Change of plan

 

My original plan last friday was to follow NCN1 from South Shields to Sunderland. It's part of the world that I used to know well. But that was a long time ago, and I've never cycled it. I decided to begin in Blyth and map out a route that I thought was long enough to push my longest ride up by a few miles, reach the centre of Sunderland and still get home in time for tea. Unfortunately my plan was scuppered by a late start and slow progress against a headwind. I had to accept that I needed an alternative. So when I reached Tynemouth I decided to attempt a couple of different Tyne crossings and fit in a visit to the Saxon Church of St Paul's in Jarrow.

On entering the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel I had a brief conversation with a walker who was completing a five-day trip along the Hadrian's Wall National Trail. On leaving the tunnel, I met a cyclist who had ridden that day from Cockermouth. The GPS satellites kicked in as we exited the tunnel. His Bike Computer showed a trip distance of 100 miles. Mine showed 13.5 miles. I was impressed and he was polite.

Along the coast there were plenty of people about, enjoying a nice warm day at the start of a bank holiday weekend. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. For a while I was frustrated that my original  plan hadn't worked out. However, it turned into an interesting day. I'm now a bit more familiar with routes between Tynemouth and North Shields, and between Jarrow and South Shields. Not disappointing at all.