Humber Panorama

Dover - Shetland Day 11
Lincoln - Humber Bridge

Distance cycled: today 100.8km, total 942.0km
Ascent: today 683m, total 4767m

Highlight: cycling across the impressive Humber bridge to reach Yorkshire. Spectacular views and a real feeling of finally being in the north of the country, and hence much closer to my destination. And a real treat to have my father pick me up and give me a lift for the final 5 miles to their place, which is a little off the cycle route.

Lowlight: did I mention the wind before? Another day of being battered - I even resorted to shouting at the weather on occasions, but to no effect. Whilst the Route 1 Cycleway did a great job of keeping me alive, routing me well away from the high speed trunk roads which cut north - south through Lincolnshire, it also meant a much longer mazy route, and one which took in a chunk of the Lincoln Wolds. I didn't know the Wolds were present south of the Humber, and like their counter-parts in East Yorkshire, they make for a very hilly part of the county. So another 3 figure day distance-wise, with lots of climbing towards the end of the ride, to make it the most mentally taxing day of the trip since my first day epic in Kent & Sussex.

What else? I am a couple of days ahead of when I had expected to arrive at my parents. This gives me the luxury of taking a two days rest stop with them, rather than the one planned - which I am delighted about with even stronger northerlies forecast, along with a weather warning for some torrential downpours. Things looking dryer and slightly less windy for Thursday when I intend to re-start. However I could do with the large high sitting to NNE of Scotland shifting a little, along with the winds - but that may not be until next week.

Photo: panorama of the mighty 2.2 km single span Humber suspension bridge (which only opened in 1981) with a lowering sun, taken from the Lincolnshire side.