Machka 

The part of Scotland we're in now reminds Rowan very much of Tasmania, and reminds me quite a bit of Vancouver Island ... which reminds me of Tasmania.

chasm54

Where are you, Machka?

Machka 

We've cycled from Edinburgh to Linlithgow today, along the bay (?) Firth of Forth (?) which reminds Rowan of the Derwent River area.

chasm54

Firth of Forth. Pleasant enough, though I can't comment on its resemblance to Tasmania. UK geology is interestingly varied for such a small country, with a marked divide between north + west and south+ east. The west highlands of Scotland were once the tip of the Appalachian range before the Atlantic bust them apart. When in Gaspe last year I was strongly reminded of Scotland.

Machka 

OK, now we need to "get voted off the island". We would like to get over to mainland Europe at some point in the next few days, but that's proving to be a bit more difficult than we had anticipated, and I suspect it has something to do with some little event down in London that's just about to start.

Hmmm ... considering options. Maybe ... Ireland?

fietsbob

Irish Seagoing Ferrys will get you there .. I like the Pubs on the vessels too..

Tourist visa, includes both, so in that regard, they are combined.
clock started at point of entry.

Machka 

Getting to the ferrys is proving to be a bit of an issue. However, we may have a solution.

chasm54

Er, ride? Or if you'd really rather go to mainland Europe, take a train to Newcastle and get on the ferry to Amsterdam.

antokelly

Machka weather is not great over here lots of rain you have been warned

Machka 

Yes ... that's what we're looking at now.


We've had quite a bit of rain here in Scotland too.

steve2k

There's an overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland, it's a morning's ride along nice cycle paths into Amsterdam, you could be there for lunch.

Machka 

We can't get down to Harwich. That was our original plan, but either we can't get our bicycles on the trains, or if we can, they cost an absolute fortune. And we're that far north in Scotland right now, it would take us a couple weeks to cycle down there.

However, we've managed to get a train to Edinburgh, and are now looking at routes to cycle from Edinburgh to Newcastle.

It appears that the National Cycle Route takes us inland rather than around the coast.

Machka 

I have just come across this site ... it seems to describe the Newcastle to Edinburgh route quite well, although we'd be going the other direction.

https://www.coast-and-castles.co.uk/t...erleithen.html


However, I'd prefer to stick closer to the ocean if possible.

chasm54

From memory, it takes you inland only for the northerly section, then hits the coast at Berwick and sticks pretty close to the sea from there. It's a nice route, I think you'd enjoy it.

EDIT. yes, coming from Edinburgh the route takes you into the Scottish borders, (nice cycling country, btw) then turns east at Kelso to go via Coldstream to Berwick and hugs the Northumberland coast south. Sticking by e coast from Edinburgh to Berwick isn't so easy, because at times I think you'd be forced onto the A1, and that I would not recommend. You'll get plenty of ocean from Berwick southwards, the Northumberland coastline is a gem.

jurjan

We took the Coast and Castles route from Berwick to Newcastle.
we took another NCN route from Edinburgh to Berwick, can't remember the number (could look it up tonight if needed?).
but it went though Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Cockenzie/Port Seton, North Berwick, Dunbar and Eyemouth to Berwick (if my mind isn't playing tricks on me today)
the end of Coast and Castles was a bit meh for us, just 'endless' miles of cycling (close to the sea) through suburbia / industrial estates before ending up almost at the ferry terminal.

chasm54

I've looked it up. Looks as if you took Route 76, which is a new one on me, I don't think it existed last time I was up there. Machka, that looks like your answer if you don't want to go via Kelso.

This is why most people do it South/North, to get the least scenic twenty miles or so from Newcastle to Blyth out of the way first. Not an option In this case, though.

jurjan

Chasm54, that could be it, the number DOES ring a bell.
It would mean I'm wrong about North Berwick, but that does (only very occasionally I can assure you!) happen.

and we had the same problem, having to take the ferry.
I wonder if going inland for the last bit would be better, or would that just be suburbia / industrial estates without even the sight of the sea to console you?

Machka 

I wouldn't mind that as long as it is flat and straightforward ... easy route to follow.

jurjan

Just keep the sea on your left.
Can't miss.
Once in Newcastle it gets a bit more involved, there are multiple routes with sometimes two variants for a route.
However, quite early on there are signs for the ferryport, if all else fails you can just follow those.

chasm54

Yeah, travelling south on route one you can't miss. You just stick to the coast until the river stops you at Tynemouth, turn right and follow the blue signs for the cycle network. If you want to go into Newcastle for a look around, the route takes you past the ferry anyway.

Machka 

We purchased a Coast and Castles map in Edinburgh when we arrived there this afternoon, and we have started cycling the route.

In case anyone wants to use this thread as a reference, there is a good Information Centre just round the corner from the Edinburgh Waverley train station. Come up out of the train station, turn right as soon as you emerge, then turn right again on the first street.

Machka 

Just to wrap this one up ... I've finished the UK portion of our tour story:
https://www.machka.net/RTW_2012/RTW_Europe_2012.htm

We did cycle part of the North Sea Route ... hilly, but quite scenic. And lots of little inns and B&Bs.

Our UK photos are here, and the last third or so of them are of the North Sea Route:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7630125688286/

Machka 

OK, so it seems we might not be quite finished with the UK yet.

There is a good chance we'll be returning to the UK in early October ... and may be travelling out to Wales this time.



A question ... have any of you ever flown internationally out of Manchester? We're considering an alternative to Heathrow. Getting in and out of Heathrow with the bicycles is a bit of a challenge. We've done it several times and it's not easy. My easiest trip into and out of Heathrow with my bicycle involved getting picked up at the airport, and dropped off later ... the rest of my trips in and out have involved a lot of work and hassle. So we're considering Manchester and wondering if it would be any easier.



Or ... have you ever cycled to Heathrow Airport? There are apparently cyclepaths etc. to get a person there from various places in London, but it is not something we've tried.

Machka 

Cycling in the Cardiff area ... and in particular on the Taff Trail from Cardiff to Brecon ...

Cycling in Cardiff: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.as...d=2865&id=1833
Taff Trail (National Cycle Route 8): https://www.tafftrail.org.uk/


I'm thinking we might try that trail to Brecon (89 km) and then hop across to Hay on Wye (another 17 km or so on Lôn Las Cymru (National Cycle Route 42)).

It's kind of hard to know where to go from there ... I've cycled in a line from Rhayader down to Bristol, through Hay-On-Wye (following National Cycle Routes 8 and 42), and I'm not entirely convinced I want to do that again this time (up and over Gospel Pass!!). I was sort of hoping there would be a NCR out to Hereford from Hay-on-Wye but there doesn't appear to be.



Have any of you done some cycling in that part of Wales?

Juha

I saw you asking earlier about the USB broadband... this may be old news to you, but since about summer 2012, there's a mandatory price cap on data roaming charges within EU. Data roaming used to cost an arm and a leg, and with the ever-present smartphones it became a real problem, people receiving ridiculous data bills for transfers they didn't even know they had initiated (think GPS map loading quietly in the background, for example). Hence the cap.

So, if you get a prepaid with data plan in any EU country and it works abroad, chances are it may last you quite a bit outside of that country as well.

--J