I am a failure
It started ok. Jumped straight on the train after work, and on the bike out of Lynn and up NCN1 through NW Norfolk. Stopped for a loverly pint at the Gin Trap:
I get to Hunstanton in plenty of time, eat some chips, take some photos...
The plan:
Arty shit:
After a coffee & donut, I decide to watch the sunset and leave from the quieter cliffs end
Sun sets bang-on-time, and I set off across the county on NCN1. The sky stays light for ages (and never totaly loses some glow from the sun), but the very slight breeze off the North Sea really makes things cold.
The aim is to have a last pint and fill the waterbottle at the Lord Nelson in Burnham Thorpe - one of the oldest pubs in the county - Disaster No. 1 - It's shut down
I carry on and heading towards Walsingham, I hit a stone on a fastish downhill which pinch-punctures the front tyre - disaster No.2. A bus shelter gives protection from the cold breeze and supports the bike while I change the tube. The pump seems reluctant to get it up to high enough pressure, so I decide to carry on cautiously and leave the shelter - Bugger it's cold. I got stung by nettles in the shelter, and I can't get rid of numbness in my hand.
I'm not so familiar with the roads in the area, and navigating means stopping to put glasses on and read the map. My GPS isn't much help. I take a few wrong turns - disaster No. 3.
With no traffic about I get on a main road to Aylesham, and decide to take a break in the town to try to get warmer.
Aylesham road layout is very confusing and I struggle to find the right road out, losing another 3/4 an hour.
Instead of backroads, I decide to go for the slightly longer main road, and head towards Wroxham. At about 3am, I am struggling so much with the cold, numb hands and aching neck. I spot a brick-built bus shelter and decide to stop and get the sleeping bag out.
A couple of hours dozing and I've missed my target of sunrise over the sea.
No point in going for the coast now... I head to Norwich with the chance of finding breakfast, a loo, and train home.
My core temperature must have dropped as I'm wearing jacket and trousers and am still shivering, yet local roadies are heading out in skinsuits.
On the outskirts I spot a 24hr branch of the Scottish restaurant - the food and drink is aweful, but I can make use of the McFacilities.
Second Breakfast on Norwich market is much better fayre. A few locals help me explain to the foreign stall holder what 'Builders Tea' is (His partner who is serving knows, but it seems new to him).
It was a combination of things that stopped me acheiving my aim - I was unprepared for how cold it was; the bike is slightly too small for me, and was causing aches; numb hands meant I couldn't use the gears properly; I hadn't memorised the middle part of the route well enough, and I was just too tired from a busy and stressful week at work.
