We’re in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, south-east of Edinburgh. We’ve cycled 1087 kms, with 7200 metres of climbing. Our last three rides in North East England and Scotland have been the hilliest of the trip by far. We only have three more (very hilly) rides left to get to Edinburgh.
Patti here: John’s excited about going home, after all, he’s been away since March 26th. I’m not quite that excited: now that the weather is finally warming up (hullo, sunshine) I’m kind of getting into a nice groove: wake up. Hoover a huge breakfast of eggs and bacon and toast and coffee. Start riding, stopping when necessary to use the Green Doors* like the feral children we are. Ride. Ride. Ride. Eat a huge dinner. Go to sleep early. Rinse and repeat…
Newcastle to Warkworth: 59 km. Big hills to start the day, then, once we hit the coast, it was flat flat flat.
Warkworth is a small town in Northumberland County on the NorthEast coast. It’s a small town, but with a huge ruined castle. The remains of the castle have been beautifully restored and maintained by the English Heritage group. The castle was built sometime in the early 1200s, during the reign of Henry II, just after the Norman conquest. The castle was badly damaged during the War of the Roses and the English Civil War. Interestingly, the castle is featured in two Shakespearean plays: Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2.
Just south of Warkworth we rode through a small seaside fishing town called Amble. Warkworth was an important harbour for shipping coal during the early industrial revolution, but a fierce storm in the mid 1700s changed the course of the river, making Warkworth unusable as a port. Coal shipping moved to Amble which now is a much busier and vibrant place than quiet Warkworth.
BTW, England has some beautiful beaches. And golf courses.
There isn’t too much more to say about Warkworth. The riverside walk to the castle was tranquil, the pub was busy and very dog-friendly, and the hotel was pleasant, serving a really great fish and chips! Patti had a fabulous Sea Pie. And en route we saw alpacas.
The 41 km ride from Warkworth to Bamburgh was fantastic. Most of the route was along the coast, but high enough above the grassy dunes to offer wonderful views of the beaches and rocky outcrops. About halfway, the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle offered a beautiful backdrop to the golden canola fields and orangey-yellow gorse (which smells like coconut).
We chatted with a few very friendly cyclists and walkers who often lamented their inability to cycle anymore because of hip and knee surgeries. They were curious about riding recumbent trikes with replacement joints.
We were lucky with one tricky bridge over a small river. The bridge was just wide enough to let the trikes, mirrors folded in, to pass. The alternative would have been a wet and slippery (possibly perilous) trudge through a rocky stream.
The route veered inland for a few kilometres, and then emerged from the farmlands with a spectular view of Bamburgh Castle and the Farne Islands!!!
Bamburgh Castle has its roots in Anglo-Saxon times, 600 – 800 AD, but the main part of the structure was built during the 1100s. Like most castles in the area, it was seiged repeatedly during the War of the Roses. In ruins, it languished until purchased by the Crewe family in the early 1700s. Bankruptcies ensued, and the castle was finally taken over by a wealthy industrialist, William Armstrong, who has spent a fortune restoring and adding to the structure. Now the castle is a major tourist attraction and it and its incredible beachfront have been the setting of many motion pictures and TV series.
We enjoyed (?) a very cool and drizzly 58 kilometre ride westward from Bamburgh to Kelso, against a stiff headwind. Sounds like fun, huh? We climbed, and gasped at some beautiful vistas over the North England and Scottish Borders farmlands, with very high hills off in the distance. Raincoats on, zipped up, fully. Mitts on. Waterproof cases on cellphones (because they are our SatNavs and if they malfunction, well, we’re lost…
We checked in, changed and charged quickly, and hustled over to Floors Castle, the home of generations of Earls and Dukes of Roxburghe since the 1720s. The house contains many exquisite tapestries and fine paintings, brought to the mansion by an American heiress in the early 1900s. The current restoration work, costing millions of pounds, is privately funded by the family. The scaffolding alone cost 3 million pounds. No photography allowed inside the house. Trust us: it was posh.
The 35,000 acre estate follows the Tweed River, known for its excellent salmon fly fishing. The land is farmed and grazed efficiently and sustainably, and the family makes the house open to the public for tours most days whilst living in private quarters in one area.
The treat of the visit was John’s surprise when going downstairs to chck on the bike battery charging. (We’d been lucky to just store the bikes in an unused conference room: luxury.) Twelve musicians were getting together around the corner in the dining room in a tight circle. Zither, violins, flutes, pipes, hand drums, Scottish mandolins, and a guitar. No printed music, very informal, just a jam. The flutist started the melody of a Scottish tune, and gradually everyone joined in. So good! Very complex music, and very well played. John went upstairs, woke Patti up, and we enjoyed a half dozen beautiful songs.
Being in Kelso made us feel like we’re truly in Scotland. Beautiful hills and valleys, fun twisting roads, fast moving rivers, often occupied by a lone flyfisherman in his hip waders.
- Green Doors. Message me if you don’t know.