Are we sitting comfortably? Probably more so than I am, hah-hah! Right, let’s get going with what has occurred since Thursday…
Basically I wanted to continue with this challenge, and it looked like the only to do it was to bring my old (2011) Kinesis out of retirement- it hadn’t been used in anger for ages and its successor was the red bike wot went pop on Dartmoor.
If bikes could talk: “Oh look who’s come crawling back…need me now, do you?” etc., hah-hah! And it would need some attention, quite apart from its hurt feelings: new tyres…bung rack on…brake cable…odds and sods, really. So that’s what happened on Friday, as well as booking a train journey down to where I planned to resume the tour…Hastings. Oh yeah, and some Air BnB acco!
Hot to trot at Preston station…
Very reserved. Double seat bonus ball!
I had time to mooch around Hastings…it’s a mixed-bag alright, but really couldn’t wait to get going again.
Looked pretty good, right?
Satisfactory.
Rehydration protocols still in force!
It was an early start this morning- breakfast would found down-route, and it was a pretty sunrise…okay, try pretty wonderful!
And away!
Winchelsea Church…
To see Spike Milligan’s spot…
This was a champagne cycling century: decent road surfaces, traffic wasn’t crazy, it was sunny and the winds were gonna help for probably 2/3rds of the time. Sign me up! I’ll come back and revisit places like Rye in slow time…there’s history everywhere you look.
I feel seen.
Modern history in this case.
There’ll be Bluebirds over…
Dover Castle is protected by a decent climb, never mind the ramparts!
It was a brilliant run from Folkestone around the corner and on through Deal, Sandwich and on through the countryside to meet Rog at his local. Sparkling aqua for me…d’oh!
An actual, real-life cycle lane. Scenes!
Deal. Lovely!
“Firewater!”
Sandwich was a cut above alright.
McChicken Sandwich outside er, Sandwich.
Seriously Garmin…just how far off-track do you want to send me?
Cheers for the water, Guv!
The idea then was to cut through to the coast at Herne Bay and hug it until I turned inland to Faversham and eventually Sittingbourne. And amazingly that’s what happened!
This was a life-saver as it kept me away from the life-shortening A299.
Sorta in between Herne Bay and Whitstable.
Whitstable was jumping alright! Great to see.
Not-so modern history.
Another time perhaps, Faversham!
Tonight’s acco choice.
It was a mess about 30 secs after this was taken.
RHPs working well, not least because that was a fantastic local ale!
It was great not to have to even consider where to eat tonight as my sister Claire and her other half, Stephen chose a pub about 15 mins from my luxurious acco…the food and ale was outstanding, so good on you!
Cheers!
You take and enjoy these days when they roll around: it was a gentle way to resume the tour…any chance of similar tomorrow? We’ll see…so just the stats and the tune of the day. The ride was split into two parts again and this definitely the fault of my fat fingers, hah-hah!
Part one…
Part two!
And this number remains timeless and still sounds so good!
