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Fit cyclist posing by Sustrans route sign
There are apparently 1000 of these markers along the system, with a separate design for each route number. This one is for Route 64, which we were following at the time. We rolled into York yesterday after 630 miles of riding since leaving Penzance. We are approximately half way in both time and mileage from our goal of the northern end of Scotland. The hills we encountered early in the trip in Cornwall and Devon tested us. We developed two positions for riding in Cornwall. Cornwall Position No. 1: feet firmly on the ground next to the bike, hands on the handlebars, and pushing up the steepest hill you can imagine. Cornwall Position No 2: sitting on the bike with hands on the drop bar for a white knuckled descent screaming down a curving hill. The rolling downs around Oxford were a welcome relief. Lincoln had one hill on a street named Steep Hill and the flat terrain approaching York was a breeze. Leaving here tomorrow we will cross North York Moor which has the worst hills of the trip. We are trying not to think about that as we enjoy the wonders of York today.
Britain is an amazing place to cycle. Drivers on the narrow roads and city streets are used to bikes and have been very polite. Trucks have waited behind us as we slowly pedaled our way
up steep hills. Dogs are very well trained and stay with their owners or behind fences. And the maps and signed cycle routes have been amazing thanks to Sustrans.
Sustrans is a non-profit organization that promotes walking and cycling (sustainable transportation) throughout Great Britain. They have worked with comunities to establish over 14,000 miles of walking and cycling routes that include scenic off-road paths, quiet backroads and lanes, signed on-road routes, and special themed routes. Funding comes from the lottery, grants, and donations. They claim to have over a million users daily with routes passing within a mile of over half the population. We can verify the high numbers of people enjoying the routes, especially in and around cities.
We plot our daily routes using Great Britain's Ordinance Survey maps that show the numbered cycling routes and back roads. Using the marked Sustrans routes, we can find our way through cities on a cycle-friendly array of paths through parks, alleys, side roads, and cycle paths along main roads. Getting lost and back-tracking takes a lot of time and the routes help us minimize that.
We have cycled over almost every imaginable surface and terrain following Sustrans routes.
We have opened gates and ridden through sheep pastures so many times that it is difficult to remember that we don't do that at home. We all have loved cycling on the canal paths. Occasionally we have been routed on walking trails with dubious surfaces for riding. Being on the quiet back roads makes it easy to meet and talk to local people on their daily walks. We have followed beautiful routes, but it is not a fast trip. We haven't had a day yet with over a 10 mph average speed. Stilll, we intend to continue winding our way through the countryside at this pace.
Fueling our bodies for so many days of riding is an enjoyable part of the journey. We usually start the day with an English breakfast or "full English". Jim will describe this later, but suffice it to say that we consume massive quantities. Jim has learned to enforce mid-morning and afternoon snack stops which keep us cheerful and on speaking terms with each other. Lunch is a favorite time of day for all. An interesting statistic would be the number of pounds of gorp and numbers of lattes and pots of tea that
have fueled us to our daily destinations. We can't count that high and will just continue to enjoy it all as we head out of York tomorrow for the moors and then the Northumberland coast.
-- Kathy
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Tot: 0.104s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 25; qc: 95; dbt: 0.0546s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
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joe gaydos
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note from Patty at Tulalip
Hey Kit and Kathy - loving these updates. I was at a Coast Salish steering committee meeting today at Swinomish and enjoyed seeing Patti from Tulalip again. Although I don't think she remembers me, we met 2 years ago at the Salish Sea meeting in Vancouver, BC. Anyway, she was singing your praises Kit (as was I) and I told her I'd pass on her greeting to you! Happy biking! JOE