9 cyclists left Mülheim on Wednesday 28th May travelling by train to Rotterdam and then on the overnight ferry to Hull where they were met by members of our Association. They then cycled on Thursday to York and after staying overnight cycled on to Darlington the next day. After spending 3 days in and around our town, they left on Tuesday 3rd May, and cycled with support from our members to North Shields, for the overnight ferry to Amsterdam, and then on home to Mülheim the next day. - Tom Nutt.
The idea of a bicycle tour was born 2 years ago when a group from Darlington Town Twinning Association and the Darlington Rotary Club cycled to Mülheim. From 28th May to 4th June nine cyclists from Mülheim, accompanied by Nigel Davison who had spent a week cycling along the Ruhr and Rhine, were guided on a return exchange to Darlington by Manfred Krister, chairman of the RTC and of the Mülheim Twinning Association. Rosemary Sholtz also a member of the twinning association organised the train journey to Rotterdam where they left the last showers of heavy rain behind them shortly before they boarded the ferry..At Hull they were met by Tom Nutt the new Deputy Mayor and other Darlington Cycle friends. The weather was now almost dry, and luggage was loaded into the support van donated by Sherwoods to accompany the group throughout their stay in England. It was also used as a catering and as an emergency vehicle if needed. Mike Roff who had worked out the stages from Hull to Darlington, and Glynis Alder who did most of the driving, also supplied the cyclists with freshly brewed tea hot soup and home-made sandwiches along the way. The English friends took it in turns to accompany us through the towns and villages and led us safely on the 82km to York on day 1, and on the 95km to Darlington on day 2. In order to practice for their coast to coast cycle trip Peter Philips and Nigel Little from the Rotary Club joined us on the second stage.
The journey to Darlington led us on mostly quiet country lanes or roads through the beautiful countryside with its small villages,old churches, typical stone houses and well looked after gardens, passing hedges along country lanes and wetlands of the river Ouse. In the dales the scenery changed from hilly farmlands to meadows full of cattle and often the landscape offered a view of the Yorkshire Moors. One of the highlights was of course the City of York, the old Roman City and medieval centre of the North, and its magnificent cathedral and town walls. Finally our arrival in Darlington was celebrated with Tom Nutt in the pub "Twenty Two".
We stayed in Darlington for three days at the Mercure Kings Hotel, and went on trips around the area including a visit to Durham, an important university town with a magnificent Norman Cathedral, which is a world heritage site impressively situated on top of a peninsular of the River Wear.
The cyclists from Mülheim got to know Darlington at its best: cycle paths through the South Park and the countryside, especially the one on the old railway track between Darlington and Stockton showed how quickly it was to leave busy roads behind. On Sunday Owen Wilson took us on a tour which passed Walworth Castle, Piercebridge and the old Roman fort and the bridge across the Tees. He led the group through the hilly countryside south of Darlington and back into the river valley. He did not forget relaxing breaks at Archer's dairy farm with its ice cream parlour and the Fox and Hounds at Neasham to enjoy English ale.
On Monday we followed an invitation to meet the Mayor and Mayoress of Darlington, Gerald and Ruth Lee, at the Town Hall, and learnt a lot about the history of the town, its crest and the role of the Quaker families Pease and Backhouse in the 19th century when the passenger railway was established. In the afternoon we were guided to Raby Castle by Jes Smith where we saw Lord Barnard's beautiful gardens and the large grounds with deer. We had a guided tour of the castle with its history of famous owners and details of life over the centuries. We rode back through the huge estate with its many whitewashed farms which were typical of Lord Barnard's property. On the way back to Darlington Mike surprised us all by taking us back to his house on the Tees, where a team of ladies had prepared a delicious cream tea!
The farewell dinner on Monday evening took place in the Dolphin Centre, Manfred Krister thanked the Mayor Gerald Lee and the Deputy Mayor Tom Nutt for their generous hospitality and the friends of the cycle club for their perfect organisation and for having looked after their guests so well. Special thanks were given to Mike Roff who had planned,prepared and accompanied the cycle tour to Darlington and to Tom Nutt who had supported the guests with his advice and with his spontaneous solutions for a successful visit. Manfred's thanks went to all the people who had contributed to a fantastic week : Owen, Doug, Glynis, Peter, Nigel Little, Jes, Margaret, Kathrin, Helen and last but not least Nigel Davison with his" Go Go Go" to keep the group moving.
After many interesting conversations about European politics, the social and economic development in County Durham and the North of England, about football and the World Cup 2014, plans were made for the future of town twinning. Tom Nutt and a small group of citizens will visit Mülheim between 28th and 30th November 2014 with a stall in the traditional Altstadt Christmas Market selling English nspecialities such as Jam, Marmalade, Christmas puddings and cakes, ginger wine, usw. At the beginning of June next year a cycle ride from Darlington to Mülheim is planned. Mayor Gerald Lee has also discussed a project with headmasters in Darlington schools about,"World War 1 - Peace and Reconciliation" and wants to encourage schools in Amiens and Mülheim to participate with pieces of poetry and graphic art. The different contributions should be handed in by November and collected together for a brochure for charity. Rosemary Scholz will try to get teachers in Mülheim interested.
Early on Tuesday morning the party cycled North to Newcastle to catch the ferry from North Shields to Amsterdam. Again they were accompanied by the van and town twinning cyclists. It was an interesting journey on the old railway tracks through former mining villages to the North sea and town of Sunderland. (twinned with Essen). During the ride snacks and drinks were provided and before the group met the van with their luggage at the large ferry to Amsterdam they had to cross the River Tyne on a small ferry and were drenched by a heavy outburst of rain in their very last moments in the U.K. All in all they had lots of sunshine, mild temperatures, not much wind and even slight sunburn for those who forgot to put on their sun lotion.
The warm welcome, the kindness and generous hospitality of our Darlington friends will not be forgotten.
Report by Rosemary Scholz.