I am convinced that somebody somewhere is messing with my quota!!
On 12th June I set off on what was the most amazing adventure and now all of a sudden I'm not only back home, but several weeks have passed and Amsterdam may as well have been a year ago!!
So what do I do? Well of course I blog!
Now you and I both know that I should have been blogging the minute I got back but I was on such a high that I couldn't sit still for the life of me!!
So now I'm looking at the journal I kept whilst away but even that is in note form because so much happened that I didn't have time every night to write it in full!!
So where do I start?
At the beginning of course...
Friday 12th June 2009 - McArthur Glen Designer Outlet
We arrived in good time - John & I in the Volvo with the bike, its panniers and my one-small-rucksack in the boot and Isaac squashed in what remained of the back seat! Luckily Emily had been able to hitch a lift with Leanne who was also coming to wave me off :-)
Mum & Dad arrived soon afterwards and my Moonwalk buddy Val also came along! I felt quite special having such a send-off party!
We didn't get much time to chat though as there were rucksacks to load into the support cars, Marie Curie cycling tops to collect, bikes to check over (one last time!) and loo visits to make!
Gaz and Craz soon had us lining up for a team photo and there were so many of us that we all had to turn sideways to fit in the picture :-)
That done we split into teams and for the first time saw the rest of the girls we would be riding with. Nerves were kicking in and I hardly dare speak for fear of my voice failing me - I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes (thank heavens for sunglasses!).
Don't get me wrong - I wasn't upset or frightened - just incredibly excited!! I wasn't even anxious at leaving John and the kids - I knew they would be fine - maybe I should have felt bad at leaving them - but the excitement was overwhelming and I never once had any regrets!
The teams set off at 5 minute intervals - a group of 54 cyclists all in a bunch would have caused havoc with the traffic!! A wide yellow ribbon was stretched across the exit and one by one the teams set off to waving, cheering, shouting and wooping and with more than a generous honking of horns!!
I must have had the biggest grin on my face as we set off - I had signed up for this trip more than 9 months ago and now it was here!! I was so up for it!!
From McArthur Glen we took the smaller roads and cycle tracks to Escrick and then across towards Wheldrake. We honked our horns at everyone we saw and got waves and sometimes clapping and cheering in return :-) As we cycled past a village school the children were out and we all honked as loud as we could. The children shouted and pointed - it was great!
People in gardens, guys up ladders, pedestrians and fellow cyclists - they all got the honky horn treatment!
The weather was perfect - brilliant sunshine, barely a cloud in the sky! Put suncream on John had said - I will I said! Later!
Lunch was scheduled for a pub in Market Weighton and one by one the three teams arrived... cold drinks from the bar then sarnies and hot fresh chips! Just the job!!
From there we headed over towards Hull, winding our way along the back roads and keeping away from heavy traffic where possible. We found a few hills along the way and I did wonder what I had let myself in for as my bike just didn't seem to gear down low enough...
Mid-afternoon we stopped at The Trident Inn at Brantingham, They have a gorgeous front terrace and we all piled in to order teas! Bikes were abandoned against any upright pillar or post as we all settled in - happy to rest our bums on something other than a bike seat!
The next stretch would take us through to the ferry and we were getting very excited! The chatter had kept us on a high the whole day and we couldn't believe how well we had done for time! The average speed was about 12-13mph, nothing like the 5-8mph we'd been led to believe!
We came to an open grassed cycle route which followed the Humber estuary, what a feeling that was - to see the Humber Bridge stretching out over the water - photo opportunity!! We all dismounted and got into 'team formation', Rich collected everyones camera and took photo after photo, moving cameras from one arm to the next until they had all been done. Come on girls, the next team's catching us up :-)
The next stretch of the route was to prove somewhat of a challenge...
Firstly the track became very wild and was totally unkept. The grass grew longer, disguising thistles and nettles, brambles grew everywhere! The track narrowed to only 8 inches wide, stony and hard and with a tall bank of nettles on either side!
Now I didn't know that I was bothered by nettles but I had a real problem cycling through them! I slowed right down and tried to pick my way between them, protecting my bare legs from their stingers, it took so long and I know the girls behind me would rather that I just push on and cycle through - but I just couldn't do it! I was terrified of wobbling off and falling full on into the bed of nettles! I hated it!
After a seemingly endless ordeal the track cleared and a concrete walkway came into view - graffitti and iron railings seemed a welcome exchange!
At one point the cycleway involved carrying our bikes (with panniers!!) up two flights of steel stairs and cycling along a narrow steel walkway over the top of old factory buildings near the fish docks. Then of course we had to get the bikes down the other side! The steel walkway continued over water filled locks, with only intermittent posts hung with chain to stop us falling in!!!
Eventually the concrete and graffitti returned and just a little further on we saw the ferry - what a sight! There she was the 'Pride of Rotterdam' resting at her berth, waiting for us!
WoooHooo! Honk-honk-honk! The noise was incredible and we all pedalled like fury!!
After a well organised run through Passport Control we headed for the legendary ramp - oh yes - we had heard tales of this ramp! It takes you up onto the ferry in one long, steep, continous curve, with a viscious bend just where you wouldn't want one when you're partway up a steep hill on a push bike!!
I didn't make it!! I gave up just after that viscious bend and walked up! What a killer! I resolved to cycle it next time ... ALL the way up!!
On board the ferry the bikes had to be parked along a lane with railings each side. We locked them together in twos and threes, removed all panniers, lights, pumps and handlebar bags and then went to the support cars to reclaim our rucksacks too.
Ladened down with baggage we had to navigate from the car deck on Level 7 to the cabins on Level 10!! Well I have to admin that we four took the lift!!
The cabin, when we found it, was actually larger than expected (yes really!) but only because the two upper bunks were folded up into the ceiling, one lower bunk was hidden in the wall and the other was disguised as a sofa - so basically it was a very small sitting room with a bathroom in it!!
We all piled in and dumped our bags and had the 'who sleeps where' discussion! That was soon sorted though, Jayne and Lianne underneath, Lisa and I on top ;-) Easy!
Time for showers and getting the gladrags on (for those who had been efficient enough to bring any!). It was a surprisingly smooth arrangement and certainly no time for shyness but it worked well and we were soon ready!
Tea was quite a grand affair and the food was lovely - an excellant choice with a great carvery and help-yourself service on everything else which was great ;-) We even had posh ice-cream for afters!
After tea we had a wander round and checked out the duty-free before meeting up with the others in the bar.
I took some timeout to ring home on the satellite phone as my mobile had no service by now!
I had been looking forward to a bracing walk on the deck but they don't really have a deck on these modern ferries - I had been thinking of a walk right around the outside, gripping the handrail to save being blown about but unfortunately a very small area at the stern was all there was - and of course that was where the smokers gathered!! Ah well!
Back in the bar we indulged in a few drinks and had a dance and a chatter but soon enough we all retired to bed, discussing who would charge their phone first from the only socket! We reminded each other of the bing-bong wake-up call we would get in the morning...
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