Walney to Wear Part 3
Words and Pics by Phil Ingham
Five riders and an assorted caravan of supporters and hangers on tackle the Walney to Wear road-based route, coast-to-coast across the North of England. Would they all make it to the finish? Find out in the last of our three-part account of their adventures.
Day 3 – Morning
The third and final day of our W2W odyssey dawns with yet more rain falling. The forecast is better, though, and the five riders – Julie and Suzanne back in the saddle to join Liz, John and Laura – are underway soon after nine, with some 35 to 40 miles of mainly flat terrain ahead of them before the end of their ride at Roker Beach in Sunderland.
Once more into the saddle, once more into the rain
John had suffered from an ear infection overnight, but neither that nor discovering a flat tyre on his bike (the only puncture of the whole expedition) look likely to distract him from his purpose.
The children, Sue and I wave the riders off with plans to get in contact late morning to decide what support they required at lunchtime. There is a general sense of purpose about them which suggests they intend to get the job done before then.
The cars are packed and Sue and I take the children to explore some of Hamsterley’s fun facilities, including adventure playground. Olivia, Seth and Freja have gelled very well as a group and play brilliantly for well over an hour as the weather improves. I had wondered if the children would turn out to be a burden, but they have relished the constant changes of scene, the underlying sense of adventure and the “roughing it” aspects of the weekend.
After a great snack and drink at the smart little café, we depart Hamsterley and head eastwards. We stop near the A1 to make contact with the riders by phone, and find that once again they’ve spilt into two groups. John, Liz and Laura are the first to answer our calls and report that they are indeed heading straight to the coast and will meet us there in perhaps an hour. We then manage to get hold of Julie and Suzanne, who are some way behind and sound slightly guilty as they admit to having taken refuge in a greasy spoon café in Durham. They too are happy to meet us at Roker, so we head for the coast.
Day 3 – Early Afternoon and the end of the road!
Roker beach and sunshine at last
Roker is at the Eastern end of Sunderland, at the mouth of the river Weir. We arrive and park up in brilliant sunshine. The view is spectacular as we look out over the river mouth to the lighthouse at the end of the break water. The children all wolf down snacks and drinks, before we head down to the beach to await the riders. We notice other cyclists from time to time and several groups are obviously ending their personal coast-to-coast challenges as they pose mud-splashed for photos.
Eventually, to cheers from the children, John, Laura and Liz appear and we all join them as they make their way down to the water’s edge for a ceremonial dipping of front tyres (and in Laura’s case, whole bike) in the North Sea. They’ve covered 150 miles in three days and perhaps 14 or 15 hours of riding time.
Made it – Liz, John and Laura stop, just in time!
There are smiles and hugs all round before we all head to the nearest café for lunch. With Julie and Suzanne not expected for some time, we all tuck into sausage and chips and tea and fizzy drinks – proper seaside fare and well deserved. Julie and Suzanne eventually appear along the front and they too are congratulated before being watered and fed. They’ve found the final leg hard and are both openly relieved to have finished their challenge.
Julie and Sue look relieved as they too make it into Roker
We’re soon all loaded into cars and ready for the journey back home. The riders and children are all tired, but happy, after a weekend of endless adventure and no little achievement.
Day 3 - Reflections
I’ve absolutely loved my role as support staff for the weekend. Granted I got a bonus day in the saddle, but the sense of satisfaction the riders have felt has rubbed off on the whole party. I’d expected it to be a hard weekend of graft, driving and childcare, but to be honest it’s flown by and I think I’ve enjoyed it as much as the main protagonists.
The protagonists
John B – Although a project manager working in Manchester, John is of Yorkshire Pennine farming stock: physically compact, tough and uncomplaining and always on the look-out for a challenge. Not the type to be intimidated by three days on a bike, event though he now cycles little due to the DIY demands of a large, old Farmhouse which he and Liz moved into recently. Early thirties. Bike: nearly new Trek 6500 mountain bike with disc brakes.
Liz B – wife of John and mother of Freja and Seth. Outgoing dentist with a talent for organising children’s parties. A genuine social hub. Physically confident, but sensible enough to have done some serious preparation for the ride. Boundless enthusiasm overlays genuine grit and determination. One of life’s winners. Early thirties. Bike – 3 year old base model Trek mountain bike.
Laura P – Liz’s younger sister. One-time backpacker and cyclo-tourist, with a Land’s End to John O’Groats ride just one of a number of adventures to her credit. Somewhat guarded about her preparation for the ride, but with her experience and age (early twenties), rightly confident in her ability to cope - which is probably more than could be said for her bike – supposedly a hybrid, but more mongrel, with crabby gears and no service history.
Julie I – self-confessed avoider of endurance activities, but a talented ball-sport player who probably has deeper physical reserves than she admits to. Several months of preparation behind her, but a deep-rooted fear of tiredness, fatigue and hunger accounts for fragile morale. Bike – modern Kona mountain bike.
Suzanne S – experienced walker and adventurer, but with little recent cycling behind her. Confident in her ability to survive the ride, but probably less well prepared than the others. Determined and stoical, but also realistic about her limits. Bike – another hybrid suffering from too little TLC.
More info on the Walney to Wear Sea to Sea Route