The “plotters” were invited to gather in a huddle at The Light Dragoon in Etton with the promise of a spectacular display of cycling. The only thing threatening to “spoil the party” was the remnants of the overnight rain. Fortunately, like a damp squib it fizzled out by the time the twelve Knights had arrived. “Here’s the plan folks” announced the leading conspirator “We going to turn Left, Left, Left, Right, Left. Have we all got that?” he asked looking around pointedly to make sure we’d all understood.

No sooner had we set off and there was a shout from behind “Hoy you’re supposed to go left here!” but soon realised that “his” left turn would have led us into the local church instead of Chantry Lane. On reaching South Dalton, Mel the “lead” rider at the time went blithely past “our” junction before a shout from behind brought him back to “the fold”. Turning into the wind towards Kiplingcotes, Chad took up the front running burning energy like an everlasting “roman candle” while the rest thankfully tucked in behind.

Closing in on Goodmanham we came across the first section of flooded road. Luckily it was not too deep and we all safely made our way through. After that we made our way to Market Weighton and then we set off like “rockets” as we faced the climb up to Londesborough then down to Burnby.

Approaching Nunburnholme we hit the next section of flooded road. Fortunately some were able to circumnavigate the obstacle while others decided to ride through.

At this point there was a split in the group as half decided to tackle Nunburnholme Hill. As we fizzled our way up the hill thinking “why did I agree to this?” the other half decided to take “Back lane” to Warter. However on reaching the top we did feel a sense of achievement.

From Nunburnholme top, six of us “lit the blue touch paper” and set off like rockets to Bailey Lane. On arrival at the junction there were only three of us. “Where’s the other three?” we wondered. With no sign of them down the road we assumed there must have been a ‘mechanical’. Sure enough, Michael had suffered yet another puncture, his third in two rides. Meanwhile in Warter there was an awful lot of water with flooded fields overflowing onto the surrounding roads. Three of the “Back Lane” crew took their chances and rode through (wish I had me wellies!) while Heather and Andy took the sensible option along the main road.

From watery Warter, 🎵the only way is up🎵 as the now three separate groups headed for Huggate rising upwards like Chinese lanterns. Finally we now had a helping wind as we raced on towards Tibthorpe. As we approached the cafe entrance, Melvin held out his hand to indicate he was turning or at least that’s what we thought until he sailed straight on past. “Mel! Mel!! MEL!!!” our yelling fell on deaf ears as he carried on blindly forcing Colin to chase after him.

By the time we’d completed our refreshments the sun had put in an appearance and we were all thankful for the little extra heat as we made our way home via Tibthorpe, Bracken, South Dalton, Etton and Cherry Burton. Another “banger” of a ride full of banter and incidents. Time for a hot bath/shower.

Here in the depths of darkest Tickton the resident silverback stirs and looks out over the canopy of mist before plunging a finger into his mouth and raising it in the air. “It’s wet” he declares “Are we still up for foraging out to the east?” One by one the local “troop” responded “Yes, we’ll be there”.

Gathering at Market Cross there was a lot of excited chatter while checking each others lights and mudguards. “Looks like we are all here except for…. Colin, he said he’ll catch up”. The troop set off swinging from traffic light to traffic light until reaching the Weel road eventually reaching Tickton where we found Chad “dragging his knuckles along the ground” patiently pedalling up and down waiting our arrival.

The troop then moved swiftly onwards to Routh before tackling the crossing towards Meaux. Luckily, one very kind driver stopped to let us all safely over the road. Following a well worn track we continued our journey towards Arnold where we came across a flooded section of road. After gingerly making our way through we arrived at Long Riston. “Oh where’s Chad? Is he lost in the mist?” Turned out he’d suffered a puncture and abandoned the ride to head home.

The remainder of the troop continued swinging our way through Great Hatfield and on to Mappleton. As we approached the seaside the mist had lifted somewhat with even a faint glimmer of sunshine trying to break through.

When the troop descended on our “foraging patch” (aka Floral Hall) we found Michael had already arrived ahead of us. Looking around at all the bikes. “Oh is it mudguards today?” he sheepishly asked. “Sorry I don’t have mine fitted. I hadn’t had time, I’ve got the ‘Spanish bug’, I just flu in last night”. Unfortunately for him such excuses got short shrift from the chairman as he held up his yellow glove as a makeshift ‘yellow card’. “One more and it’s a red card and you’ll have to miss two rides” declared Neil with a tongue in cheek admonition.

With bellies full and suitably refreshed it was time for the troop to return home. On departing Hornsea we followed the road to Bewholme.

On leaving Bewholme, Colin, “roaring and beating on his chest” took to the front and began to set a strong pace. Like greyhounds seeing the hare, we set chase. By the time we approached the junction of the Bridlington road a gap had opened up but nooooo, he’s not for stopping. Racing on through Brandesburton and Leven there was still no let up. Perhaps he’ll stop and wait to regroup on the cycle path. Nope, off we set again. Eventually on returning to Tickton we finally stopped to regroup. “I’ve set myself a target to burn 1000 calories each ride” he explained before adding “then I have earned a beer”. Thereafter we all made our way home after another enjoyable ride.

Eeee ‘Ello everybody! 🎵The sun is shining in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight. It’s stopped raining, everybody’s out to play….. 🎵. Well twelve to be precise, turned out for today’s ride to Shiptonthorpe. “Route today is via Riplingham, Melton, Welton, South/North Cave then Market Weighton to cafe” advised Neil.

Setting out to the start at Walkington Pond, the temperature was still somewhat cool with most of us opting for extra layers despite the bright sunshine. Things soon warmed up though as we started the climb up Bluestone Bottoms. On reaching the junction of Westoby Lane we turned towards Riplingham, a rollercoaster of a road which continued onto Lambwell hill and the final “big dipper” down to Welton and “up and over” to Elloughton.

Now that the “fun of the fair” was over it was time for the “sprinters”. However while “sauntering” along (18mph+) between South and North Cave our group was overtaken by a lone cyclist. It was like “red rag to a bull” to our pace setter as our speed suddenly increased to match our more usual 20’s plenty.

At North Cave we split into two groups as we “chain ganged” our way north to Market Weighton. The “lead” group set off in a determined pursuit of the “lone cyclist” (just to prove a point 😉). Meanwhile back in group two we were happily cruising our way along, when some “entitled ignoramus 🤡” took exception to our chain gang, blasting his horn as they passed by, despite a wide clear road. From Market Weighton it was just a short hop to Shiptonthorpe and the cafe at Langlands Garden centre.

“So what happened to Melton?” asked one inquisitive person🤔😆. “Sssshh, don’t ask” advised others. After a longer than normal wait for service at the cafe, it was time to set off for the return journey. “Instead of heading back to Market Weighton, we’ll take the main road to the Londesborough roundabout then left up to the top of Nunburnholme” advised Neil “We’ll then have a lovely run to North Dalton and Bainton with the wind behind” he added. By the time we’d climbed up from Londesborough the thermometer had also climbed allowing us to shed a few layers. “I’m overheating 🥵 under all this gear” informed one glowing knight. “Yes I’m Melton’ too!” agreed another 😁.

From Nunburnholme top, we continued onwards until meeting the junction to North Dalton. On exiting the junction, the sound of crunching gears and loud groans sounded all around as some of our group found themselves “caught” in the wrong gear as the gradient rose steeply 🤐🤭. After regrouping at North Dalton we carried on eastwards to Bainton before wending our way to Bracken and back home via Etton and Cherry Burton. Another very enjoyable ride with a good mix of terrain and great company.

🎵Hey there Mr. Blue! We’re so pleased to be with you, Look around, see what you do, Everybody smiles at you!🎵

Seahouses to Melrose

Another sunny start to leg two of our Coast & Castles ride. Initially heading inland from Seahouses with a light westerly wind, taking the quieter back road to Bamburgh. Leaving Bamburgh Castle behind, we continued inland to Belford where we were faced by our first real challenge with a steep ramp averaging 6.5% but hitting 14% about a third of the way up. “Well that was one way to get the blood pumping” lamented someone.

As we made our way north following the NCR Route 1 we passed through Detchant and East Kyloe before stopping at Fenwick. “Oh look, there’s a cafe there” said one voice. Unfortunately it was still too early into the ride to justify stopping so we continued onwards to Lowickmill and Ancroft before dropping into Berwick-upon-Tweed, the original home town of Pugwash.

“Well Pugwash, lead the way” was the general consensus. First item on the agenda was a brief stop as we passed one of Pugwash’s ex-houses. After crossing the main east coast rail line we headed down into Spittal where we passed Puggy’s Primary school. From there, we continued along Dock Road adjacent to the River Tweed before crossing the Royal Border Bridge. At this point we were beginning to feel a little hungry so decided to stop in town for a lovely lunch at Lowry’s cafe on the Quayside.

When we were ready to resume the ride, questions were asked. “We’re not going back up that hill are we?”, “Is there easy way out of town?”. Unfortunately 🎵The Only Way is Up🎵. The “easiest” option was to head up Ravensdowne passing the Barracks then through the Cow Port to the “Stanks” taking the beach road, which borders Puggy’s ex-golf course, to re-emerge at the top of Castlegate.

Leaving Berwick we headed along the “Canty’s” road (as kids we called it “the seven hills to Canty’ s”) crossing the England/Scotland border shortly after passing Canty’s Brig then recrossing back into England over the Union Bridge (known locally as the Chain Bridge). Immediately over the bridge we were faced with a short sharp climb up to the Honey Farm and our second refreshment stop at the quirky “cafe bus”.

“Ding Ding! Time to move along”. As we gathered at the exit someone asked “Are we all here?”. “No we’re still waiting for Seadog, he’s faffing with his garmin” came the reply. When he rejoined us he advised that he couldn’t get his navigation to work. The next leg took us to Horncliffe then past Norham Castle and back into Scotland over Norham Bridge.

Welcome to Scotland the sign said as we were immediately faced with the 3rd of four “categorised” climbs this time ranging between 5-10%. Continuing to follow NCR1 along the Tweed valley passing North of Coldstream. On reaching the turn to Eccles we stopped at the junction to regroup however Iain kept his head down and failed to see us all waiting. “Where’s he going?” we thought “Iain! IAIN!! IAIN!!!” we yelled. Unfortunately “that boy was not for turning” at least until Seadog caught up with him to advise the “error of his way”.

On passing through Eccles, Mark enquired hopefully “Ooh is this where they make the cakes?”. A little later after reaching Ednam, Heather suffered a puncture. Assisted by Neil, Seadog and Iain repairs were effected quickly.

The next leg continued to Makerstoun passing North of Kelso and Floors Castle. By now the “gentle” climbing was turning a bit more “lumpy” as we approached Dryburgh.

Then as the Tweed turned North we came to the “bumpy” bridge, officially called the Dryburgh Suspension Bridge. Someone in their wisdom thought it would be ‘wheeze’ to fit rumble strips along the length of it making it a very uncomfortable crossing on a road bike. “Think I lost my dentures there” ventured Matt waggishly. “That’s loosened all my fillings” added Mark.

Back on the road again we came to Newton St Boswells and the 4th climb of the day around the Eildon hills. Much like the previous climbs the average gradient was around 5% occasionally hitting 10%. After relishing the traffic free downhill section we stopped to regroup. “Well where’s Seadog?” we asked. After waiting a while we decided something must have happened, so Neil started to head back up the hill to see if he could find him. Turned out that he’d had his head down and hadn’t seen us all make the left turn to Eildon, only realising his mistake on reaching the main A68 with no sign of anybody.

Eventually we all made it to Burt’s hotel in the centre of Melrose where Mark and Pugwash headed straight to the bar to quench their “drouth”. The Ship Inn across the road was our choice for dinner establishment where the wine flowed as “free” as the river Tweed.

Our meeting place for the start of the Coast & Castles ride was at the Hilton Gateshead. Iain & Mark set the tone for evening by heading straight to the bar like a pair of homing pigeons descending on a rattling corn tin. Viewing their freshly poured pints, lips salivating in anticipation until it came time to pay. “How much!?” they wailed. Well it is a posh city centre hotel but obviously didn’t hurt too much as they called “Seconds out Round 2”.

A little later we all met to head out in search of a pre-dinner drinking establishment. Without looking too far, we spotted a pub called the Dubliner. “On draught you can have Guinness or Moretti” we were gruffily informed. Shortly after with “whistles suitably wetted” we went in search of our choice of restaurant, which was handily close by, called Uno’s Trattoria. As the wine flowed, the volume increased in what turned out to be a very popular place with all tables occupied. Following a very pleasant meal we all returned to the hotel for a nightcap with one voice crying out “Wish I hadn’t had that second pint earlier” before rushing off to an early bed.

Day 1 Newcastle to Seahouses

The day dawned with the sun shining as bright as the smiles on our faces although it was still a cool 13°c. The first leg of the journey from Gateshead followed the cycle path over the Millennium Bridge then along the “Quayside” towards Tynemouth.

The route consisted of a mixture of cycle paths and quiet roads generally following the course of the River Tyne through Walker and Wallsend where we picked up the Hadrian cycleway to North Shields. As we reached the North Shields Fish Quay, Mark suffered a puncture. While he set about the repair muttering “But that’s a brand new tyre”, the rest of us “entertained” ourselves watching a departing ferry with tug and pilot boat in tow. It was not long before we were on our way once more and our first view of the coast and Tynemouth Priory and Castle.

From Tynemouth we turned North to follow the coast to Cullercoats and Whitley Bay. After passing Spanish City there was some confusion about which cycle path to follow through Whitley Links. Mark kept to the correct path while the rest followed Neil who led us right up the garden path and onto the busy Links Road before rejoining Mark near St Mary’s lighthouse.

On reaching Seaton Sluice the cycle path turned onto the beach. The surface of the “Eve Blackway” was a mixture of loose and solid gravel undulating over the dunes like a errant rollercoaster. It would have been quite an enjoyable section if wasn’t a “shared path” having to constantly avoid people and dogs. A varying type of cycleways led us eventually through to Blyth and along both sides of the River Blyth.

Our first refreshment stop came when we spotted a Starbucks at the Ashington services where we relished sitting in the warm sunshine. Continuing northwards along quiet rural roads to Druridge Bay hugging the coastline leading into the beautiful village of Amble. Shortly after we stopped at the Sun Hotel for lunch in the shadow of Warkworth castle.

Suitably fortified with our lunch, we departed from Warkworth to pick up the cyclepath running alongside the busy A1068 before turning into Alnmouth. Our route then continued on road along the coast to Boulmer then slightly inland to Longhouton eventually finishing in Seahouses having covered a total distance of 76 miles.