DAY SEVENTEEN: Ashbourne to Kinsgury Water Park (24 June 2021)
Distance: 66 km (41 miles)
Ascent: 600 m
Legs: After two light days my legs have mostly recovered from those two days tackling Yorkshire's hills
After a valuable rest day I am awake early and ready for another fun day on the road. I say fun because I am genuinely enjoying being on the open road exploring some small slice of England and that is a joyful and fun experience.
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| My navigation app again finds a cycle route |
As I follow a National Cycle Route (No. 54 I think) around a tricky junction I hear a voice from behind informing me that "you can't cycle that way...you can't cycle that way". The helpful but urgent tone leads me to dismount. My concerned pedestrian catches up with me and informs me that there are steps ahead and he is concerned that I won't be able to navigate them with both bike and trailer. After some discussion and having considered the tricky road junction I resolve to push on against the local advice and when I reach the steps it is a simple matter to unhitch my trailer and carry the two parts down. Having proved my ability to cope with steps my friendly helper reveals himself to be a cyclist who had retired from work 4 years ago. He went on to pump me for information on cycle touring as he had never quite gone beyond day rides despite doing 50-70 miles in a day and with ideas not yet realised to embark on a longer multi-day journey. As usual I am embarrassed when asked where I am going today as I simply don't know. I am headed for some anonymous field/campsite but where that is in relation to local towns I just haven't bothered to check. I follow the "turn left, turn right" instructions so much that when I arrive in the next significant town and stop for a coffee I am tempted to ask what county I am in. I don't do this and soon find a website on my phone that tells you what county you are in. And that is the beauty of my approach to cycle touring - you don't really need to know where you are. OK, I did check and I was in Burton-on-Trent which is in Staffordshire.
Stopping at Helen's coffee shop I am served by Helen herself and after the usual "where are you going?" chat I set myself to some reflection. Helen's caters for all needs, drop-ins, takeaway, event catering, breakfast, lunch or just a coffee. As a result, her business is thriving. She even manages to pipe 1960s and 1970s music into the high street including Buddy Holly and the Bay City Rollers. As with most popular music you probably needed to have been a teenager in that decade to appreciate it, or more accurately, for it to strike a nostalgic note. Maybe Cycle Dude was right when he asked if I was on a nostalgia trip when he came to service my aged bike.
Remembering the cyclist from earlier in the day I hope he manages to buy the bike trailer/panniers he needs to realise his ambition for longer cycle journeys. I recall he said he has the tent and cooking equipment but needs to commit. Maybe that's the beauty of my slightly naive approach, I find it easy to commit to the big project then I will happily work out just enough detail to get started and make up the rest on the way. For example, for tent pitching I now lay out the ground sheet, put the trailer on it and then pitch the tent over the trailer which is efficient. I have also found a way to deal with stove stability on uneven ground; use tent pegs to stake a ring around the stove ensuring it won't topple over as I stir the noodles or pasta. Experience is the best teacher.
If it appears that I am in reflective mood then it is because I am. The early start has provided the time to sit and listen to the nostalgic music being piped out of Helen's. Manhattan Transfer is playing and I am only slightly embarrassed to admit to knowing who sang "Chanson d'Amour".
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| St Peter's Bridge, Burton-on-Trent |
With my early starts I get to stop as the opportunity arises and today that was at the quaint village of Lullington which drew me in with the offer of coffee and cake in support of a good cause. Needing to wait a while for the stall to open for business allows time for a slow ride to a nearby village and then some gentle stretching and shoulder rolls to help keep my body going. If you have seen any of my blogs you will know I did a camino in 2019 which had a strong spiritual element to it. This journey is a combination of seeing family post-covid lockdown and seeing if I enjoy cycle touring. Well, I saw family and can report that yes, I do enjoy cycle touring very much. I continue to be surprised at how open people are when they see my bike and trailer and how keen they are to offer advice, have a chat, satisfy their own curiosity and engage in any way they see fit. Pedestrians smile as I pass through villages and waitresses start up conversations. It is hard not to get drawn into a comparison with the camino. Oddly, the camino is very busy and virtually everyone is there for a spiritual journey so it is easy to start a conversation though the walking traffic is so busy you end up being very selective and only talking to a few people each day. I had imagined this cycle tour would be a lonely affair in comparison but with the trailer as a conversation starter it has been anything but quiet and I have welcomed the different conversations.
