First Cuckoo

[Low Roller]

I saw my first cycle-tourist of the year here in East Yorkshire the other day. It was cold. I had had to defrost the Jag windscreen, but, just like cuckoos, he appeared by welcome surprise; there he was pedalling along the footpath in Bridlington, totally ignoring the roadside marked cycleway. He didn’t seem particularly well-organised: the bike had those all in one cheap pannier sets, a huge tent held on with luggage elastics and he had polythene bags hanging from the handlebars, possibly containing “The Big Issue”. All credit to the guy he was doing the business and clearly heading North. Perhaps he was a dutchman doing the North Sea Cycle route. He certainly set my imagination running and made me feel guilty that I wasn’t doing the same.

 

[raleighnut]

Allegedly its going to be a nice weekend and Scotland is forecast to see the best of it.
Reminds me of a time I went hill-walking in Derbyshire in between my birthday (another March kid) and Easter, 2 days of walking in shorts and a T-shirt then on the 3rd morning I woke up to what I thought was the dawn so dozed off again and woke up to it being just the same, turned on my radio and got the 9:30 news There was a foot of snow covering the tent
Cleared off back home sharpish.

 

[Low Roller]

Yes, I got caught by the Spanish Picos once (nasty) and ended up with a frozen water bottle which had been outside the tent. Don't you think though, having bought the 4 season tent, the 4 season sleeping bag and the Exped duck down filled airbed we should be more adventurous than our normal 2 season exploits? I have read a few of those books by people who have cycled back to England from Outer Mongolia via Antartica and have often thought that we are easily capable of cycle touring through whatever the English climate can throw at us. It is just a shame that the campsites in Northern Europe are shut.....

 

[raleighnut]

Yes, I got caught by the Spanish Picos once (nasty) and ended up with a frozen water bottle which had been outside the tent. Don't you think though, having bought the 4 season tent, the 4 season sleeping bag and the Exped duck down filled airbed we should be more adventurous than our normal 2 season exploits? I have read a few of those books by people who have cycled back to England from Outer Mongolia via Antartica and have often thought that we are easily capable of cycle touring through whatever the English climate can throw at us. It is just a shame that the campsites in Northern Europe are shut.....

TBH I was under kitted for that weather and only 'lost' a night out as I had to be at work on Monday. Missed a Saturday night in Bakewell though as that was the planned route and I bussed it from there to Derby instead of pitching there and walking it via the dales to the train station (open return ticket home)