LEG 7 - DAY 3: Cleethorpes- Hunstanton

RNLI TOUR OF BRITAIN - LEG 7 - DAY 3 from Rad Hart-George on Vimeo.

I have come to the realisation that, as with fishing, conditions are rarely good for cycling! Perhaps I am just a typical cyclist now?  One would have thought that the Lincolnshire Fens- one of the flattest parts of the country, would have been ideal. However, with a 15-20mph head wind (a little like having your brakes half on all day) and a heat wave (combined with the wind, feeling rather like someone blowing an enormous hairdryer in your face), was pretty exhausting stuff.

We woke at Kings Royal Hotel in Cleethorpes, after a comfortable (a real luxury being in a bed for the night) but rather hot night.  Many thanks again to Ash who kindly put us up for the night. We decided to get underway early, to get a few hours on the road in cooler weather, before the day heated up again, and were off by 6.30am. 

Our legs were certainly tired as we set off for day 3, following the 180km+ ride yesterday, but we made good progress as we ploughed south across the fens.Today was a day of mile upon mile of flat arable land, many thousands of caravans and static homes, interspersed with amusement parks.

It was also the first time a driver has pulled in having seen our tops as they passed and donated some money to the fundraising efforts... With many thanks from us both to the lovely Norfolk lady who did this! 

Our station stops today included Mablethorpe (a seaside town on a beautiful white sand beach, but heaving with amusement arcades and slot machines), and Skegness (a rather larger version of the same- with a very welcoming crew who gave us a coffee and rest in the heat of the day). 

The route then took us a rather long way around The Wash, taking in Bolton (a bustling market town), and further down the road Kings Lynn (which had a stunning waterfront and historic centre). 

Thankfully the wind turned to the south and gave us a much needed tail wind for the final 30km up to Hunstanton- the final destination of the day.

Following the heatwave over the past two days I am writing this from the shelter of our room with an impressive thunder storm outside- hoping that it will bring cooler weather and clearer air for tomorrow.

LEG 7 - DAY 2: Cleethorpes - Hunstanton

RNLI TOUR OF BRITAIN - LEG 7 - DAY 2 from Rad Hart-George on Vimeo.

We have arrived in Cleethorpes, at the end of one of our hardest days of the tour so far: Utterly cream-crackered. 

While the terrain of the day has been relatively gentle, the heatwave which we experienced today with temperatures of over 30c, and covering a distance of over 175 Km, much of which was off road, completely took it out of us.

Our alarm woke us at 6.15am and we were on the road within half an hour, in an attempt to get a few miles under our belts while it was still relatively cool. The terrain was pretty flat, which was very welcome, with wide expanses of farmland, regularly interspersed wind farms, caravan parks. 

The first station was in the Victorian seaside town of Bridlington, just a short distance down the coast. A quick photograph outside the station and we got underway immediately.

We ploughed on across gently undulating countryside, with a noticeable increase in temperatures. Conscious of this we had drunk 3 litres of fluids by the time we reached the next RNLI station of  Withernsea. A slightly quieter seaside town from what we saw of it, but with stunning far reaching sandy beaches. A small refuel and some stretches and we back underway.

Having been warned by the crew at Flamborough that the Humber RNLI station at the end of Spurn Head was inaccessible by bike (as the road had been washed away and replaced by a large sand dune!) we called the station in advance. The crew very kindly hooked up a trailer to their Landrover Defender to come and get us. It turns out that the sand also makes Spurn Head inaccessible to Defenders as the crew promptly got stuck, and needed to call in another defender. Eventually we all got underway down the 5km spit which extends across the mouth of the Humber Estuary.  One of the most remote and busy stations in the UK, Spurn Head is manned 24/7by a permanent crew as the spit gets cut off from the mainland with reasonable regularity. A very welcome cup of tea and some biscuits and we were under way again. 

The shocker of today, was that from Spurn Head to Cleethorpes (our final destination) was around 3 miles across the estuary. However, with no ferries across, our only was of getting there war to head inland, through the lovely Hull, across the Humber Bridge and back down the other side- some 90km! Add to this 30c heat, already tired legs and Rad's very off road cycle trails,  and we were in for a nightmare afternoon. Certainly, for the 45km after the Humber Bridge, through Grimsby, we were running on empty...

It was with enormous relief that we eventually arrived in Cleethorpes- shattered.

Enormous Thanks to the incredibly welcoming and generous crew of the Cleethorpes RNLI. As the station was too small to accommodate us on the floor, Ash very kindly put us up in his very comfortable hotel over the road, and xxxxxxxxxx, unbeknown to us, covered our bill at the fantastic Italian restaurant next door. Exactly what we needed to re-charge our batteries in advance of more of the same tomorrow.

Leg 7, Day 1; Redcar to Flamborough

RNLI TOUR OF BRITAIN LEG 7 - DAY 1 from Rad Hart-George on Vimeo.

And so, the final leg of our expedition has arrived. We cannot quite believe that it was six years ago that we first embarked on this challenge.  

When we initially set off, neither Rad or I were married or had children but rather a lot has changed since then. Now, both with a wife and two children, it's fair to say that family pressures have changed somewhat. It is therefore with enormous thanks to our amazing wives that we embark on the final stage and leave them all behind yet again. This post is dedicated to Hannah and Harriet, who have made the whole expedition possible.

Following an early train from Kings Cross to Redcar, we got underway as soon as we pulled into the station. 

 

Over the past six years of our expedition, we have had all weather conditions thrown at us - Gales, sleet, fog, torrential rain and even localised flooding. Setting off in a heat wave today was therefore something of a new challenge for us, but certainly a welcome one, with a week of driving rain on the west coast of Scotland still fresh in our minds!  

On setting off from Redcar, it was immediately apparent that we were in for some pretty good hill climbs today, with the North York Moors looming in the distance. These certainly didn't disappoint! Not only this, but many of the cycle routes which Rad had plugged into our Garmins were very rough paths, and some of the steepest sections, totally un-cyclable! 

 

The first station we got to along the coast was Staithes - a stunning fishing village in a deep gulley with steep cliffs on both sides, and overlooking the lovely bay. Following a steep decent into the village, we grabbed a sandwich on the waterfront, badgered by particularly persistent seagulls, before heading on. 

 

After many miles of very rough cycle paths and Relentless hills, Whitby was out next station. The town was absolutely heaving with tourists and holiday makers, and it was all we could do to get through the crowds and take a quick photo outside before escaping. 

Further down the coast, Rad's directions (which are generally pretty good), went somewhat awry, as the Garmins insisted that we descend a very steep hill into a hamlet perched on the edge of Robin Hoods Bay. Not only was it challenging to avoid tourists on the 45 degree decent, but we then realised that we needed to cycle back out of it. One of the steepest climbs of the trip!   

We were soon back on track however and following a very long ascent of an off road cycling track, to get us over the final moor (in sweltering heat by this stage), we descended into Scarborough- our third station of the day. As with the previous seaside towns, Scarborough was heaving with tourists, and the endless amusement arcades and tourist shops which line the waterfront were absolutely packed as was the beach. Safe to say, that it wasn't our cup of tea, and running a bit behind schedule, we took a quick photo outside the rather impressive lifeboat station,which is currently under construction, and we were off again.

 

Not far down the coast we reached the small town of Filey. The station itself looked over a lovely beach and bay. A quick photo outside, yet more water to hydrate, a few snacks, and we were off.

 

 

The final stint of cycling- about 20km, was thankfully far more gently undulating countryside, through beautiful farmland, and we made good progress to reach Flamborough by 7pm. The station itself stands alone in a stunning setting, at the end of a long lane running down from the village, overlooking it's own bay.  David and the crew were incredibly welcoming, showed us around the station and following a very basic shower, kindly gave us a lift into town for a pub supper to refuel.