Saturday morning 0800, cold damp and still no proper roof. Sleeping on the floor doesn't encourage a lie-in. I filled the flask with some decent coffee and dragged the Kona out for a blast along the coast.
A mile and a half of tarmac and then it's all off road into John Muir Country Park (JMCP).
The woods were full of chaffinches and no sign of any other humans. I could here dogs barking out on the beach but they were hidden by the misty start to the day.
There used to be a bench here but it has disappeared and a couple of the trees have fallen onto the beach as the coast slowly erodes.
That's my flask of coffee under the seat pack. Good eh?
After the winding trails of the woods it was out towards an area of flood plain that was reclaimed for farming by building a dyke across the original snaking route of the river Tyne. With this estuary being a large area of reclaimed land at sea level it would have provided a perfect landing site if the Germans had invaded during WW2. Nearly seventy years later many of the defences are still visible. There are stumps of glider poles out in the bay and the rows of tank blocks along the edges of the farmed land. Some people think they are an eyesore but I accept them as part of the history of the land, like standing stone or ruins of castles. They might not have the romance but they are a record of the people and the time they lived in.
Out on the salt marsh I saw a Heron lazily flapping away, Oystercatchers, Curlews and Redshanks piping their alarm at my intrusion. This is so wonderfully different from being at work.
Behind this gate the river is to the right, the dyke centre, and the reclaimed land below the river level on the left out of shot.
Coffee time and it tastes so much better with only the river flow and the distant calling of the wading birds.
On my way home I stopped at the harbour to use a hose to clean the bike. It really needs a proper service. I also need to get another spare tube. Yeah, out in the middle of nowhere and I managed to get a puncture.
Still a great morning out. Set off around 08:15 and didn't notice the time passing until E phoned at 11:45 wondering where I was? In a relaxed place.
3 degrees, cloudy, no wind, 8-10 miles. lots of nosing around.
Pop round for a free bike service -:)
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