Barbs's Big Bike RIde

This year I have decided to stay and enjoy an English Spring. It has been a long time coming but at last it is here and I am off to explore my own back yard. Well actually travelling up the UK mainland as far north as possible before 21st June and see how close I can get to the Midnight Sun.


After my travels along the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain last September on my trusty old iron donkey, I have bought a lighter bike in the hope that I can get up a few more hills and by going from Lands End to John o Groats (LEJOG) I can avoid the killing headwinds of the Spanish meseta.


So here she is, we had a jolly naming ceremony on Saturday and hopefully the good friends, food and weather I enjoyed will carry me through to the farthest northern climes. Thank you all for a great send off, admirably topped off with one too many pints The Village Bike listening to Mojo Triangle.


And she is called Eleanor, isn't she beautiful, I hope I still have such tender feelings after 6 hours in the saddle, but probably only in the nether regions I fear.


The map link on the right will show a rough itinerary and route and I will try try to update with my actual route, if I can work out how and where I am as I go along, you know there will be little correlation but I will get there or somewhere in the end!


If you want an email update, submit your address in the box also on right and hopefully it will find its way through the ether to you.

Saturday, 8 June 2013

Neolithic, so not feeling so old now

Orkney was quite a buzzing place in its day, perhaps thats why the music doesn't die, it may have survived 5000 years.
The are a wealth of well preserved prehistoric sites and I set off to see some of them.  The ring of Brogar is third only in size to Stonehenge, and the other one everyone forgets.  The Stones of Stenness are some of the tallest, the burial chamber of Meashows and village of Scara Brea, the oldest and best preserved sites in Europe and have world heritage status and apart from the last two are all free to wander around, none of this viewing area nonsense as the afore mentioned Stonehenge.  As part of the Scara Brea ticket you also get to wander around the old laird's family house on who's land Scara was uncovered in a storm and who oversaw the initial excavations.  It had a very 1950's feel, very reminiscent of the Gables.  There is a big dig on another recently discovered village near Brogar so I am getting in the mood for our Meldreth dig.
The next highlight of my trip was of course the Orkney brewery. Starting of with a beer infused sausage and mash to line the stomach.
I managed the trading platter although avoided the skull splitter at 8.5%.  They are now producing a 15% special reserve which is sold in a resealable bottle so can be drunk like port. It was worth the trip to malady taste some straight from the cask instead of the bottles which was all I had managed through my trip, most of the pub o have been in have been too quiet to be able to have any draught bitter.

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1 comment:

  1. Julie10 June 2013 at 13:25

    So how was the beer!!! Not sure I want to know about the beer infused sausage....enjoy.

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