Acomb - Once Brewed 30km 🚴‍♀️🇬🇧

 

Hadrian's way (Wall) Route day 2.

Today I clocked over 7000kms cycled 

The storms and rain overnight were pretty full on and I was dry but the tent soaked. Fortunately it settled about 5am! I had a later start to my cycle day as had all my camp gear strung up along the fence to dry.

Lots of water and debris along the roads, and apparently the Newcastle to Carlisle trains all cancelled due to a landslide down the road.

Today was rain free but had fierce icy cold headwinds and lots of hills.

First stop was to the beautiful Market town of Hexham. Famous for the Abbey which was one of the first Christian churches, built in the 600's. It's beautifully preserved and a peaceful place to explore.  

I am following the official National cycling route 72 which takes quieter back roads and some.of the major sights. I took the very steep down and up the other side road to Vindolanda an incredible open air museum of a Roman garrison village ruins. The site is extensive and again I am so impressed by the design features of Roman towns. Aqueducts, water channelling, roads, baths, latrines in the corners of town for hygiene reasons, store houses with floor ventilation.

I was feeling pretty tired after little sleep and battling winds and steep hills and so decided to have a night in a hostel. I cycled there but they were fully booked 🙄. I had planned on riding to Carlisle but didn't have another 30kms in me. A farmer's paddock campground a few KMs away has been perfect. It's right near Hadrian's wall, which till then I hadn't actually seen yet.

I set up my tent, got chatting with a young hiker in the next tent and two cycle touring guys going the opposite direction to me.

Once I was set up, Ben and I walked up the steep hill behind the farm to Hadrian's wall and did a 5.5km loop along the wall to Steel Rigg section which is atop cliffs, to a fort before making a loop back to the campground via the Twice Brewed pub in the tiny town of 'Once Brewed' 😂 for a drink and a bite to eat with the cyclists.

Came outside and the wind has dropped🎉 and it's looking like it might be a fine day tomorrow

Lying in my tent listening to little lambs bleating ❤️

Dundee - Newcastle 🚂 Newcastle - Acomb 🇬🇧 38kms 🚴‍♀️

PHITOS TO BE ADDED WHEN I HAVE WIFI

A comfortable nights sleep at my hostel and at the train station for a 7.15am train to Newcastle via Edinburgh.  Sunny skies and interesting to pretty much retrace my steps back down the coastline I cycled up.  I had a friendly lady Mary sit next to me for the second half of the journey and we chatted away.

I have started the Hadrian's Way rouge that follows Hadrian's wall across the width of England.  Today's ride followed the Tyne river with great cycle paths, busy with families on school holidays on a very head windy day.  Some cute villages and forest areas as well as farmland.

Corbridge was the most northerly town in the Roman empire and is a pretty market town.  I stopped to look around and had a scone in one of the many little cafes.  Then to look at St Andrews church, built AD676 which used stones from Hadrian's wall and even has a full arch taken from the Roman fort 😳. 

The Corbridge Roman Fort, built in AD85  is nearby and the site has been excavated and shows the ability of   the Romans to built wisely.  They tapped into a natural spring and created an aqueduct that fed into a series of pools to aerate the water for drinking. The grain stores had under floor ventilation to help keep the produce fresh.  Under floor heating in many buildings too.  The fort and subsequent town covered 40 hectares!  

I left the site as they were closing and set off to the farm campground.  The fields are so green!  The hills have started and I diverted off the route to go to the campground perched on top of a huge hill with views from my tent through to the lake district .  I made my dinner and sat in the sun admiring the view.  

A large storm has rolled in, temp dropped at least 5 degrees. I thought it might skirt around us but no, I've been sheltering in my tent for an hour of heavy rain so far.  Currently dry but asking a lot of my little tent to fend off this degree of rain 🙄😂

Great day!

Markinch - Dundee (via St Andrews) 56kms 🚴‍♀️

The sun beamed through the trees straight onto my tent, and the birds were twittering - a lovely way to wake up.

Today's ride climbed through the hills with farmland, beautiful views, forest areas, hills with yellow gorse in flower, a rainforest style road winding between cliffs and a rushing river and then a downhill stretch to St Andrews on the ocean.

I had my picnic lunch beside the 1st tee and the 18th hole, watching the golfers with a crowd of others.

We had visited St Andrews 26yrs ago and Paul and I took Justin and Aaron to play mini golf on the Women's course.  it's now called the Himalayas as it's very undulating.  I had a round and, a bonus about playing alone is you are sure to win 😂. It started raining from the 14th hole but it didn't dampen my spirits 😊

I put on my rain gear and back on my bike to ride the last 25kms to Dundee.  I had planned on walking or riding along the beach adjacent to the Old Course, made famous in the Chariots of Fire movie, but it was raining heavily.

The ride to Dundee was pretty straight forward for most of it and included a ride across the River Tay in a special 2.25km cycle and pedestrian lane in the middle of the bridge with an elevator at the end to come down to ground level.

My bike had been making a clicking sound and I wanted to get it checked out at an interesting sounding Bike Hub, bike shop.  So glad I did as it was my bottom bracket and even though it was near closing time, they fitted a new one for me.  The shop does a huge amount in the community to get people riding, bike maintenance, group riding and fantastic staff.

At a hostel tonight as an early train in the morning.  An evening of excellent conversation with a range of interesting people across nationalities while we cooked and then ate at a big shared dinner table. 
Another great day!

Cologne 🇩🇪 - Edinburgh 🇬🇧✈️ Edinburgh - Markinch 🇬🇧 54kms 🚴‍♀️

My quick trip to Cologne is over and so off to the airport.  This is one of the consequences of not being able to get a French visa for July and August.  Difficult to explain and understand but it means I am unable to stay in Germany for a month for UEFA, but need to save some European visa days now so I can play later.   I have located the cheapest flight tickets in and out of Cologne and will cycle to each of the airports required in the UK in order to make this volunteering gig more affordable.

I set off early this morning to allow time to look at Cologne cathedral without Mass and crowds of tourists.  An organist playing added to the atmosphere and the stained glass are some of the best I've seen!

I've found it amusing that I've had many tourists approach me in Cologne with their google translate at the ready, to ask for directions.  Perhaps they think I'm a local?  I think it's my hiking sandals and pannier bag combo 😂

I  managed to not notice an unhelpful auto correct when typing the Cologne airport into my transport app and ended up at the airport business park on the other side of town.  Fortunately I have only hand luggage and I'd checked in online.  So lots of trams and trains for me before I arrived at Cologne airport for my flight.

I had planned on a couple of days sightseeing in Edinburgh before heading south but I could feel my bike fitness dropping and it just makes the hills all the harder when back on the bike, and so, 12 days off is enough and I've headed north towards Dundee before my muscles forget what to do!  Very blessed as the rain stopped as I was setting off and I had storms in front and behind me all day with only an occasional sunshower 😊.

It was a slow ride north out of Edinburgh as many bike paths, often partially flooded, and lots of mud at times. 

Very cool to cross over the harbour on the Forth road bridge with views to bridges either side.  The old bridge is now used for cyclists, pedestrians, busses and taxis.  A good gradient to climb and great views. 

Then I followed the coast east along the Coastal path before turning north to my campground for the night.  I'm the only camper, but lots of motorhomes and caravans.

Long day but I'm glad to be touring again 😊

Cologne 🇩🇪

I enjoyed a much anticipated day today. Last year a friend let me know they were accepting applications for volunteers for UEFA Euro 2024 Soccer cup based in Germany. I applied for a role in VIP Guest Services based at Cologne stadium (similar role to what I held at Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast). I had an interview a few days later and in Feb was advised I had been successful. 

Today I collected my accreditation, one of my uniform packs (formal uniform to come) and had my first day of training. A fantastic group of experienced and skilled communicators and it will be a joy to serve alongside them. The trainers made quite a big deal about me being Australian and I am from the furtherest country in their volunteer pool 😊

I feel privileged and very excited to represent UEFA and care for the VIP soccer family next month.

Afterwards I caught the tram back to the city and walked the bridge from the Cathedral to the 'Triangle' building. The bridge is famous for the thousands of 'locks' and was very busy today. I then wandered along the Rhine taking the upper path as, due to flooding, the lower paths are under water. I then visited the Olympic and sports museum. An excellent museum with lots of interesting memorabilia to thrill a sports lover like me 😊

This evening I had the pleasure of catching up with one of the participants from the English immersion course I volunteered at last year in Bavaria. She is warm and friendly and we clicked straight away and so it was lovely to see her again 9 months later 😊

A fabulous day!