To Wisbech

August 17, 2024

It’s easy to get out of Boston, once you’re out of Boston. The first couple of blocks are annoying though, which we knew they’d be because we were both annoyed by them yesterday too on our way down to Frampton Marsh. and annoyed by them two y3ars ago, now that we think back on it. Hyperbusy A52 (John Adams Way) and the traffic snarled up there is the main problem, and the traffic lights there (two of them, one for crossing each half of the divided highway) seem interminable when you’re waiting, and short when you’re crossing.

Once we’re across it though the riding is quiet, easy and pleasant for the first ten miles until we come to Fosdyke and the big climb of the day. For the first five of them we’re following the route I biked on yesterday, but I don’t see the kestrel or buzzard this time.

Heading south. We’ll be in the Mediterranean in no time at this rate.

Did I say the big climb? I must have exaggerated just a bit there. This is the Fens, remember. The big climb is that teeny little fifteen foot spike at ten miles in that you’ll see on the map profile. It’s at the bridge crossing the Welland River, which is elevated to get above the dike and probably to give clearance to vessels below. It’s really not bad, and it gives me an excuse to stop and take a photo of the river from the summit while we recover.

The Welland River. If you follow it about five miles you’ll pass right below Frampton Marsh and meet up with the end of the Witham when both empty into the bay.

The next several miles as we ride east along the south bank of the Welland are the prettiest of the day as we bike past one pretty field after another. I stop for a few, but wish I’d stopped for the blooming potatoes also. We’ve got a long ride though, and we need to keep moving.

Sunflowers! Rachael’s off in the distance already, capturing them on video so there’s no need to stop.

That range out there? That’s the dike along the Welland, our big conquest of the day.

We leave the Welland and turn south, and mostly just bike for the next twenty miles. It’s just the flat, empty fens so there aren’t many sights compelling enough to stop for. We’re just happy to be getting the easy miles in and that it’s a dry day and that the winds are reasonable today, much calmer than yesterday.

The Penny Hill Mill. Have to stop for that, of course. It’s a Listed site, a wind powered corn mill built in 1826. The brick warehouse on the right is listed also, and now I wish I’d paid more attention to it too. It got in the frame just to show the name.

This might be the largest brick windmill I’ve ever seen. Now I wish I’d taken the time to walk around for a real look. Rachael’s got a map, and would be fine if I hung out here for about ten minutes.

There’s one other spot it probably would have been worth a shot or two - passing through Wisbech, trying to find our way around or through the grounds of its former castle. We were too frustrated by the navigation issues to look around though.

And even though I’ve titled our destination as Wisbech, we’re not stopping there once we get to it. Our hotel is a mile beyond Wisbech, in Elm. There’s nothing much around other than this one country hotel, but fortunately it has a decent restaurant which serves us up delicious plates of teriyaki with grilled chicken while we wait for our room to come free.

The most adventurous part of the day is Rachael’s expedition to the grocery store a half a mile away because she’s desperate to find some prunes. She finds them, along with white cheddar cheese, raisins and PB for me; so we’re well provisioned now and don’t need to have dinner downstairs. She’s happy to make it back alive though because apparently they hate pedestrians here.

It’s fine enough as a place to find a bed for the night, but we don’t plan on returning to Wisbech soon, or ever. Elm either.

Video sound track: Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues), by Three Dog Night

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Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 3,334 miles (5,366 km)

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