Another superb camp - totally undisturbed (apart from a weird hum I never placed that fortunately stopped around 9pm). I was, however, bloody freezing again - even worse than last night, my feet were numb all night. My head was so cold I actually developed an ice-cream headache. After 230km and two freezing nights I was looking and feeling a bit run down. A few macaroons, and coffee on my reliable little stove helped me feel more human.
When sketching out the tour, I'd planned to get to the Humber today and cross into Yorkshire. This would have meant a 130km+ day, and since I also wanted to (finally!) see the coast, I elected to split it. This meant I had a short day today, probably under 100km. The idea was to cross the Wolds - rolling, rounded limestone hills - that run down the middle of Lincolnshire, and make it to the sea near Cleethorpes. Then I'd follow the coastline past the major settlement, the sea-port of Grimsby and the industrialised coast of North East Lincolnshire, before camping in a rare undeveloped patch outside of Immingham.
The short day was for the best as, slightly oddly, I needed to attend a meeting to negotiate a mortgage with the bank. I planned to do this al fresco by phone from a village green or churchyard. Ridiculous really, but neither my days off or meeting could be rescheduled, and I figured it would only take an hour.
Without huge regret - I'd had my fill of them the last couple of days - I left the fens behind and was straight off into hilly and wooded terrain, heading north-east now towards the wolds. I managed to score water in a small churchyard I passed.
This is the "after" shot. The lack of sleep and exposure to the element was taking its toll. Fortunately, I felt much better than appearances suggest here.
After crossing the main Lincoln-Skegness road (A158), I had originally planned an extended off-road section along byways to take me into the Wolds. I was a bit wary of extensive off-roading after my experiences of losing hours in the Cambridgeshire mud, but the conditions seemed a lot better after two dry days and on the chalky soil of the wolds, and I wasn't disappointed. I certainly didn't mind some steep hills.
Heading off-road into the wolds, on much better surfaces now
Some place names very typical of the East of England. All of them end in -by, which derives from the old Norse word for "place" and shows the Viking influence. Bylaw and byway have the same origin.
Jon AylingTo Kathleen JonesLol, yes it definitely doesn't help when the place names all sounds very similar. Saying that Cambridgeshire isn't much better: Harston, Harlton and Histon are all within a few miles of each other! Reply to this comment 3 years ago
I passed through the very pretty little village of Goulceby, crossed a neat ford, and was soon encountering really steep little hills. These culminated in a long, steep climb of a hundred metres up to the top of the wolds near Stenigot. This was the highest point of the tour so far - I was rewarded with a fantastic cruise among the rolling hills almost the whole way to main town of the wolds, Louth (pronounced Lao-th).
Kathleen JonesDid you ride through here last year? Or am I confusing with Graham’s ride. Or are there a lot of fords like this? Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Jon AylingTo Kathleen JonesSo, strangely enough I spent a lot of time looking through Graham's tour when planning this, and when I passed this ford did have a flash of recognition. But it turns out to be a different one: Graham's one was new Kirkby. It turns out there are quite a few! Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Louth is a really lovely little town, lively and packed with interesting independent shops. I bought a sandwich in a fancy deli, and stopped again at a hardware shop to look for a hat or similar to keep my head warm at night. All they had was a bandanna which would make me look especially silly, but I wasn't fussy and picked a red one.
I had crossed the Wolds now, and the next stretch would take me through the flat hinterland of the coast. I didn't think I'd reach the sea-side before my meeting at 1pm, so hoped there would be somewhere reasonably sheltered in one of the villages for me to eat my lunch and make my call.
After crossing the Louth canal on a footbridge out of the village of Fulstow, I struck gold in North Coates, which had a secluded churchyard with benches. I sat in the sun (!), ate my really excellent sandwich, and made my call with no problems. It was a formality really, but still weird to be making it from a graveyard near Grimsby, with the sound of some very noisy crows and friendly local parishioners wishing me good afternoon in the background.
North Coates churchyard, which gave me sanctuary while I ate lunch and renegotiated my mortgage. Typical touring day.
A whole set of graves of the Sutton family, the latest from 100 years ago. The epitaph on Susanna Sutton's reads: "What joy when she resigned her breath for as her eye lids closed she smiled in death". 15 years old. Freakin' macabre Victorians!
This Georgian one is pretty funny: "The faults you have seen in me take care to shun, look at home thear is enough to be done". Jospeh Craft can't have done too badly, since he lived to 71! I also like the way the stonemason screwed up the spacing on "done".
I know this is rather macabre, but I'll be somehow pleased if someone is getting amusement from my grave in 250 years time.
This sorted out, I headed out to Tetney lock, where some tricky navigation and not-quite-rights-of-ways allowed me to get to the sea bank - and finally see the North Sea! I followed this coast north, first on a narrow grassy track, then deep sand dunes running along the enormous Cleethorpes beach, and finally on a well-surfaced cycleway into Cleethorpes itself.
There I stopped for an ice-cream (I was hot!) bought from a super-friendly and heavily tattooed chap with a rainbow mask on, and I found myself rather liking the place. With its model railway and pier it's as kitsch as any other old-style British sea-side resort, but on a sunny day you could have a good deal of fun.
Faux-Bansky (but how would you tell?) on an installation near Tetney Lock
Finally, the North Sea! The strange circular structure is the Haile Sand Fort, one of two WW1-era forts built to protect the mouth of the Humber - nets were stretched across the estuary to a similar fort to the north to prevent submarines travelling up the Humber. This one was sold at auction in 2018 - it could have been yours for £117K, a bargain.
Crossing the 0 degree meridian. This also runs through Cambridgeshire, so we've traveled almost directly North along it. After leaving the Lincolnshire coast, the meridian passes over the North Pole and next strikes land in Siberia.
I didn't stop for fish & chips - reputedly the best in the country, but would be rather heavy on the stomach at this stage of the afternoon. After being pleasantly surprised by Cleethorpes, I continued on up the sea wall to the working town of Grimsby, and was in a generous mood.
Grimsby has a somewhat less-sunny reputation. A medieval fish port and processing centre, in recent years the decline of the fishing industry and movement of much of the industry and freight up the Humber to Immingham has left something of a legacy of deprivation. I was hoping it would show me a likeable side.
But Grimsby wasn't kind to me. The jolly holiday mood soon gave way to industrial fish-processors and flyblown vacant lots. I proceeded down the concrete walkway between the back of the fish plants and the sea for over a kilometre, only to find progress blocked by a huge metal gate - inexplicably, since the public had access to both sides. Backtracking, I had to haul the bike over the steps of an overpass - not once, but twice, and on the official cycleway too. I got a glimpse of the main street, where people off their heads at 4 on a Tuesday afternoon were shouting at the breeze. The way out of town was an unlovely strip of dual-carriageway and giant supermarket after giant supermarket. At least I could stop there and buy more cheese.
The walkway between Cleethorpes and Grimsby. Not the most attractive.
Jon AylingTo Deleted AccountYep some harsh words said about Grimsby council when I spotted that. At least it gave me a laugh before I bodily lugged the bike up there! Reply to this comment 3 years ago
I left it behind as quick as I could and dodged through the horrific traffic along the road out of town. This should allow me to work my way to the North Bank, the sea defence wall that runs along the heavily industrialised coast all the way to Immingham.
This part of the landscape had no settlement whatsoever, but I didn't at all mind its straightforwardly heavy industrial character. This part of the Humber estuary has long been an accepted zone for "special" industries that are too polluting or hazardous for more populated parts of England. Two big oil refiners, plastic plants and power stations dominate the coast.
"Incidence of unsocial activity". Were people not talking to each other?
Looking back to Grimsby dock tower. This is not in fact a lighthouse, but an accumulator tower, that was built in the Victorian era to provide hydraulic pressure for dockside cranes etc.
It was actually a fairly interesting ride, but things were still getting late and I was pretty exhausted now. I had eyeballed a viable patch of woods between the villages of Stallingborough and Keelby - cutting inland on off-road trails, I reached the wood before 5: and it was perfect, empty and with a good clearing for camping. The sun had come out and the golden evening light gave way to a beautiful sunset.
This is more like it - off-road section inland from Immingham
Pleased to be back in the woods. Another lovely location, this, and just a few miles from the heavy industry above - I'm getting good at picking them out
Halloumi and rolls for dinner tonight. The new pan is not non-stick, and it was a bit of a challenge frying the halloumi properly. Still, it was delicious.
After doing some mortgage admin on my phone (Walden Pond, eat your heart out) I was just settling down to go to bed at the late hour of 8.30, when I heard engines and saw lights. I stayed put, and kept quiet and still. It turned out to be illegal offroading on ATVs. They couldn't enter the wood itself (too dense), and had no chance of seeing me and I doubt had any clue I was there, but it shattered the pastoral silence and was pretty bloody annoying. After apparently getting very stuck (there was lots of revving) they finally left around 10.30, much to my relief.
Today's ride: 94 km (58 miles) Total: 321 km (199 miles)
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Stewart BradyJon,
At the moment the Humber Bridge is closed to cyclists & walkers, too many suicides.
Stewart Brady Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Jon AylingTo Stewart BradyThanks Stewart, oh dear, that's not good. I do gather that's an ongoing problem at the bridge. Reply to this comment 3 years ago
