Ride To The Back Of Beyond

Go To Ulceby & Turn Left - Training Ride 53 Miles - 13-03-15



The End Of The Road At The Humber Estuary

When I woke up I didn't really want to do a ride. It was my day off and I was due to go back to work the following day.

I just fancied an easy day doing nothing in particular. I cajoled myself into accepting that I would go out and do a relatively short ride of about 30 miles. Just something to keep me ticking over.

That would fit in with my training plan wouldn't it ? Training plan ? Oh that.

I hadn't really got one yet. My training plan so far was that in March I need to be doing 50 mile rides at least once a week. When I get to April I would look at increasing it a bit. That was the plan. It was still a bit ...erm... loose.

Annette went off to work and slowly and reluctantly I checked out the bike then started putting my kit on but everything was at a glacial pace. I was hoping that something would come up, that something else would need my immediate attention.

But as time rolled on, nothing came up and then I was all ready to go. Bugger.

Where was I going to go ?  How far was I going to go ? I didn't really know the answer to these questions as I started pedaling.

The only route I had in my brain at this stage was that I was going to go to Ulceby... and turn left.

THE ROUTE

The weather was looking reasonable with a temperature of  9 or 10 degrees and an easterly wind of  10 to 12 mph. There was a caveat from the weatherman though, there usually is.  The wind was coming all the way from Russia (apparently) and therefore would be distinctly chilly.

So if it is possible to pedal reluctantly that's what I did initially starting off on Horkstow Road and heading for the village of the same name. Just as this road can be a beast if the wind is against you, if the wind is with you then it can be a pleasure to go down. And so it was on this day.

Across the A15, up the long straight road , down the small hill past the farm up and round to the top of Horkstow Hill. I was looking down at the Garmin and I was doing 18 mph and it was relatively easy. What a great start !! I wasn't kidding myself though. It looked like this wind would be hard to pedal into. But for now who cares ?!



Horkstow Road - It Doesn't Get More Exposed Than This

Over to Horkstow and then I followed the B1204 through Saxby All Saints, Bonby and to Worlaby. I really like this section of road. It is undulating and generally protected from the wind. It is just really nice to pedal down this road if you are feeling good.

At Worlaby I turned left to come back up the hill. I took it nice and steady as this was still early days on the ride. It definitely got the blood pumping though. I was now beginning to think " Just maybe I might go a bit further than 30 miles "




Worlaby Hill

Having come up the hill at Worlaby I took Middlegate Lane that leads under both the A15 and the A180 before depositing you at Melton Ross at the bottom of a hill.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH WOOTTON

Climbing up and over the A180 I then negotiated some reasonable ups and downs or more accurately downs and ups before turning right and arriving in the metropolis that is Wootton.

Perhaps, as on the Tour De France commentary, I should give you a quick tourist precis of some of the settlements I go through ? Let's give it a go.

Wootton is an anglo saxon settlement and is recorded in the Domesday Book as " Udetune ". Significant landmarks include the anglo saxon church of St Andrews restored in 1851 and the grade II listed Wootton Hall built in 1796. Thank you Wikapedia !

As I had come out without any food I wanted to get a chocolate bar for refueling. Pulling up next to a local "yoof" who was engrossed in his phone, I asked where the local shop was.

"Wootton doesn't have a shop you'll have to go to Ulceby"

Wow. No shop. "Udetune" is pants. Put that in Wikapedia.

So over at Ulceby I stopped at a local Co-op and spent an anxious few minutes inside buying a bit of chocolate hoping that when I came out my bike would still be there. Luckily it was.

A STRANGER AT THORNTON ABBEY

Just before the level crossing in Ulceby I took a left hand turn onto Carr Lane that turned my direction of travel northwards towards East Halton. Crossing the railway line a few miles North of Ulceby, Carr Lane turned into Crook Mill road and Townside delivering me to East Halton.

All the roads from Ulceby had been featureless straight country lanes that had offered me up for a ravaging by the easterly Russian winds that were now living up to their billing of "chilly".




Carr Lane - A Featureless Straight Country Lane

After East Halton the road took a westward turn which meant I managed to get the wind behind me again. The resultant increase in my speed meant that soon I was approaching Thornton Abbey, a bona fide local tourist attraction.

Thornton Abbey is a medievil abbey founded as a priory in 1139. The Abbey was closed in 1539 by Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution. Little of the original buildings survive to this day. The main interest lies in the gatehouse which is one of the earliest large scale use of brick in England. Wikapedia quote over.



Thornton Abbey - A Genuine Point Of Interest

Before I carried on I spotted a fellow cyclist having a break and a cigarette ( very civilised ) and I thought I would go over and say hello. I tried to strike up a conversation but it soon became apparent that the gentleman didn't speak any english. He smiled though and gave a thumbs up.

It looks like we spoke the universal language of cycling though ! 

ARRIVAL AT THE PLACE WITH NO NAME

Leaving Thornton Abbey I went through the village of Goxhill and after traversing the railway bridge I was on the super flatlands that would take me to the banks of the Humber.

Going down Ferry Road towards the estuary was more or less dead straight into the wind and I looked forward to turning round and coming back the other way. When I finally got to the end there were a few houses and the estuary.

Quiet and peaceful, it was literally a place with no name. Time for a little sit down and reflection about life, the world and everything.



Destination - The Back of Beyond



Pebbles And The Estuary

Turning round and going back to Goxhill was very nice, as expected, with the back wind boosting my ego and soon I was through Barrow-Upon-Humber and getting close to home and Barton-Upon-Humber.

ROUNDING OFF A 50 MILER

One problem though. If I went straight home now I would "only" cover about 40 miles. It seemed a shame to not do 50 miles when I was so close. So what could I do to add another 10 miles on ? The answer was to do a little circuit over the Humber Bridge to North Ferriby and up the hill to Swanland before circling back to the bridge and home.

It was bright and chilly going over the bridge and to my surprise coming the other way was the chap I had met at Thornton Abbey. He waved, I waved. That universal language was still working !



My Foreign Friend

The total distance covered was 53 miles. When I had started off in the morning there was no way I thought I was going to do that distance.

STRAVA ART

I got another nice surprise too. I like it when my Strava routes look like something recognisable. I have, for example, a route on the south bank that I do that when uploaded to Strava looks like a duck.

What do you think the route I did on this day looks like ? Can you see it ? Of course you can it's obviously the mothership from the film Independence Day. I knew you'd see it.




Mothership from Independence Day

What ? .....Don't tell me you don't see it !?


To make a donation towards the vital work of ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH UK please click on the link below. Thank you very much.

MY VIRGIN MONEY GIVING PAGE