Darlington to Amiens Cycle Ride

Tuesday 25th May 2010

Tuesday 25th May
Group gathered on Town Hall forecourt. Cyclists: Tom, Mike, Doug, Oakey, Helen, Sandy, Dot, (we collected Andrew later). Back up van kindly provided by Sherwoods, driven by Jill with navigator Gill. A lot of milling about, providing a cabaret for the bus queue opposite before our Mayoral sendoff at 8.30. (thanks Bryan)!
Out of town via the stadium and Hurworth and into the pleasant lanes around Dalton, Cowton and so on. Plenty of hedgerow may and spring flowers. A pleasant enough day but so cold after the hot weekend, we thought the temperature had probably dropped 20 degrees overnight.
Rendezvous with Andrew at Danby Wiske, then on through various Wiskes to Asenby (or Asenby Only as it was signed – Asenby Slightly, Asenby Somewhat or Asenby Quite, we quipped). Lunch at the Angel in Topcliffe where we met the van, extremely efficient and working perfectly despite a detour to find Gill an optician. Some worries about her eye, but she bravely decided to continue.
At 1.30 we set off to York through fantastic villages, posh houses, beautiful farms, so prosperous, so English, so understated. We hit the outskirts of York and pedalled the last bit through water meadows to the three star YHA arrving at 4.00 p.m. 55 miles in 5 hours actual riding: average 11 miles an hour.
After finding our rooms, showering etc. we set off to eat, some into York, others stayed in Clifton, too tired to walk far!

Wednesday 26th May
After good breakfast, with very pleasant school children, we set off at 8.15 out of York, billed as ‘Cycling City’ along bike routes as good as the Netherlands onto the country lanes south of the city. More pretty villages and huge houses and coffee and lunch breaks in much better weather, some warmth, less cloud, even the sun. We reached the Humber Bridge Country Park for lunch, in the shade of the bridge itself. We needed time to negotiate Hull and find the ferry by 4.00 p.m. Sustrans route 65 was good, but very tortuous – at one point we got snarled up on a pedestrian/cycle way as a school was coming out, at another we seemed to be riding through an episode of ‘Shameless’ as Doug remarked, (lager can waving youth wobbling alongside goodnaturedly cheering us on etc.). The city centre in contrast is really good, pedestrianised, with sculptures and a Victorian building with chariots.
Found the van at the Passenger Terminal, absolutely spot on as usual. This is where we stopped being cyclists, put all the bikes on the van, including Dot and Oakey’s tandem fitting in perfectly, and became foot passengers. (Tom’s wheeze, saving us £20 each way). Sat about in the terminal then one or two of us, following Mike’s lead, boarded the Pride of York, almost first at about 4.15 p.m. Found cabins, showered, headed for the bar and only then heard that Tom had been called home because of worries about his mother. Luckily(?) he has a brother living near Hull who could pick him up and take him back over the route he had laboriously ridden for two days.
We were all devastated, not only for Tom but because we would miss his company. However we made a hearty meal, as they say, in the famous Four Seasons buffet and after a few drinks, were off to bed before midnight – now if Tom had been here . . . . . . . 50 miles.

Thursday 27th May
The ferry was late, ‘technical problems and adverse tides off Zeebrugge’ meant we didn’t arrive until 10.30 and after perfect rendezvous with the van, set off at 11.30 a.m., much later than we hoped.
We cycled along Belgium’s coastline, Zeebrugge beautifully paved, the beach with lots of white beach huts, plenty of cycle routes, all very pleasant, but it was cloudy and grey, the whole coast was like a black and white photgraph, completely monochrome. Blankenburg, Wendmuine, then De Haan which was a welcome break, with prettier houses and less high rise, the rest of the Belgian coastal resorts seem to be a cliff of apartments overlooking the sea. Ostend was interesting, with an Art Deco racecourse right near the sea.
After Ostend there was a straight stretch shared with the tram where gun emplacements had been preserved, with guns still trained out to sea, lurking in the dunes, all a bit grim. The towns had hardly any trees and few flowers and in between, dunes and scrubby heathland didn’t help the general impression, interesting, but not pretty.
Turned inland at De Panne (very near the French border here) through classic lowlands landscape, lines of Lombardy poplars, farms with trees around as windbreaks, canals and always flat, flat, flat. . . There are no public toilets in Belgium, we decided, lots of crashing about in bushes.
We seemed to get our breath back enough for a time trial along a concrete road when Sandy flashed ahead at about 90 miles an hour issuing a challenge to the rest of us. Doug caught up, I think, with Helen and Dot and Oakey (tandem) a few minutes behind. (Unfortunately had flashed by a Mike shortcut). Deep country now, we pedalled through the most amazing unidentifiable crops, flax is grown here, unfortunately the blue flowers come later.
We arrived at Hondschoote, the chambre d’hote where we were to stay, where the house is in Belgium and the drive is in France (or is it the other way round?). There is a donkey! The couple who ran it were lovely, he works as a teacher of Dutch and helps in the evening, she does the rest, including, we think designing the charming rooms which each had a Brothers Grimm story theme. Great meal, though our hosts seem to think all vegetarians are also strict vegans, which led to some confusion. A lovely evening, at last the sun came out and we sat outside for a last drink before bed at 11.00p.m. 50 miles.

Friday 28th May
We left about 9.30 a.m. after a lovely breakfast and travelled through miles of farmland, threading in and out of France and Belgium – lots of wayside shrines – and finally left Belgium at a spot where the border marked by flags at either side of the road was the only indication. Stopped for a break at Fletre which had a brightly painted soldier on the war memorial. We had a sandwich lunch at Melville, beside the river, with bananas of course, over-provision of bananas had become a running joke by this time.
Through Hinges to Bethune where we were determined to find the Thieval Memorial and cemetery where Tom’s great uncle is buried, who was killed in the First World War in 1916.
Oakey and Dot were despatched to buy flowers in the town, the rest found the right place and together we laid the flowers and paid our respects. This was for Tom, but also for us all, it gave a focus for what we were all feeling, sadness at the enormity of the loss of life in WWI. We took photographs and rested for a while.
After the peace of the cemetery, it was then a nightmare getting out of Bethune en route for our overnight stay at Bruay la Buisiere. Somehow we all managed to miss the turning and ended up on a huge roundabout attempting to access the autoroute. In the end we had to lift our bikes over a crash barrier and find directions at a hotel. Then we found that the van was lost on the same roundabout, so after a consultation, we went round a one way system again and at last were on our way. We found the Kyriad hotel easily, checked in, all very pleasant and put the bikes in their garage. Met for a drink then found a really great Italian restaurant which seemed to suit most of us. 44.5 miles.

Saturday 29th May
After breakfast, left the Kyriad, through Bruay, uphill, then down, ‘across the grain of the country’ as Mike so rightly described it. Then real countryside again, saw a huge chateau with towers. We then toiled up a long hill and looked at the dolman we found at the top for a rest. Met the van at Souchet and discussed what to do about the famous Vimy Ridge. We decided to go for it and pedal up to the Canadian Memorial at the top. The others set off ahead, so Oakey and Dot and Helen followed and immediately got lost.
Asking for directions; from a man in a white van, he ended up guiding us, driving slowly (very slowly!) ahead to show us an unmetalled cart track which would take us to the top. There was a very small and very peaceful Canadian cemetery where he parted from us, after telling us that his father was English – he had ‘deux femmes, dans la guerre’!
We found the others in the car park for the Canadian Memorial on Vimy Ridge which is justifiably famous. The area around was left as bomb craters, still with unexploded ordnance in the pine trees, the terrain was remarkable, almost more of a memorial than the sculpture. This was truly beautiful, finished in 1936, but not dated in style at all, two huge monoliths in pale honey coloured stone with aspiring figures reaching up and 6,000 of the many names carved around the base. Lots of coach parties, groups doing guided tours of the memorial sites.
We had lunch here and then stopped again close by at the Visitor Centre where there are some facsimiles of trenches, (concrete sandbags). The scale of the slaughter is unimaginable and the suffering too, apparently the men spent hours pent up in tunnels as well as in trenches awaiting action.
We pedalled on to Arras, which was seething with Saturday afternoon traffic, where we met a couple who were cycling to Turkey! Eventually found the Place des Heros and next to it the Grand Place . Both of these squares were surrounded by wonderful colonnades and every building had ornate Dutch gables, making a consistent architectural effect. Had a drink in the Place des Heros near the Beffroy, (the belltower) on the Hotel de Ville and watched the marriages coming and going, commenting on the guests, the cars and so on.
This was the end of the fun as the weather really deteriorated and we had about twenty miles of sheer hell, rain and a wicked head wind, grinding up hills in traffic too was no fun, the countryside is so open it gives no cover, we were rarely in the lee of a hedge or anything else. We were so glad to get to Verts Tilleuls our gite and our wonderful hostess, Monique.
After some hilarious and chaotic bed arrangements, Dot and Oakey end up on an open balcony, the men in a beautiful big room, but sharing a bathroom with Jill and Sandy who have to go through the chaps’ room to theirs! The building is lovely, a converted barn and old farmhouse, with a lovely garden and farm with sheep and geese. Monique made a great meal, her own aperitif followed by pates various, savoury crepes, then rabbit or fish and ratatouille, then her own fruit salad and tarte. 45 miles.

Sunday 30th May
After some discussion we decided we were duty bound to cycle on to Amiens, but had not really realised how far it was – another 30 miles. We set off in low cloud, strong head wind and rain and general misery for the first 10 miles by side roads to the Route National and then toiled up long hills until we found some country roads again. Passed the Thiepval Monument in the distance and several cemeteries, British, Australian, Canadian.
The rain slackened as we cut off to Meaulte and Corbie and then stopped so at last we could see some of the countryside but the pesky headwind continued making it all a real slog. Then the only real accident – Andrew pedalled off the road onto a bit of wasteland for a comfort break and rode straight into a single strand of barbed wire which pitched him off and left him with scratched hands and neck. Luckily he was OK after being picked up and plasters applied and pedalled off as fast as ever.
The final stage into Amiens was a 3 to 4 km hill into the wind before we dropped down thankfully into the city where we took photos beside the town twinning sign then met the van on the quay by the Somme under some plane trees and just near the Cathedral at about 2.00 p.m. Here we changed into ordinary clothes, put our bikes into the van and set off to enjoy the city. Luckily the sun was out by now and the wind a bit less (though Gill had seen a bike blown off the quay into the river!).
People split up, to eat, to have coffee, to visit the Cathedral and most of us did the boat trip on the Hortillonages which was probably the high point, just boating along the little canals between the gardens enjoying the lilies, irises, the ducks, coots and in one sighting, a coypu. The Cathedral is awesome, the biggest Gothic building in France and so light, graceful and airy. After an evening meal, we met Jerome very promptly in his new VW people carrier for a welcome taxi ride in evening sun, with the country looking at its best, to our gite, where we sat up drinking until midnight. 34 miles.

Monday 31st May
After breakfast, the men set off – again in rain and wind to visit the Thiepval Memorial, an18 mile round trip. The Visitor Centre is very good and makes some sense of the senselessness. A Welsh Choir making the visit were singing. Jill, Helen and Sandy visited Bapaume and Dot and Gill stayed in, talking to Monique.
We made a scratch lunch when everyone returned and had plenty of time to pack before Jerome arrived at 2.00 p.m. to take us to Zeebrugge. With Gill and Jill following we made good time on the autoroute and arrived at the passenger terminal at 4.00 p.m. The route which took us 3 days took 2 hours for the return journey. We boarded at about 5.30 p.m. and again had a great meal and some conviviality after. 18 miles.

Tuesday 1st June
Arrived promptly this time and were off the boat by about 8.45. Doug was determined to cycle home and set off bravely in the rain. Andrew set off, with his suitcase on the back of his bike to get the train to York and cycle the rest. Sandy went in the van with Gill and Jill and Mike, Helen, Dot and Oakey got a taxi to the station and trains home, via Doncaster, arriving in Darlington at midday. The trusty backup team delivered our bikes.
So ends our journey. Many thanks to Mike for being Pathfinder General and doing lots of preparatory work, to Tom for organising it all and to Gill and Jill for looking after us so well.

Total miles to Amiens 278.5, 18 round trip on Monday.

As this cycle ride was a sponsored ride, the D&DTTA asked people for donations:
Update (30/06/10): Today I presented cheques for £1058 to Louise Kenworthy of "Different Srokes", the local organisation which offers therapy to stroke victims in Darlington.
The average age of our group who cycled the 300 miles was 60, and such healthy exercise can assist in the prevention of many complaints.
Our thanks to all who gave generously.

PARTICIPANTS

Dot Long, Oakey Long, Andy McLeod, Tom Nutt, Mike Roff, Doug Sweeney, Helen Taylor, Gillian Wallis, Sandy Wallis, Gillian Wilkinson.

Report By: Dot Long

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