Sunderland to Newcastle

Although the challenge was done there was still the small matter of getting home. Yesterday there had been the idea of maybe getting to Sunderland and then just pushing on to Newcastle and stopping there to get an early start. I wasn't keen. Partly, I'd cycled as much as I could be bothered with and partly I thought we'd just find pretty crappy B&Bs on the outskirts of Newcastle and spend the time wondering if the bikes were OK.

Just as well. What we imagined was 10 miles wasn't. And on the basis of it being only 10 miles, I only had a wee bit of muesli and some fry-up for breakfast. Didn't even bother getting any water. So 10 turned into 20 through more dreary, winding Sunderland comedy cycle path before the last little shite of a hill up from the nice walkway on the right here to the station. The last visit to the ring formerly known as 'granny'.

A giant pasty, some spicy wedgie chip things and then onto the cattle car for the train to Edinburgh. Another train to Inverkeithing and then the last three miles home. The remaining energy was spent washing the bike (covered in mud from the horrible cinder paths through Sunderland) so that I can oil the chain. It feels a bit like that old Zane Grey thing of feeding and bedding the horses before feeding yourself. It's got to take me to work tomorrow.

It was a bit of an anti-climax to come home to an empty house - Mandy and the bairns are in Spain with Mandy's pal and her son. Still, I've done the washing so I'll sort out the rest of the stuff tomorrow, working out what to take and what to leave behind next time.