Safely to Harwich

Following the briefing and some group photos, we set off from Stansted at 8.30am. The first two hours were at a modest pace and from our bikes we introduced ourselves. The group came from all over the Great Britain. But if anything, I think I have identified a Westcountry bias to the group. Much to our delight there were elements of a cooked breakfast at our first pit stop. I was very pleased to have arrived 4th and thereforenot last. Before the muscles seized up we were back on the trail. The route not only came in a compact book but was also marked with bright yellow arrows. One group, overshot a turn and sadly missed the first break. (They've been referring to themselves as 'the breakaway group') But I caught them up and refrained from telling them about all the things they had missed out on. Everybody safely made it to lunch in the car park next to Dedham Mill. The beauty spot known from a number of John Constable paintings. There was one puncture and one split tyre amongst the group during the morning. An unnamed individual did fall off their bike, but they were apparently stationary at the time! The last 15 miles involved more of the long medium-gradient hills, but always rewarded by a speedy bit of coasting afterwards. I was cycling on my own for much of the afternoon and this gave me time to muse on how the countryside has changed since Constable painted his famous Haywain. I was just thinking about the lack of horse drawn transport that makes the central subject of this picture when around the corner came this horse and trap. The approach to the dockside meant going into central Harwich. I hadn't consulted my map and following me nose, arrived in Old Harwich, the old port with a stone lighthouse. With no ferry in sight, I knew I had made a wrong turn. In fact I had overshot the terminal by well over a mile and had just strayed off my printed map. Doubling back, I soon found my way to the rendezvous. Having stowed our bikes, we checked in for the ferry. Though there were police at the customs area, none of our group were identified as troublesome elements and we were able to get showered and fed for an early night in our cosy cabins.