2025 NSCR England
September 2025, we finalised the UK part of the North Sea Cycle route.
In April/May, we had done the part from John O'Groats to Newcastle and in 2019, returning from our trip around Ireland, we cycled the part from London to Dover.
Our original plan for this trip was to cycle 250 km on the NSCR from Newcastle up to Driffield and than make a detour to York and Leeds to visit friends and the Restrap workshop. After these visits, we would return by train to the NSCR somewhere between Driffield and Hull.
This did not happen as I (Dirk) crashed in to a fence on day 1 and the closest place where we could have the bike repaired was Leeds.
If you like to receive the zip file of the GPX track of our trip, just send us a request to: dilistuffmail@gmail.om
In 2009, we both bought a Koga Miyata Traveller and started going on holiday by bicycle.
6 Years later, in 2015, we replaced them with a Santos 2.9 Travelmaster and since then, all our bicycle holidays have been with a Santos bike. Time has come for a new experience.
Sometime last year, Linda took over her youngest daughter's gravel bike, a Brother Mehteh. With less and lighter components, the difference in weight encouraged me (Dirk) to look out for another bike. Going for a similar look and functionality, my final choice went for a Fairlight Secan.
As both steel gravel bikes are English design, we also opted for an English brand of bikepacking bags, Restrap. That was an easy choice as I have been using their handlebar harness with dry bag already for 6 years.
Restrap is producing all their bags in Leeds and as Linda has been making most of the bags used for our Around Scotland trip earlier this year (all bags on the photo, except for the 2 Ortlieb panniers), she was very interested in visiting their workshop while we were in Leeds.
During the trip, some followers on Instagram asked why we changed from Santos to Brother and Fairlight.
The answer is simple, we did not change as these gravel bikes are totally different and will be used for other types of travel with lighter packing.
The longer trips with more stuff to carry will still be with our Santos Adventure bikes.
Video on DILISTUFF YouTube channel
The daily "Morning"shoot
Every day, before we jump on the bike or go out for a walk, Linda takes a "Morning photo".
At the bottom of this page (menu item: Where, when and how), you'll find for each of these photo's where we stayed that night, where we cycled to, how much km's, in which location we had something to eat or snack and where we did our grocery shopping.
To the U.K.
Day 01: Home to North Shields - By train, ferry and 31 km cycling
Day 0: It feels very familiar, with the bikes by train from Brussels to Amsterdam, more or less the same as we did in april when we started our trip around Scotland.
Whenever we're in Amsterdam, we cannot skip an apple pie with coffee.
Too good to let go.
It's a easy ride of around 30 km from Amsterdam central station to the ferry in IJmuiden.
The DFDS ferry between IJmuiden and North Shields is published as the ferry between Amsterdam and Newcastle and sails every day in the afternoon. It's an overnight ferry with mandatory booking of a sleeping cabin and as cabins come standard with at least 2 beds, the cheapest solution is to also travel with 2.
There is usually a discount of 15% when booking before the end of February for a sailing later in the year.
We have also been prebooking dinner and breakfast as this is easier than queuing up.
The ferry arrives around 9 am UK time in North Shields and usually, disembarking is finished rather quickly.
This time our patience was tested.
We were behind a car which had to be towed from the car deck.
Stuck for an extra hour.
North Shields to ......
Day 02: North Shields to Middlesborough - 80 km
From the ferryterminal, it's a few km to the North Sea Cycle route which follows mostly National Cycle route 1. Arriving at the river ferry over the Tyne, we can board immediately and are ready to start our second UK trip this year.
The first 20 km up to Sunderland is mainly along the coastline. We're seeing clouds appearing and realise that the weather forecast is going to be correct. Rain as from midday.
It will rain for 1 hour only, so the goal is obvious.
Make sure we're somewhere inside for lunch in Sunderland.
Time enough for a chat and some pictures.
Luck is on our side as it indeed stops raining when we have finished our coffee. From Sunderland up to Middlesbrough is a little more than 50 km. Denis, a friend we will visit in York, told us most of the route is on a railway path, with other words, mostly flat. Easy peasy.
Cycling through the first A-frame barrier, we immediately feel the benefit of our smaller drop handle bars and slimmer bikepacking bags.
It all goes very smoothly until we cross the bridge over the river Tees, just before Middlesbrough. Cycling next to the river, I see that the track first goes in a big loop around the city before reaching our hotel.
It's already 6pm and slowly getting dark. While cycling, I'm checking on my phone if there is an alternative shorter track.
Than it happens.
I'm missing a turn, end up in the grass.
I hear Linda screaming at me.
Too late to correct, breaking does not help. Too late to make a turn.
Linda sees me going straight in to a pole but fortunately, I'm missing it with 20 cm's and hit a wire fence. The impact is big, my helmet takes the biggest shock and except for my upper lip bruised on the inside of my mouth, a sore neck and shoulders, all seems OK.
After getting over the shock, I just get back on the bike. There is a problem with the derailleur. The next 4 km to the hotel (via the shorter way) will be walking.
Halfway, I discover that my action camera disappeared, the bike mount broke. That's a problem for tomorrow. While I try to find a repair shop in Middlesbrough, Linda will cycle back to search for the camera.
Leeds
Day 03: Middlesbrough to Leeds by train
I find out that my derailleur cannot be repaired or replaced in Middlesbrough unless we want to wait for at least 4 days. Best to find a Shimano dealer in York or Leeds.
Something positive, Linda finds the action camera and it's still working. I'm having a spare mount so this problem is already fixed.
The train ride from Middlesbrough to Leeds takes only 1.5 hours and stops halfway in York. We're buying tickets to Leeds and if we can find a Shimano service center in York which can help us, we just get off early. Calling them, they also do not have the required spareparts and they recommend to continue to Woodrup cycles in Leeds.
It's friday morning and checking the Woodrup website, first possibility for a service appointment is next week thursday.
We'll see and decide later if we stay in Leeds or do something different.
An idea comes up, Woodrup cycles is a little further from Restrap where they may have contacts who can help us.
At Restrap, Nathan calls them to check out what can be done.
The owner of Woodrup has a new bike with exactly the same derailleur system as mine. They will take the spare parts from his bike and install it on mine.
If we come now, it's going to be fixed in the early afternoon.
Later, we find out that Nathan is the owner of Restrap.
How much luck can we have?
Tom welcomes us at Woodrup and says "You must be the Belgians". They just finished maintenance on another bike and will start immediately on mine.
The bike will be ready early in the afternoon. Enough time for lunch and exploring the neighbourhood.
On the other side of the street, we see a Gentlemen's Barber. Perfect timing for a haircut and some beard grooming. When Jan hears that we are a customer of the bicycle shop, we're immediatly getting a discount.
Not bad.
Back at Woodrup, Tom invites us to visit the upstairs workshop where Steve, Woodrup's owner, is building their custom Woodrup steel bicycles.
22 Hours after my crash, the bike is again in perfect condition.
We now just need to reschedule some appointments and we're back on track.
Searching for a hotel, The Met is still partially under renovation and has a last minute deal at 50% discount.
That's a win.
Day 04: Leeds
New plan: Today, visit Leeds. Sunday, cycle to York and dinner with Denis and Martine, ex colleagues of Dirk. Monday, visit York and train back to Leeds for next day visit of Restrap. Later on, back to Middlesbrough to pick up the route where we left off Friday morning. Linda is very happy, we're not skipping a single km of the NSCR.
Leeds is one of the bigger cities in the north of England and has an interesting mix between old and new.
While it's very crowded around the popular shopping area's, you're also immediately in quiet and quaint areas with an interesting variety of shops, restaurants and bars. A must do is a walk along the river Aire towards the Leeds dock where you will find the Hold Fast bookshop barge.
In 1884, a Polish immigrant, Michael Marks, managed to secure a stall in Kirkgate market starting a business with the slogan "Don't ask the price, it's a Penny". Some years later, he joined forces with Tom Spencer and from this partnership, "Marks & Spencer" was born.
For the luxurious brands and stunning Victorian architecture, you need to be in the Victoria street neighbourhood.
Tip for Vegetarian lunch or dinner : Eat your Greens
Tip for Indian dinner : Mowgli street food, Leeds
Tip for coffee with a pastry: Laynes, Leeds
York
Day 05 morning: Leeds to York - 56 km / Day 06 afternoon: York to Leeds by train
Cycling from Leeds to York is easy via the National Cycle way 66. Just before Tadcaster, the signposts suddenly disappear and we're kind of happy that we have downloaded the GPS track.
Tip for lunch: Walkers Kitchen, Tadcaster, open on Sundays.
In the early afternoon, we're arriving in York, just before it starts raining. Tomorrow seems to be the only rainy day left for the next 10 days and we are not complaining.
York has a small and nice touristic center with everything in walking distance. Here for half a day only, we skipped the recommended walk on the city walls, the most complete ancient city walls in England. That will be for next visit.
The Shambles is a historic street, featuring preserved medieval buildings, some dating back as far as the 14th century. With it's cobbled streets and overhanging buildings, it is believed to have been the inspiration behind Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies.
As could be expected, there is also an official Harry Potter shop, "The shop that must not be named".
Some houses still have exterior shelves, reminders when cuts of meat were served from the open windows.
The street was made narrow by design to keep the meat out of the direct sunlight.
Tip for lodging: The Fort York, a basic boutique hotel in the old center and although you need to do a few flights of stairs, it's still easy to take your bicycles up to your room.
Tip for healthy breakfast: Rise, York
Restrap visit
Day 07: Morning - Restrap visit / Afternoon Leeds to Middlesbrough by train
In Leeds again, this time for a tour around the Restrap workshop with Tom Hill, the guy from the Restrap "How to" video's on YouTube. While we've never met in person, it just feels that we know him already a long time.
In 2010, Nathan started Restrap on a single sewing machine in a back bedroom by making pedal straps from old seatbelts. First for himself, later for his friends, followed by the development of a range of bags still available today.
We're following the production in chronological order, from stock to cutting, kitting, sewing and seaming, assembling, final quality control and packing & shipping.
Sewing kits in plastic boxes contain all pre-cut parts which are required to make a number of specific bags.
Sewers can pick the box they prefer allowing them to have a variety of products to work on.
To ensure everyone can do all, samples of all finished products are lining the walls to refresh some of the details in case of doubt.
Final quality control happens at Packing & Shipping where all non fixed straps, cords, etc. are added to the finished products before they are packed.
Middlesbrough to Scarborough
Day 07 Afternoon: Middlesbrough to Great Ayton - 39 km
Arriving back in Middlesbrough, our start point was the place of the crash.
In Leeds, we noticed that a front cover of a control lever also disappeared. Hope to find it here.
No luck but what we do find is the 2 magnetic ventilation covers of Dirk's helmet. Something we did not see yet as we are mostly riding without them in summer.
This one was not going to move out of the way.
Arriving from Leeds around 2pm, the plan is to cycle 40 km up to Great Ayton. The next available hotel is too far away and we have been told that there are will be some tough climbs coming soon.
We're enjoying that we are on the road again. It's day 7 of our trip and we have only covered 80 km of the planned UK route. We know that without the bike problem, we would anyhow have diverted to Leeds and York later in the week and it will finally be the same. But still, it feels different.
Looking ahead, we're getting a good idea of what we will be up to tomorrow.
Nathan told us it's going to be really beautiful but there will be steep slopes.
A good test to see if we took the right bikes for this trip.
But that's for tomorrow, tonight we'll enjoy being back in a countryside hotel.
Day 08: Great Ayton to Scarborough - 80 km
We're preparing our own breakfast in the room. It allows us to start earlier and we're on the road around 8.30am. There's a light drizzle and we do not know if we should wear our rain pants or not. Final decision: Yes (this was also the last time on this trip).
About an hour on the road, the road starts to incline slowly, a little more and a lot more. We're in the North York National Park and feel the difference in gear ratios between our gravel bikes and our Santos pinion bikes. This is a totally different ball game. 1 Complete turn of the crank in the lowest gear on Dirk's Secan covers 1,99 Meter, on Linda's Mehteh 1.87 meter and on our pinion bikes, it's 1.26 meter only.
We're of course a lot lighter, 7 kg lighter for the bike and also far less stuff that we are carrying.
Road signs with inclination levels are only placed on top of the hill to warn cars or cyclists going downhill. Very good, as it's not discouraging us when we start a climb. Instead, it just makes us feel good when we look backwards and see that the last climb was 25 %.
To recover, we stop whenever the occasion rises. In Castleton, at coffeeshop "Off the scale" to enjoy a hot chocolate and just a few km up the road in Danby, at the "Danby Bakery" to buy some take away lunch. Linda does not want to take any risk to end up without food today.
It is going slowly and when we arrive in Egton, we have cycled 34 km's in 4 hours.
We're in doubt if our target destination, Scarborough, is still a realistic goal. It's still another 46 km.
Passing the Wheatsheaf inn, the decision is quickly made to save our take away lunch for later and warm up a little. Good decision and here we also get the good news that the climbing will stop soon. Even better, as from Whitby, there is a railway cycle path all up to Scarborough.
From Egton to Whitby, it's all downhill and it feels good.
Later on, we realize that today was not only the most challenging but also the most beautiful part of the entire trip.
Just before reaching Whitby, we're on the Cinder track, a railway track going all the way to Scarborough. We were overwhelmed with the amazing view of the North Sea. On this reasonably flat track, I (Dirk) start appreciating our gravel bikes again.
Without the steep hills, it now goes immediately a lot faster than with our Santos adventure bikes.
Arriving at Robin Hood's bay, we're seeing a signpost indicating that it's going down at 33%. We will skip this one as the only way up is via the same road.
I stay with the bikes and Linda walks down a little to take some photo's.
In hindsight, we should have spend some time to visit Robin Hood's Bay as it's a picturesque old fishing village with twisted cobbled streets and alleyways. Well worth the climb back to the main road but we were to much focused on doing km's and getting to Scarborough.
The Cinder track is getting it's name from the material it is made of. The original railway track was in operation between 1885 and 1965.
In no time, we're reaching Scarborough where we find a room in the Central Hotel.
Scarborough to Lincoln
Day 09: Scarborough to Wansford - 75 km
Leaving Scarborough, we're gradually going uphill with a nice view over the Scarborough Spa. Soon, we're seeing a sign that the next km is up at 16%. While this is steep, it's also only 1 km.
The plan is to have lunch in Bridlington where the NCR 1 comes together with the Cycle Way of the Roses, a long distance coast to coast route from Yorkshire to Lancashire.
The path is named after the war of the roses between Lancaster (red rose) and the House of York (white rose). The wars were a series of conflicts in the 15th century which involved most of English nobility.
On our GPS track, we can also see that this is the last time that we will be cycling this close to the North Sea.
On our Santos bikes, we have a large Santos Hold-all instead of the normal bottle cages. This allows us to carry a large thermos flask or a large 1.5L bottle.
On our new gravelbikes, we have the standard bottle cages and we were searching for a new set of water bottles.
We do not really like polyethylene bottles as the water often gets a plasticky taste, certainly if it gets warm. We have tried stainless steel and aluminium but those tend to be less practical for drinking while cycling or even rattle in the bottle cages.
Via Instagram, we discovered KEEGO, a stylis squeezable bottle with a titanium inner layer and plastic outside. The weight-conscious cyclist also does not have to worry, the 750ml bottle weighs 86 gram only.
Works perfect.
We're mid september and autumn is approaching, leaves are slowly going from green to orange and brown.
Temperatures are still perfect, during the day, it is usually around 18 degrees celcius. Perfect for cycling.
In Driffield, the Way of the Roses goes direction York. The hotel we had in mind just sold out their last room but in Wansford, a few km's further away from the track, there is again some availability.
Problem solved.
OK, I think we found out why this room suddenly became available again.
I guess someone made a reservation and decided afterwards that 120 euro per night, without breakfast, was a little overpriced if the only way to brush your teeth was standing with widespread legs over the toilet bowl.
It is what it is, we slept very well.
Day 10: Wansford to Barnetby le Wold - 74 km
It's just a few km back to the track.
When we were planning this trip and decided not to bring our camping stuff, we thought it was going to be easy to find affordable lodging in September. We usually never plan ahead where we will stop for the day, but we find that this time, we better check some of the lodging options for a cycling distance between 50 to 100 km's well in advance.
Prices and availability are a challenge if you want to keep your average room price, with private bathroom / without breakfast around 100 euro's per night.
After about 30 km, we're in Beverley and both our bicycles have the urge to stop at Gemini Chocolate . It's 11.30, too early for lunch but just in time for a hot chocolate with some cakes.
Obviously an example of bad planning, when we're getting back on the bikes, just 5 minutes further down the road, Linda sees a vegetarian restaurant with the inviting name "Wild".
It's now indeed lunch time, we're not hungry after the hot chocolate but the menu is very appealing.
It's all going smoothly today and we're crossing the river Humber in the early afternoon. Everyone has been telling us that Lincoln is a nice city to visit and that's around 80 km from here. We decide to look for a hotel some 15 km further down the track making it a shorter ride to Lincoln tomorrow.
CHANGE OF PLAN: When we're checking hotel prices in Lincoln for tomorrow, we're instantly in a state of shock. It's Aaturday and the cheapest hotel on booking.com is 540 pounds (620 euro) for 1 night.
Even worse, the only other hotel available midway is in Market Rasen and is also 350 euro for 1 night.
No way we're going to do this. As from Sunday, prices in Lincoln drop again below 100 pounds.
Day 11: Barnetby le Wold to Laceby - 23 km
We're finding an affordable hotel in Laceby, some 5 km from the track. We only have to cycle 23 km today, making it 52 km for the following day to Lincoln. Weather forecast for this afternoon is rain. After all, not a bad thing that we only need to cycle this morning.
For your info: I did not fall of my bike again, this is just the exact point from where Linda wants me to take a photo.
Of course, for Linda it means simply squatting down, for me it means a mix of kneeling, crawling, sitting or lying down.
In the afternoon, it indeed starts to rain and we visit nearby Grimsby by bus. Grimsby is a small town which became in the 1950's the largest fishing port in the world.
The history of Grimsby goes back to 866 AD when 20.000 Norse invadors passed through the town on their way to York to take control of Northern England.
Returning from a walk around the harbour, we had a close encounter with a group of vikings posing for the camera.
Day 11: Laceby to Lincoln - 52 km
From the hotel straight back to the cycle track goes via a busy road and we decide to follow a dotted line through the fields with some extra challenges.
Finally. We're seeing the first fellow cyclist coming from the other direction.
Jason lives in the UK and is on a 1-week trip. Today, he's attempting to do around 180 km's and when we ask if he trains a lot for this, he says "Not at all, I usually go from zero to hero and back to zero".
In the early afternoon, we're arriving in Lincoln with still time enough for a town visit. Major attractions are the Lincoln cathedral and Lincoln castle. The cathedral was for a certain time the tallest building in the world.
From the old city, it's a very steep downhill to the new city, something which really surprised us as we did not have a big climb approaching the old city from the North.
We stayed at the Charlotte house hotel and they get our reward for the most welcome and friendly reception staff.
It's located in the heart of the old city, adjacent to the West gate of the castle.
The Lincoln castle holds a copy of the Magna Carta, issued in 1215 and the first document to put in writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law.
Lincoln to Norwich
Day 13: Lincoln to Long Sutton - 105 km
Leaving Lincoln all the way down via the new city, we're immediately cycling next to the river Witham.
From Lincoln up to Boston, the Water Rail Way is a 54 km cycle route, formerly part of the Great Northern Railway.
60 % of the route is traffic free on the former railway land and the remaining part goes via quiet country roads.
The route also features several sculptures inspired by nature and local animal breeds.
It's all going like a breeze today. Around 3 pm, we're reaching Holbeach. Having done 92km already, this is certainly the day where we can fulfil Linda's wish to do at least once 100 km's in one day.
We're finding lodging in Long Sutton, just 2 km's away from the track and another 13 km to cycle.
There's a cheap hotel and a more expensive hotel. Let's sleep in the cheap one and go for dinner in the fancy one.
Day 14: Long Sutton to Burnham Market - 94 km
This trip, we've been making it sort of a habit to make our own breakfast in the room. In the larger hotels, we will still from time to time go for a buffet breakfast but in the smaller ones, the available choice is most of the time more or less the same.
We're carrying granola and the evening before, we usually buy some fresh fruits and yogurt.
The first village we're passing, we're looking out for a place where we have our second breakfast with a cup of coffee.
While we always try to find a small local coffeeshop, this did not work in Wisbech. We ended up with Costa and ordered a size large, as usual. Oops, this is really a big one.
2 Weeks on the road, we are confident that as from now, we will easily be doing between 80 and 100 km's per day. The only enemy we have is headwind.
Day 15: Burnham Market to Norwich - 94 km
Around 9am, the roads are still wet from tonights heavy rain and we still have a light drizzle. It's 80 km's to Norwich and we hope to arrive in the early afternoon.
Every evening, we're downloading all photo's and video's on our iPads and we notice that we are taking far less photo's and video's than usual. While the route and the landscapes are very nice, it's less spectacular than the rough coastline and mountains of Scotland. It looks a lot like where we live in Belgium.
A few km's after Fakenham, stopping at a pig farm, a passerby asks us why we are taking photos here.
We're explaining that this is something we seldomly see in Belgium.
While our first impression is that this is something good, we're getting the explanation that pigs on open fields can be very bad for nature, causing soil destruction, erosion and compaction. Unlike cows or sheep, pigs tear up roots rather than nibbling.
Unless the land is rotated frequently, stocking density is low and buffer zones protect waterways, this can cause major land problems. Let's hope they're doing it well here.
At least, one of us is a vegetarian and the other one very seldomly eats pork.
Around 4 pm, we're in Norwich and in doubt if we should leave the next morning or take a day of rest to visit the city.
Norwich to London
Day 16: Norwich to Beccles - 43 km
Strolling around yesterday evening, it became clear we needed to stay a little longer. We found a B&B for tonight in Beccles, about 43 km from Norwich, and will leave Norwich after lunch.
Known locally as "the village within the city", the Cathedral grounds are open to all visitors. Set in 44 acres with access to a riverside walk, it's hard to believe that you're in the centre of the city.
In the Lower Close next to the Cathedral, we saw an interesting modern artwork "Sitting Figures" and were surprised that this was made already 35 years ago by an artists who was at that time 75 years old.
A popular visit is certainly the Norwich market, an outdoor market of about 190 stalls, open from monday to Saturday.
It's one of the oldest markets, going back to the 11th century.
On the north side of the market is the Norwich Guildhall which served as city hall for many centuries.
From the east side of the market, you're walking straight in to the Royal Arcade which leads to the Norwich Castle grounds.
Tip for lunch: No33 at Exchange street.
Half a day in Norwich is just right and around 1 pm, we're on our way. A good 40 km up to Beccles.
Just outside Norwich, we're already entering the Norfolk Broads national park. The Norfolk and Suffolk broads are Britain's largest protected wetland. They were originally dug out in medieval times to provide peat for fuel.
Beverley is following Linda on Instagram and the National cycle route 1 is passing their house. When they noticed we would be passing by, they invited us to stop for a coffee or to stay over if we needed a place to sleep.
From Julian, we learned that it was also possible to travel between London and Brussels with fully assembled bikes.
That would make our return home from London a lot easier. Something to check out.
We booked a room in the "Flemish house" in Beccles. Suppose it's because of the name that I was giving this one a go. New on booking.com without any reviews but a score of 10/10 based on experiences on other websites.
Turned out to be a great place with superfriendly hosts. Bikes were parked inside and they recommended us to go for a drink near the river (only took photo) and have pizza at Oakfired at the Royal Oak. Honestly, one of the best pizza's we've had since a long time.
Day 17: Beccles to Copdock - 97 km
September 26 and we're about 280 km from London. Should be doable in 3 days if we can go past Ipswich today.
Followed by:
Linda: "I'm gonna take some photo's but need to change my camera lens".
Dirk: "Of course my dear".
And usually, it goes like this :
Linda: "Hey, hey, I want to stop here"
Dirk: "Of course my dear"
Cycling in to Halesworth, we're making an emergency stop for a toilet break at The Black Dog Deli. It just happens they also have the most delicious sweet fruit scones with a hot chocolate on the side.
Passing the Framlingham castle, we make a short detour in to the village to buy some food for lunch. We may just bump in to Ed Sheeran.
No Ed Sheeran, seems he is temporarily living in the U.S. while he is touring there.
But, Ian asks us if he can take a photo of us with the bikes. No, no, it's not really for us but for my bike.
Andrew, his son, has also bought a Fairlight Secan 3.0 and is expecting delivery in a couple of weeks.
After being on the road for 2 weeks now, we finally have the automatic reflex to put our bikes on the ground on the left side of the bike.
Having been riding with pinion internal gears for nearly 10 years, with no fragile parts on the left or right side of the bike, we were just used to put down the bikes on either one side.
With our gravel bikes, it's of course a must to be more careful as the exposed derailleur makes it more delicate.
Reaching Ipswich, the traffic is a little overwhelming and we're checking for hotels outside the city. 10 km further down the track is a Best Western hotel. They promote themselves in the UK as a bike friendly hotel and when staying with them in Laceby, we were allowed to take the bicycles up to the room.
Calling them, they confirmed that would be no problem. Done deal.
Day 18: Copdock to Chelmsford - 97 km
If we can cycle same distance today as yesterday, we're in London tomorrow.
The sun is out again and the roads are scenic.
Here it is, the first National Cycle Network Millenium Milepost with London on it.
Since the year 2000, over 1000 of these mileposts can be found all over the UK at scenic spots on the Network.
We're buying some wraps in a supermarket in Tiptree and have our lunch in the park across the supermarket.
Soon, we're approaching the Maldon Marine lake where we start cycling next to the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.
The narrow boats on the canal can be seen all over the UK. They were originally working boats built as from the 18th century for carrying goods on the narrow canals where locks and bridge holes would have a minimum width of 7 feet only (2.1 meters).
In Maldon around 4 PM, it's time to start finding a place for this evening. It's saturday evening so we have to be prepared for some ridiculous prices again. If we want to arrive in London tomorrow, we need to continue today at least for another 20 km up to Chelmsford.
As expected, what we find on booking.com is or very expensive, or very poorly rated. In such a case, we always also check direct websites of hotels not on booking. Travelodge is not our favourite chain of hotels but they sometimes still have a room. We're having one of their last ones. Good.
Nearly there .... and we're thirsty and hungry.
Day 19: Chelmsford to London - 89 km
Last cycle day, we're leaving Chelmsford following the river Can. This afternoon, the weather forecast gives light rain and we hope to be fast enough to reach London without having to change to our rain gear.
We're having lunch in Harlow and are mostly cycling next to different canals up to Startford where we leave the North Sea Cycle route / NCR 1 to go straight to St Pancras train station. Hoping to book our tickets for the bicycles with the Eurostar to Belgium.
London to Brussels
Day 20: London
We stayed just 1 day in London as our last visit was not too long ago. Just taking some time to go to some of the shops we know from previous visits and to have lunch at Blanchette, our favourite restaurant in Soho. 3 course lunch menu at 23 pounds is a give away considering the quality of the food.
Something about taking your fully assembled bicycle on the Eurostar......
Once you get it booked, it all goes perfect but trying to get it booked is a nightmare.
While we were on our trip, I got in contact 3 times with their customer service desk and no one could give me an answer how to prepare the bikes for transport. The answers varied between putting it in a carton box, a plastic bag, remove pedals, etc... When we arrived at St Pancras, even the staff in the ticket office did not know. When we finally got referred to the Eurostar Travel services, somewhere in a remote office behind the station, we got a good explanation and it was all fixed within 15 minutes.
Day 20: London to home - by train + 15 km cycling
Some of the rules :
- All panniers, bags etc have to be removed from the bike. Only a little tool bag and possibly a harness can stay on the bike.
- no need for carton box, bag, etc...
- You need to check the bikes in at the luggage counter at least 2 hours before departure.
- Bikes get loaded on the train after you have passed the check in gates, as soon as they open.
- Its only possible on specific journeys Brussels/London and Paris/London (not Lille, R'dam or A'dam)
- Seems you can also book bikes online but only after you've booked your main ticket - You can only precheck if there is bikespace via the ticket office.
- Price is higher if booked less than 48 hours before departure
- Seems they only provide the service if main tickets are directly booked with Eurostar.
When back home, I have tried several times to get in contact with their service desk to raise the fact that it is so difficult to have this booked. No success.
End conclusion : It's the perfect solution to get your bike to and back from London but their service function to assist you in getting it booked is a challenge. Still worth giving it a try.
Arriving in Brussels-midi, our bikes were waiting for us with a staff member guarding them. Again perfect.
Exactly 3 weeks after we started the trip, we cycled back home via the Brussels-Charleroi canal cycle way and stopped for some real Belgian fries.
NSCR England - Favorite Outtakes
On a trip, many photo's are taken but only a small selection makes it in to the main story hereabove.
This is mainly to avoid overlap, keep it visually appealing, provide valuable content, not too short and not too long, etc...
Hereunder some of our favorite outtakes which did not make it. Click on the photo to magnify.
When, where and how
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 10
Home to Ferry IJmuiden-North Shields
Train from Halle to Amsterdam - 32 km from Amsterdam to IJmuiden
Amsterdam - IJmuiden
-
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 11
North Shields, just after ferry terminal.
80 km - North Shields to Middlesbrough
Sunderland - Middlesbrough
Sunderland - Stockton on Tees - Middlesbrough
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 12
Train - Middlesbrough to Leeds
Sunderland - Middlesbrough
Sunderland - Stockton on Tees - Middlesbrough
The Highfield hotel
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 13
The Met hotel
0 km
Leeds
Leeds
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 14
The Met hotel
56 km - Leeds to York - NCR 66
Tadcaster - York
Leeds - York
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 15
The Fort York
Train - York to Leeds
York - Leeds
York - Leeds
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 16
The Met hotel
Train + 39 km - Middlesbrough to Great Ayton
Sunderland - Middlesbrough
Sunderland - Stockton on Tees - Middlesbrough
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 17
The Buck
80 km - Great Ayton to Scarborough - NCR 66/165
Danby - Egton - Scarborough
Great Ayton - Danby - Scarborough
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 18
The Central Hotel
75 km - Scarborough to Wansford - NCR 1
Bridlington - Driffield - Wansford
Scarborough - Bridlington - Driffield
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 19
The Trout Inn
74 km - Wansford to Barnetby le Wold - NCR 1
Beverley - Barton upon Humber - Barnetby le Wold
Beverley - Barton upon Humber - Barnetby le Wold
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 20
Holcombe guesthouse
23 km - Barnetby le Wold to Laceby - NCR 1
Grimsby - Laceby
Barnetby le Wold - Grimsby - Laceby
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 21
Oaklands Hall hotel
52 km - Laceby to Lincoln - NCR 1
Market Rasen - Lincoln
Laceby - Market Rasen - Lincoln
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 22
Charlotte House
105 km - Lincoln to Long Sutton - NCR 1
Boston - Long Sutton
Lincoln - Boston - Long Sutton
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 23
The Crown and Woolpack
94 km - Long Sutton to Burnham Market - NCR 1
Wisbech - King's Lynn - Burnham Market
Long Sutton - Wisbech
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 24
The Nelson
81 km - Burnham Market to Norwich - NCR 1
Walsingham - Fakenham - Norwich
Fakenham - Reepham - Norwich
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 25
Central Hotel
43 km - Norwich to Beccles - NCR 1
Beccles
Norwich
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 26
Flemish house B&B
97 km - Beccles to Copdock - NCR 1
Halesworth - Framlingham - Mill Hills - Copcock
Halesworth - Framlingham - Ipswich
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 27
Ipswich Hotel
97 km - Copdock to Chelmsford - NCR 1
Colchester - Maldon Marine
Hadleigh - Colchester - Tiptree - Chelmsford
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 28
Travelodge
89 km - Chelmsford to London - NCR 1
Harlow
Chelmsford - Harlow
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 29
Cheshire hotel
0 km
London
London
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
September 30
Cheshire hotel
Eurostar train London-Brussels - 15 km to Halle
London - Halle