A very challenging reccie

Note the ice in foreground!

In preparation for the official biking of Holy Island on 15th February, Lora and I set off to reccie the route yesterday. After a cold night, we were anxious about ice on the path as it was still below zero when we arrived at Berwick on Tweed by train.  We were going to travel on the official route, the National Cycle Network 1 (NCN1).

Note the NCN1 sign!

After a lovely ride along the sea as far as Spittal, the route went off-road.  Here in Scotland, a cycle way means that it is reasonably fit for bicycles. We quickly learnt that in England (and other parts of the UK?) it only means a right of way. The first off-road section was very scenic - it goes right along the coast - but is only fit for mountain-biking. The ice and the mud were major issues but it would have been a challenge even if the ground was dry and clear.  There was just only a mile of that and we thought the the route would be feasible if the rest was better.

After some nice back-road miles, the route headed off-road again. At one point it went through a muddy field of bullocks and you can imagine what the mud was like. The track from there to the causeway was beautiful, in terms of scenery but almost impassible on our touring bikes.  It took us 2.25 hours to cycle 11 miles!  Then we got the first puncture.  Happily this happened near the lovely Barn at Beal coffee stop where they were kind and nice to us in spite of our muddy, cow-dungy appearance (and smell, I presume).  We were so pleased that we could change a wheel but neither of us could master the fancy pumps we had and, it being January, there were no other cyclists around.  After wonderful soup there Lora got a taxi to Berwick and I carried on, checking out what looked like a better route.  It would have been hard to be worse but it was bad in a different way.  It was pot-holed and full of sharp stones and so I got my puncture just one mile in.  I was off-road and it took a long time to find myself in a place where a taxi could collect me.  Yes - I should have turned back but that didn't seem a good plan at the time.

Buckie for lunch!

On the way to the road I had to cross a level crossing with no barriers or staffing. There were dire warning signs, as there should be on a line where trains go about 120 miles an hour and are very frequent. I had to open heavy gates, get my bike across and close the gates again - this meant traversing the line 5 times. That was easily the worst moment of the day.  In the process I damaged my front brakes when the bike fell.

The weather was cold but lovely and bright all day so that did help.  My taxi driver then talked me through an on-road route, showing me the bit of the A1 which has an off-carriageway path.  On the train home I caught this 'Buckfast' moment!

The next reccie should be less challenging!  Who is up for it?