I am planning to run /walk /crawl again, this time from John O'Groats down 'South' to St Albans .......... not sure how far i will get but its one heck of a journey!

Wednesday 23 June 2010

DAY 33 - NOTTINGHAM FORESTS & PARKS

MANSFIELD TO BINGHAM

I slept soundly after such an exhausting day yesterday and had a regulationary B & B cooked breakfast so i was firing on all cylinders by 9.30am! We drove to our starting point today which was Colwick Country Park and after a couple of false starts finding the best car park to park in, we eventually decided on one which was quite busy as it felt safer to leave the car.

We had no map or directions today so started off just following Byways and arrow signs but after crossing (?Trent?)Bridge we cycled alongside the river and found ourselves at the National Watersports Centre (above photo) and amongst fellow cyclists and runners and rowers and sailors all making use of the great weather. We continued on our merry signless way  towards a small town hoping we could do a circular route however after stopping for some water at the Co-Op it seems we werent destined for our easy ride back!

On trying to get some directions, I nearly fell out with a local in my poor pronunciation of our destination as i was incorrectly pronouncing it Col – Wick and he said that the place didnt exist anywhere round here!  I indignantly showed him my iPhone map and he then looked at me like i was a bit dumb or blond or something similar and said it was Col(W)ick (pronounced like Colic!) and that the quickest way back to the car was exactly the way we had come! How depressing to retrace our steps!

Enroute back we stopped to watch the local Fire & Rescue services practicing their skills to retrieve colleagues from the rapids and slipstreams of the River which was a bit like an assault course in water!! It was amazing to see how quickly people can become caught up in the current and how simply they can just bob under and not come back up again! Scary!  Fortunately no real casualties here today but it was good to see them practicing this vital service!

We eventually got back to our car, very saddle sore today and in definite need of a doubel super duper gel seat to go ON TOP of my existing gel seat if we are in any hope of getting any cycling done tomorrow!

Just in time for the Big Match (like its really at the top of my agenda!!) we made it to the David Lloyd Nottingham just in time for kick off!  I promptly went swimming and for a steam and finished just in time to see the whistle blow at our 1-0 victory with everyone feeling much more happy than after the last match!

We drove to our next nights stay - the Vale of Belvoir - near Bingham and found what can only be described as close to a ghost hotel!!! It was set just off the main road and looked great from the outside but for a 30 room hotel, there was only 1 car in the carpark and not a single soul in the bar save the gentleman acting as Publican / receptionist & barman!!!

We tentatively checked in and took all our gear up to the room but decided to eat out rather than risk being lone diners in the large empty restaurant!!  So we went to nearby Bingham which was still basking in the England victory with lots of local suitably dressed fans spilled into the little streets and not many places still serving food (were all the chefs the worse for wear?!)

We did find one place which served a very nice meal however with free Wi-Fi which meant we could catch up on all our days emails and work in one place without having to risk a dodgy connection back at the Ghost hotel!

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