Nothing remarkable

Today I covered a smidgeon short of 18 miles (imperial), or about 28 kilometres (metric). I tried a couple of minor tweaks to my standard circuit. One avoids a hilly bit of road  and the other just offers a change of scenery. With a drop in temperature and no wind to speak of, my average speed was slightly better than last time. Nothing remarkable, but quite satisfying.

Small beginnings

Today's ride was 21 miles out beyond Embleton (with a following wind), and back (with a head wind). That's the end of two months back on the bike. I've had sixteen outings. My average ride has risen to almost 14 miles for a total distance of 222 miles. My Eddington number is currently 11. It's a start.

River Till

The plan today was to stick the bike on the back of the car, and try part of NCN68 a bit further north than the section that I rode a few weeks ago. However, as I drove north the sky went dark and there was a heavy shower of rain. Instead of stopping near Ford, and getting soaked as I worked north, I thought it better to carry on driving until the rain stopped, then work south.

The rain had pretty much stopped by the time I reached Norham. From there I followed NCN68 south, to Etal then back. It was a nice ride, with a particularly lovely section following the bank of the River Till.

In a few days time I'll complete my first two months back on the bike. Fourteen miles today takes the total distance past 200 miles. That doesn't sound much, but the air was humid and the landscape crinkly enough to make it feel like more. And the extended journey meant that I got home later than I planned, but as content as I hoped (and I didn't get soaked).

Littlemill limekilns

A pleasant ride today, passing this massive structure on the way to Embleton. This is one of the largest 19th century limekilns in the country. They built it next to the railway, so that lime could be loaded directly from the kiln onto wagons, and it remained in service for about a century - until shortly after World War II.

As I settle into this loop as a fairly regular ride it seems to be getting easier. Is that because it's becoming more familiar, or because I'm getting stronger? I have no idea, but it was a pleasant afternoon, and another seventeen miles bumped my Eddington number for 2019 up by one.