Last Day, Oxford and other Wanderings

This was our day to have a quick morning visit to Oxford.  A 58 minute train trip had us there in three stops and we wandered about.  Unfortunately exams are in progress so much was off limits to visitors.  We did manage to get a bit of a taste despite that fact and returned to the station just in time to get an extremely stuffy train back to London.

Our little journey began and ended at Paddington Station, a short walk from our hotel.  The station has a glassed shopping area and pigeons wander about the station, sometimes venturing into it.  I was a little taken aback as I stopped in to buy a drink and passed a station official with a live hawk perched on her fist.  Whether merely a deterrent or an actual predator I did not wait to determine.

After a short recovery from the heat we went our separate ways, I back to Camden Town and Ray to some major tourist sights downtown.

Camden Town surprised me again by revealing even more of its bustling crannies around the locks.  It often seemed more crowded than some popular central attractions.  The punkers are still there with their Doc Martens and Mohawks and I have always (sometimes secretly) identified with them.

Here are my day's photos;

A Taste of Oxford

The Bodleian Library

Canal Development North of our Hotel

(I came upon this unexpectedly on one of my local walks)

More of Camden Town Locks

We fly back tomorrow but stay tuned for video updates as they are processed,

Jim

Later in the Trek

We had some rather shaky network connections in Newcastle so this blog entry is significantly delayed.
Our last cycling leg was approximately 33 miles and went fine.  We ended at the Priory in Tynemouth around 1:30 and were picked up shortly thereafter.  The bikes were returned and we were dropped off at the Jesmond Hotel where we had started.

My Video

Ray's Video

Here we are all wet and tired at the finish;

Next day we took the train from Newcastle to London where we are now situated. After a little bit of orientation we have gone our separate ways each day.  Tomorrow we will zip off on a half day's trip to Oxford.  Then we'll have the afternoon to tie up our last little bits of discovery.

Ray has been doing the main sights and I have been keeping off the beaten track.  My highlights have been, Hampstead Heath, a canal boat trip in Camden Town, a little visit to Earl's Court, a visit to the Old Naval College and a ride down near Brixton.

I'm still uploading videos to my YouTube channel.  My user name is kaybikerow.

Here are a few more photos;

 Atop Hampstead Heath

Hampstead

Overturned Tree

Bustling Camden Town

An Overground Train in the System

Naval College Greenwich

Interesting Housing in Camden Town by the Canal

Canal Boats

Grave in Brompton Cemetery

Downhill Day to Corbridge

We've arrived in Corbridge after visiting Vindolanda, a Roman Settlement, and stopping in at a Roman fort a short distance from the end of the day's ride. This was a drizzly day where the roadway under a tree would be still dry but one wouldn't want to stand around in the breeze for too long.

There were a few steep climbs today but the majority of the ride was either level, a slight upward grade or a screaming downhill run.  Some of these were in very rutted roads so the full advantage of gravity had to be tempered by cautious braking.


This marks the 69th mile of the 100 mile journey.  Tomorrow we finish below the Priory in Newcastle.

Photos below, caption to follow, and videos to follow even later. One can only push a B&B internet connection so far.

My Scrambled Eggs

Couldn't Have Been Fresher

(Vallum Lodge, Twice Brewed)

My Video

Ray's Video

Ruins at Vindolanda

Vindolanda Museum

Corbridge Roman Fort

Later
Jim

Brewed, Once or Twice

We were internet disconnected last night in Brampton but today ended with us at Twice Brewed with good internet access.

The going was a bit rough with hill after hill.  I did have to push up one while Ray rode along in low gear.

My Video

Ray's Video

We did manage to stop at various sites along the way, both Roman and otherwise.  I'll include photos and videos below and tidy things up later.


We didn't get to meet our friend because it was too cold for him waiting for us to intersect paths. Did have a good chat on the phone though.

;

Newcastle Morning

It's almost 12:30 Eastern Time but it's post-shower preparation time here as we get our luggage and biking gear ready for today's transfer to Bowness-on-Solway.

Yesterday was spent in getting to Edinburgh Station and catching the train to Newcastle, transferring to the Newcastle Metro, travelling for three stops to Jesmond and walking to our hotel.  There was one tiny hitch in that I hadn't unpacked my carefully prepared walking instructions and instead followed the compass arrow on my GPS.  It did not take the railway tracks into consideration and we found ourselves directed to pass through a row of buildings to reach our destination in 1/10 of a mile.  A passerby offered help without prompt and pointed out the pedestrian overpass at the end of the street.

Ray and I now how separate rooms, fortunate because I think my snoring was becoming an issue, and we've both been busily separating our cycling gear from our regular luggage.

Breakfast is served in 1-1/2 hours and our van will arrive at 9:00.

Next transmission should be from Brampton after our first day's cycling is complete.

Here's a small video of the route from Bowness-on-Solway to Brampton;

My Video

Ray's Video

Later,
Jim

Edinburgh Wrap-Up

This being our last full day in Edinburgh, and my needing a rest from constant walking, we decided to split up and explore things separately.  We had breakfast, Ray eating more courses than I could possibly consume, and then returned to our room to prepare for the day.  Suddenly the ear-splitting scream of the hotel fire alarm had us scurrying down the stairs and joining the other residents outside the main entrance braving the chilly winds.

Whatever the problem, it was quickly resolved and we proceeded on our separate ways.

Jim's Day

I purchased a Day Ticket and randomly rode buses, alighting when something caught my interest in different neighbourhoods.  I stopped for lunch in a charming little coffee shop near the Foot of Leith Walk where I had an egg and ham sandwich, lentil soup and an americano coffee.

Here are my photos from today as well as some from yesterdays walks;

Ray piloting the Royal Yacht Britannia ...

...and entering the Drawing Room.

Edinburgh Castle from the northwest. 

Support for gay marriage on St. John the Evangelist Church.

St. Cuthbert's Churchyard.

Park and stream below Comiston Road.

 Former Donaldson's School for the Deaf 

(Across the road from our hotel)

Ray's day;

(to follow)

Serendipitous Walk

We did the typical tourist deal this morning; Camera Obscura, Fudge Shop, cathedral... and then we made our way to Ocean Terminal and toured the Royal Yacht Britannia.  On the way up I told Ray about the cute pub, Elbow, that I liked so we stopped off on our return journey to have fish and chips and beer.  We  left and saw that the 36 bus Saturday schedule meant a half hour wait.  We decided to set off guided by my Garmin, and therein lies the story.  Following its cues we ended up on a delightful path by Leith Water as we meandered our way back to our hotel.  The weather has been lovely today so here are a couple of my photos from the walk.  Ray was taking photos with his Blackberry so I'll attach them after we make the data connection.

Jim

Chills, Caves and Coffee

The rain was not as heavy today but it was still a chiller.  A good breakfast had us ready to face the day and we opted to save our feet somewhat by buying Day Tickets for the bus.  The only drawback of being an early tourist is that one has to wait for places to open.  We used the wait to have a coffee near the station until the advance ticket office opened whereupon we bought our rail tickets to Newcastle for Monday afternoon.

Our stops today included Holyrood Park, Ocean Terminal (where we each bought a hoodie to ward off the chill, and Gilmerton Cove.  This sounds like a short list but there was a lot of walking in addition to our extensive bus journeys.

Tomorrow promises sunshine and we will concentrate on Royal Mile attractions including FUDGE!

Perhaps some photos tomorrow when we don't have to keep cameras dry.

Jim

Edinburgh First Day

We are now in Edinburgh where the cold rain chills to the bone.  It didn't help that we were both walking around almost unconscious from lack of sleep.  We have decided that we'll buy some improvements for our rainwear tomorrow morning.  We'll be visiting the caves at Gilmerton Cove in the afternoon.  We had a major quest to find distilled water for Ray's CPAP machine.  Strangely, Boots Pharmacies are floored by the request so we ended up in the boonies buying demineralised water from an automotive store.
The evening ended with a hodge-podge supper of chicken, cider, chocolate, toffee, apples and bananas from a nearby store. There is a major traffic disruption; the construction of a tram route.  We did manage to walk up the Castle but didn't take any photos because of the rain.  Hoping for at least a little cloud clearing tomorrow.

30 Mile Practice

Ray and I challenged ourselves this morning by cycling to Champlain Lookout and back.  The ascent segments totaled 3,223 feet.  My average heart rate was 134 BPM with a max. of 172 BPM.  Average speed was 11.3 MPH with a max. of 31 MPH.  We won't push our luck by doing anything very strenuous in the three remaining days before our departure.  It was nice to get out early (7:00 am) because there was quite a crowd towards the end of the return leg.

Highlights, Hotels, and our Cycling Route

Hi All,

Here's a map showing our stopovers and our cycle route as well as some places of interest.

Scrolling north to Edinburgh you'll find our hotel and southeast of it you'll find a marker for Gilmerton Cove where there are mysterious caves.  We have a tour already booked.

We stay four nights in Edinburgh and we'll report on our adventures each day.

A short train ride will get us to Newcastle where we overnight at the Jesmond Hotel before being transported by van to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast.
Just below the Scottish border is our cross-country route on the Hadrian's Cycleway.  I've stopped it at the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle but we will be riding right to the east coast below the Priory.

We immediately begin our ride east for 28 miles (sorry, the British don't use metric distances) and stop in Brampton at Oval House.  We'll take our time and explore all the Roman sites we find.  Carlisle should be interesting.  A highlight will be meeting up with a YouTube friend from Keswick who will travel with us for part of this leg.

Day two takes us 22 miles along to the Vallum Lodge in Once Brewed/Twice Brewed. We'll also sample some ales in the Twice Brewed Inn.

A 19 mile leg on day three contains the highest point of the route, Crindledykes, and at day's end we'll be at the Norgate B&B in Corbridge.

The final leg, 31 miles long, contains long level stretches following the Tyne River.  We'll call our handlers when we reach the Millennium Bridge and arrange to meet them below the Priory for transfer back to the Jesmond Hotel.

Next morning we are off by train to Paddington Station in London and it's a stone's throw from the Normandie Hotel where we are booked for 4 nights.  We've incorporated a short day trip to Oxford by train, it being roughly an hour's travel away.

Later,
Jim



View Our Stays and Ways in a larger map

Ready to roll

Just four more physiotherapy sessions before we depart but I'm sure I'm ready.  Monday had me attending an aerobics class with all sorts of fancy footwork just a couple of hours after physiotherapy and it went very well.  Rode my touring bike in for a tune-up this morning and just picked it up.

We've been adding little tweaks to our itinerary, the latest being a day trip to Oxford.

Luggage has been test packed, electronics have been tested, Pounds Sterling have been bought.

24 mile ride today out the Ottawa River. Tiny bit of soreness when I got home but it has almost disappeared already.

I saw my orthopaedic surgeon two days ago for a follow up and was told I could resume cycling and other physical activities.  Yesterday I went for my first cycle ride in almost seven months and found it easy, though there was a little muscle fatigue towards the end. But cycling is now in the picture and I can build up my stamina in the coming weeks.  The Hadrian's route is not terribly strenuous so I am very happy with this development.

Here's that ride.

Green Light

Saw my surgeon today and I've got the green light to get on the bike and go.  I've already been using the trainer with my longest indoor ride being 15 miles.  Indoor training doesn't reflect an actual bike ride in that there is no coasting downhill, etc. I also held it in high gear for protracted periods unlike what one would encounter in a real ride.

My traveling buddy is in charge of the tourist attractions and has already picked out some interesting things in both Edinburgh and London.  A good number of them are new to me despite having been to Edinburgh twice and to London a handful of times.

We have booked our flights, the bike tour, and our hotels in Edinburgh and London.  It looked like it would be a bit dicey finding accommodation because my favourite B&B in Edinburgh, Fraoch House,  and others nearby were full.  TripAdvisor came through with a good alternative.

London proved a bit more difficult but I remembered that I often got hotel bargains using the Air Canada website and I was able to find and book a very affordable and well-rated hotel.

My Virgin Mobile SIM arrived and I immediately tested it in my cell phone where it worked perfectly.

A few small details remain; the exchange of Canadian Dollars to Pounds Sterling for pocket cash, booking the house sitter, etc.  We'll wait until we get to the train station in London before purchasing Oyster transit cards for all our city journeys.

Now it behooves me to improve my cycling on the trainer in the coming month and a half.  The route profile and distance is not arduous so, even in my present state I could probably do it.

The web yielded a very-detailed GPX file for the full Hadrian's Route.  I trimmed it to the portion we would be cycling, reversed it to begin on the west rather than the east coast and loaded it into my Garmin Forerunner 305 as a training course file (.crs).  Courses are so much more fun to follow than waypoints or tracks because they show every tiny twist and turn in your track giving warnings as you approach them. All you need to do is keep the arrow on the line.

We'll start our trip with four nights in Edinburgh after which we will take a train to Newcastle and check in at the first B&B of our cycling tour. The next morning we'll be picked up, fitted with our bikes and driven to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast where we will begin cycling immediately.

We hope to have a YouTube cyclist buddy ride part of the route with us somewhere near Carlisle. Day one will end with us at Brampton.  The next evening we arrive in Twice Brewed (I have to determine the origin of this name and it's nearby town Once Brewed).  Corbridge marks the end of day three and the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle is the finale.  We are advised to call the tour company for pickup once we reach the bridge and they will bring us back to our Newcastle lodgings.

The next morning we depart for four nights in London.

Jim

Preparations

A friend and I have just begun preparations for this year's trek; a few days in Edinburgh, four days of cycling across Northern England on the Hadrian's Cycleway, then a few days in London.

This late planning start is because I wanted to be sure I'd be sufficiently recovered from my mishap of September 2011.

I'm very happy to report that my broken hip socket (acetabulum) has healed well, physiotherapy has been very effective in strengthening the joint since surgery to the point where I am able to cycle on my trainer close to one hour.  This improves daily so two more months of the same should put me in good stead.

The first company we approached was booked up but we were pointed towards another which looks as if it can accommodate our plans.

We should hear shortly, whereupon we can make arrangements for our air travel and stays in Edinburgh and London.

Later,
Jim