roger and I were looking at the map together and the film man asked if he could film us - so you never know - we might appear for a few milliseconds on a TV near you sometime in the future. No bike shop though in the village. We timed lunch well as the sun came out briefly while we were there.
Next stop after the ups and downs of a few more undulating hills was at the lovely little village of Wighton, near Wells-next-the-Sea.
The cycle route goes through the village, right next to the church which I couldn't resist stopping off at to inspect the gravestones. We've noticed just how big all the churches seem to be in Norfolk - but it would appear that lots of people used to live in this neck of the woods compared to the rest of England in the early days of history. During my family history research into the Jervis side of the family, I came across some ancestors who came from Wighton (living there in the 1700's) before one of the family moved to Liverpool and their daughter married into the Jervis family. Unfortunately the grave stones were mainly in poor repair and you could only read a few of the names - but some did date back to the 1700's. Just thinking about it now - there were no new grave stones - about the early 1900's were the most recent??? Wonder where those who died during the 20th Century are all buried?
Amazingly the church was open - lots of (dead) 'stinking rich' here - gravestones form part of the flooring. seems that in the 60's the church tower suddenly collapsed and what was left of the tower had to be demolished as soon as possible.
A guy from Canada came to the church to investigate his ancestors and donated 100,000 Canadian dollars towards the restoration of the tower. Shame that the rest of the church looks in poor upkeep - peeling walls etc - and bat droppings- but there was a humorous notice about these...
On the way here from our lunch time stop we cycled through the quiet narrow lanes of Burnham Thorpe - the birthplace of Horatio Nelson in September 1758 - about the same time frame as the ancestors I was looking for. His father was the rector in the village.
Cycled through the village of Little Walsingham - gave me the creeps - a shop selling shrines for a starter - is a pilgrimage site (Catholic and also Anglican??) - since 1061 when the widow of a Norman night built a small chapel or shrine resembling that of Nazarath. Seems a very religious little village....
We were at the campsite here at Fakenham by 3 pm, we'll go via a cycle shop tomorrow morning - no one could tell us if there was one - but I've looked up the details on the internet. Hopefully they will be able to straighten out the wheel by adjusting the spoke tensions - at least as yet none of the spokes have pulled through the rim as yet causing it to split. Was going to book the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland tonight but thought I'd better wait and see ho bike repairs go tomorrow - can be difficult to get repairs done wile you wait as we've discovered further north. Hope to get to Norwich tomorrow evening, and to Harwich by Saturday lunchtime - ready for an overnight ferry trip.
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