Day 18: Ellington
Longest day yet at 108 km and about 11 hrs on the road. The route was a bit better than yesterday–the trails not quite as rough, but with the wind, the distance and route finding it made for a long day.
About 20-25 km before our destination we finally got onto a local highway and the wind shifted in our favour, so we made good time and managed the last stretch in record time. That night we would be staying in a B&B on a farm. When talking to the owner earlier that day he’d mentioned there was a pub about a mile down the road, but that they stopped serving at 8 pm. As we approached our destination it was coming up to 7:30 pm, so we decided to go to the pub first and get dinner, then check in at the B&B. A good plan. After dinner we rode the last mile to the B&B, flopped into bed and slept!
Day 19: Seahouses
Seahouses is a small town right on the coast. This was a shorter day than yesterday and we arrived around 3 pm. Then it turned out we couldn’t check in until 4 pm! No problem. There was a cafe and pub right across from our B&B. It’s nice to be on the coast and see the North Sea again.
Day 20: Dunbar
Today we entered Scotland. A nice day of riding with westerly/south westerly winds, so more or less a tail wind; at least not a head wind. Most of the route followed the coast, partly along the castle route. We lunched at the halfway point, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, just before the border with Scotland.
We’d left arranging accommodation in Dunbar a bit late and ended up in a fancier (i.e. more expensive) room than usual, but the place was great. We enjoyed the luxury bathroom, had a great meal and a great chat with the waiter at the hotel’s restaurant.
The plan had been to cycle to Edinburgh the next day (about 50km). However, there was a strong wind warning in effect for Scotland with westerly winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour. Since we’d be heading due west to Edinburgh, we changed plans and decided to catch the train to Edinburgh instead. A quick phone call to National Rail and we were booked, with bikes, on the 11:38 a.m. train the next day. This change of plans also meant we could sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, and explore Dunbar, the birth place of John Muir, the naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, before heading to Edinburgh.
Some photos:
Ahhhh, Scotland……….Hope you stay warm & dry!
Happy Cycling………….Katie & Malcolm
The old castle wall with the pigeons is soul touching. It is like life, one sometimes looks but do not see. The weathered wall has secrets to share and that reaches me.
It was quite amazing to see, those tough little birds in little nooks, right by the sea.
I am curious how much they charge for a bike relative to the cost of a passenger ticket.
I hope that you have better weather in the days to come.
The bikes are free on the train, but you do have to reserve a spot for them, as many trains can only carry three bikes at a time. We got good service from National Rail in making the arrangements.
They don’t; bicycles travel free in Scotland. But you must reserve as space is limited.
Great to hear that your trip is going well. Hope the weather will continue to cooperate. Have a grand time.
The weather is supposed to improve, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. Not too much rain so far and we’ve been told the winds ‘generally’ are west/south westerly in Scotland. Let’s hope they’re right!
lovely…. looks like a very nice part of the trip….. photos are gorgeous…..
So enjoyed reading this blog and seeing more photos. Chuck and I were Sierra Club members many years, and read extensively about John Muir. We spent time in Yosemite (Chuck climbed there many times), which has a history John Muir’s influence too.