Day16 - Ferry or not ferry
Following my fish and chip supper, I arrived at Lodge Cottage
quite late after a cross country route across the river Blyth. I put Lucy in a shed, as previously arranged and was then delighted to find a laundry room with two washing machines and two tumble driers. I thought it only polite to ask if I could use them and was given the Ok. So, at about 7am I took all my clothing, less what I was wearing for the day and shoved it in the machine. An hour later I put half in each of the two tumblers and half an hour later they were dry enough to stick in my dry bags and thence the panniers – job done. I wasn’t asked to pay but I thought it only right, and left £15, which is about what it would have cost in the Wash ME. I should add that the bed was not very comfortable, and I had a restless night.
I was able to leave at 0857 with clean clothes and conscience. I was disagreeably surprised at just how lumpy the route was. I associate East Anglia with flatness, but I was roller coastering from the start and the first ten miles seemed to take forever. There seemed to be regular roadworks, involving stopping and starting, and large herds of outdoor pigs
My early route took me inland from Sizewell nuclear power station, that I spotted from Lowestoft yesterday but there was no sign today apart from vehicles on the road with Sizewell insignia.
My first notable stop, some 15 miles into the journey, was Snape Maltings, an arts complex on the banks of the river Alde, developed from its original purpose in the 1960s, largely at the instigation of composer Benjamin Britten and his partner Peter Pears, into a world class music venue. There were a lot of cars and people wandering around the large complex
As I hadn’t had any breakfast I stopped at the adjacent pub for a bacon bap and a pot of tea, and very good they were too
I made my way through Woodbridge, a pretty town on the River Deben. Close by is Sutton Hoo, the site of a remarkable discovery of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial which has been factionally portrayed in the film The Dig. In my past life as a Land agent I was briefly responsible for the surrounding estate, although the burial land is in the ownership of the National Trust.
It was now decision time. My original route had been to follow the coast and cross the river Deben downstream by ferry at Bawdsey but I couldn’t find if the ferry was running so I decided that I would stay inland and use Woodbridge as my crossing point. However, there was also the mighty river Orwell to cross. Two options: cross upstream at Ipswich or take the ferry across from Felixstowe to Harwich. Again, I had found it maddeningly difficult to find out if the ferry was running but, this morning, there was a definite yes. I consulted the map and worked out that it was about 11 miles to Felixstowe beach and I had about an hour to catch the 1330 ferry, knowing that, if I missed it, I would have to wait another hour. I used my phone to book the passage for £7.50 and time-trialled it to Felixstowe. Amazingly the roads I was using were virtually empty and I was able to make excellent time until the last mile or so when I hit dirt roads and, finally, shingle. It was a strange sight, a small ferry boat with a gangway in the middle of a shingle beach.
I think they must have seen me coming because I was a few minutes late, but they waited, and Lucy and I boarded and settled down for the 15 minute ride across the harbour. I had two travelling companions. Mike a 40 year old who had heart problems and had been to hospital in Felixstowe that morning and was returning home to Shotley and Dave, a scouser who was working on a tug in Harwich harbour. I explained my mission and we had a broad conversation which was entertaining.
The initial move out into the estuary was rough and water came through the doors but once we were out in the tidal stream we made our way across to Harwich quite calmly. Felixstowe is a vast port, dealing with almost half of Britain’s containerised trade. I was glad to have made the journey: I’d already cycled through Ipswich on a previous trip, so it was nice to tackle something new.
We docked at Harwich, not only a port but also a seaside resort with a long sandy beach at Dovercourt. Now my route took me inland skirting the Hamford Nature reserve, devoid of roads and tracks, before, once again, meeting the sea at Walton on the Naze, the promontory that sticks out into the north sea and provides miles and miles of golden sand for holiday makers.
From here I had an amazing 5 mile run on promenade or track via Frinton and Holland to my destination at Clacton-on- Sea.
It shows the versatility of Ride with GPS, my chosen navigation system, that it was able to cope with the changes of route during the day and still deliver me to the Aviator, a Marstons hotel in the middle of a trading estate and give an accurate track of my movements . I was delighted to note that opposite the hotel is a large Lidl which will provide me with a bottle of wine for later.
