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England Entries

Plymouth at Last

Friday, May 29th, 2009

The past few days have felt a little uninspiring—after two months of cycling in England and then triumphantly making it to Land's End, we've felt "complete" with England, ready to move on to new adventures in France. It felt a bit uncomfortable, l...

Lesson Learned?

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

We had a very nice morning making (and eating) a boatload of pancakes before we set off. Our plan was to cycle 40 miles to Plymouth from our campsite in Pentewan, just outside Mevagissey. Our destination was the home of a super-friendly cycle tou...

Home in our Tent

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

It was raining when we woke up this morning. We are only about a day's ride from Plymouth and ahead of "schedule" so we decided to take the day off. Yesterday was particularly difficult for me for some reason; it was good to give my aching muscle...

A Day in the Life

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Rather than write another journal entry about what we ate or how the roads were I've decided to document what our daily life is like. Below is an outline of a typical day bicycling around the world (for us) with 56 days under our belt. Morning...

Land's End

Monday, May 25th, 2009

On our way out of camp this morning, we met Nick and Bronwin, a really nice couple who were on their very first cycling & camping adventure. They had taken the train from London to Penzance, and then a bus to St. Ives (I think) where they came...

Parlez-vous anglais?

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Today we enjoyed a quiet, relaxing day off in the beautiful coastal town of St. Ives. We had a nice morning walk through all the little shops before we made our way to "Pengenna's Pasties" to have authentic Cornish pasties for lunch. They were sa...

St. Ives

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Thanks to Tyler's prodding to bike extra miles the last few days, we had a short day ahead of us into St. Ives. We took our time in the morning; I leisurely broke camp while Tyler made honey butter sandwiches for breakfast and practiced his Arnis ...

Wild & Local Foods

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

As I was filling our water bottles this morning a friendly caravanner at our campsite asked me where we were headed. I replied, "in the direction of St. Ives, but we're not sure yet!" He asked where we were coming from and when I explained a bit ...

Tintagel Cliffwalk

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

I woke up early this morning to the sound of songbirds and the hum of a distant lawnmower. The sun was shining through the tent, and it felt blissfully like summer had finally arrived. I let Tyler sleep while I took advantage of the free power an...

1000 Miles!

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

We woke up early this morning to the peaceful sound of the ocean and the heat of the shining sun filtering in through our tent. Feeling incredibly content we made a point to take it slow breaking camp so we could fully appreciate our fantastic (an...

Hearth & Home

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Once again, we waited out the rain this morning. When the alarm went off we promptly turned it off and rolled over, the sound of the raindrops in our ears. Tyler was fed up and decided that if it kept raining, we could stay another night at the c...

Logistics

Monday, May 18th, 2009

This morning was really, really trying. The sky looked promsing as we hauled everything out of our wooded free-camp into the field we had sneaked into last night. Things quickly took a turn for the worse as we packed, when a front of dark clouds ...

Pain in the Neck

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

I woke up to the sound of the rain with a really stiff, painful neck this morning. I'm not sure what I did to it, but I could hardly move my head! I did neck stretches (while yelping) as we waited out one batch of rain. When it stopped, we quick...

Steak Dinner

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Another morning in England, another morning of rain! With spirits slightly sour about the prospect of another rainy ride we headed to the Glastonbury Abbey for a bit of sightseeing before we left town. Luckily the rain soon ceased and we were abl...

Glastonbury

Friday, May 15th, 2009

I was relieved this morning to wake up to dry skies. It was a little annoying packing as our things were still damp and icky from yesterday, but at least they weren't sopping wet. While I worked, Tyler began the slow process of giving our bicycle...

Peaceful in the Rain

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

We had a really nice ride today, the first half of which was beautiful and the second half of which was equally beautiful with the addition of misty landscapes and pouring rain. Neither of us paid any mind to the downpour, cheerfully cycling along...

Avebury

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

It was chilly and grey when we awoke to the repetetive warbles of our arch-nemeses—a certain type of bird here that squaaaaks the same song (if you can call it that) ceaselessly: "Wuhn-waaaaah-waaah-wuhn-wuhn, Wuhn-waaaah-waaah-wuhn-wuhn" We joked...

Down the Road

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

We bid farewell to the Gaskells (just Liz, everyone else was at work) this morning around 10am after yet another generous breakfast of croissants, apple crisp, cereal and orange juice. I am happy to be on the road again but I will miss our ready ma...

Markets & Museums

Monday, May 11th, 2009

This morning we joined the Gaskells for a delicious breakfast of almond croissants (something we must have more often) and cornflakes. Sufficiently fueled for a day of sightseeing, we set off with Rowena's boyfriend Richard, and Rowena's dad Richa...

Sightseeing in Oxford

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

We were treated to a breakfast of almond croissants with butter and honey this morning. I have always loved croissants but I've never had one with almond goo inside. It was so good I can't find words to describe it that aren't expletives. As our fr...

New Friends

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

When we emerged from our tent this morning, we found that our caravaning neighbors had brought a tray with a pot full of hot tea and four mugs—two for us, and two for Nic and Oanh. How lovely! Tea in hand, we packed up camp, hung out with our new c...

Eat Breakfast

Friday, May 8th, 2009

As we were packing up camp this morning, Mark, the owner of the Green Man pub (behind which we camped) came out to talk to us and we had a nice conversation about beekeeping. He even promised he would send us some of his honey! When we checked...

Spring Memories

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

We joined Ted this morning for cereal and toast while watching some early morning TV—the raw inside scoop on fire-fighters and EMTs. We cracked jokes about British television while they helped an old man who was having some difficulty breathing. ...

Changing Scenery

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

When we woke up this morning everything was blissfully dry, a first in at least a week! As we packed up camp I continued my crusade of teasing Tara for being a slowpoke. I realized today that the further south we ride the less sheep there are....

Our New Life

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

What a great day! We slept in later than we have in weeks (10am), packed up our things, and then had a leisurely morning enjoying breakfast and chatting with Pete and Reinette. As we were packing the last of our belongings Reinette made us sandwi...

Chatsworth House

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Pete and Reinette's garden made a cozy campground for us last night. When we awoke early in the morning to the sound of rain on our tent and the din of what seemed like hundreds of birds we were thrilled that we didn't have to pack up. We ran ins...

Pete & Reinette

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

We awoke this morning to the sound of ducks swimming in a stream about a foot away from our tent! It took some coaxing to stir Tara from her slumber, especially after I told her that today's ride would be about twelve miles longer than I had origi...

Home Safe Again

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

After a restless night's sleep (some poor kid cried all night long and one of our neighbors snored very loudly) we got up with the intention of leaving as soon as possible. I packed up camp while Tyler took a shower, then prepared some peanut butt...

Lost and Found

Friday, May 1st, 2009

We ran out of fuel for our Whisper Lite last night while Tara was cooking a delicious macaroni and cheese dinner (with real cheese, none of that boxed crap!). In good spirits and undeterred by our minor setback, I rode my pannier-less bike into a n...

Rainy Day Off

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

We decided last night that if it was raining in the morning, we would take a rest day and Tyler would get some work done. So when we awoke to the pounding of water against our tent we sloshed into town in search of free wireless internet and break...

Pushing Through

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

This morning we awoke to a nearly cloudless sky and beautiful, dry, warm, sun! It was actually hot in the tent! We both forgot to set the alarm last night but no matter; we have been waking up every day between 7 and 8 mostly of our own accord fo...

Sopping Wet

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

The weather was supposed to be sunny all day today. Tyler and I packed up camp with high hopes in spite of the overcast skies. In the midst of packing, Pete and Reinette stopped by to say goodbye before driving off in their little car to go explo...

Helvellyn Ascent

Monday, April 27th, 2009

As the morning wore on, the clouds cleared a bit and it was starting to look like we might have a nice day ahead of us. Tara's cramps were subsiding so we decided the day would be much better spent hiking/climbing than sitting in out tent working ...

Waiting out the Rain

Monday, April 27th, 2009

While we were in town yesterday it dawned on me that we are surrounded on all sides by mountain climbing shops, mountain climbing gear and mountain climbers yet we know nothing about the mountains in the area. I went into one of the many shops ...

Hiking & New Friends in Keswick

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day in the Lake District—a rare treat indeed! I walked 10 yards to the campsite shop and bought some butter and milk and set about making pancakes while Tyler was taking a shower. After having a leisurely early-morni...

Right at Home

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

We left Cockermouth today for the town of Keswick in the heart of the Lake District. Fresh from two days of rest we were both energized and ready to hit the road. As we pedalled out of town I had a very distinct, familiar feeling that I haven't exp...

On Being American

Friday, April 24th, 2009

When we went downstairs for breakfast there was an American couple sitting down already having some eggs and toast. Their names were Nikolai and Ashley, and they were from San Diego, on their honeymoon driving through Ireland and the UK. We insta...

Resting at The Rook

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

While our free-camp spot was technically great, neither of us slept very well. It was extremely windy and the confined space in which we placed our tent didn't allow room to stake the rain fly down. This made for a lot of noise as the loose fabri...

Lush Life

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

We woke up this morning and started packing up camp immediately. We were almost done when a very friendly park ranger came walking up with her dog with this to say: "You know what I'm going to say—you can't camp here, but you already have and...

Fare Thee Well Northumberland

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

We are definitely getting better at this new way of life with each passing day. This morning we both had showers, made french toast, and packed up camp in the space of 1.5 hours and didn't feel rushed at all! Our average speed is increasing and o...

Finding the Right Road

Monday, April 20th, 2009

We actually got up reasonably early today—the alarm went off at 7:00 and we were up by 7:30. We're getting better at packing up camp, but all the time we save is now used to make delicious breakfasts! This morning I made thick crepes with the car...

Perfect Roads

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

We started the morning by trying out our popovers recipe as pancakes. We wound up with hot, doughy crepes that were really, really good. Tara tossed some Hob Nobs (our new favorite snack) into the last batch to thicken them up a bit and it worked...

Quick Update

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

We're just north of Hexham camping. Everything is wonderful! We are still journalling every night. We have loads of pictures and stories to post but no viable internet connection with which to do so yet. More posts should appear sometime tomo...

Hilly Day

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

After a very relaxing evening in our 2-pound-a-night field, we munched on buttered hot cross buns and some leftover sandwiches as we packed up camp. We started our day cycling back to Rothbury by climbing up the hills we had cruised down the day b...

Hedgeley Hall

Friday, April 17th, 2009

We coasted into the Hedgeley Estate around 5:30pm. Affixed to the door of Hedgeley Hall was a note from our host, Katie, letting us know that she had run to the next village to visit her mother. The note also included instructions to make ours...

Alnwick Castle to Hedgeley Hall

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

After being rushed out of our B&B by our not-so-friendly host, we spent most of the morning exploring Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter was filmed there!). The inside of the castle itself was as fancy as you'd expect, all gilded and laden with silk,...

Working in Alnwick

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

We've just spent two relatively uneventful nights in Alnwick at a spotless, soul-less B&B run by a very weird and off-putting bachelor with a habit of coming into our room and totally rearranging our things when we're out. He vaccuumed constan...

Alnwick

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

- Well, I guess I copped out of writing this entry! Tara and I both had a good laugh when we came across this today (May 13th, 2010). That little dash up there is all I wrote. Neither of us remembers this day, but I do recall that I was worki...

Warkworth Wandering

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Breakfast is served in the Warkworth House Hotel from 8:00 to 9:15 in the morning. We are still in scavenger mode so we made a point of waking up in time for optimal eating. We had freshly squeezed orange juice, cranberry juice, and coffee in a ...

Stopping to Work

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

We've stopped very early today as I have a few unfinished work projects that need to be completed. My biggest clients have all placed an incredible amount of trust in me that I will keep their software running from abroad and for this I am very th...

Holy Island & Drama at Newton-by-the-Sea

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

We woke up on the beach to a stunning sunrise, packed up, and headed towards Lindisfarne, or Holy Island. To reach the island we cycled along the damp, seaweed-covered causeway that is only accessible during low tide. Upon arrival, we ...

Goodbye Scotland

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Today was our last day in Scotland. I've joked with Tara a few times that of all the countries we've visited, Scotland is my favorite. Absolutely everyone we have spoken with has been friendly, the countryside is breathtaking and we both think Sc...