Sore legs in Gravesend.
After a shower ,cup of tea and a biscuit,I packed up with remarkable ease-one of the advantages of “travelling light”! I eased down the hill into Gravesend in the rain to search for the ferry across the Thames to Tilbury.
The ferry goes every hour so I had a bit of time to spare.The ferry takes foot passengers and also bikes-saving me a huge detour to Dartford.Gravesend is not the nicest place on a wet and windy morning ,and now feeling a bit peckish I retreated to Macdonalds for a bacon sandwich or two.The sandwiches won’t make the list of excellent food I had on my travels but there was no alternative and they filled a yawning gap.
The rain stopped soon after breakfast but the day was grey and windy.Mercifully the wind was from the soutwest not the north.There were about 10 people on the ferry and it was suprisingly quick.I had hoped for views of vast container ships and docks but the picture says it all.Welcome to Essex.
Tilbury was grim a sort of semi-ghost town of bleak council houses. I consulted the map and headed off determined not to get lost. A few hundred yards later I asked the way from two women with push chairs.After extensive intructions I turned around and went on my way.
The wind stayed over my left shoulder. The traffic was moderate then heavy as I approached Brentwood with lots of speeding 4 wheel drives.Why do you need a 4 wheel drive in suburban Essex?There was a trafic jam of them in Brentwood which I undertook smiling widely.Things were going really well, no huge hills.I reached Chipping Ongar at about 11 and pressed on.After another few miles I joined an A road and found Bishop Storford to be only 10 miles away.Things were going great-until they weren’t.
There is a term in cycling called “the bonk”.It is also known as “the hunger knock” or “hypo”(glycaemia). Basically when you do a lot of exercise you burn sugar in muscles as well as some fat.Now muscles have limited stores of sugar ,especially if you burnt lots the day before.Fortunately your liver also stores sugar, so it can release more as the level in your blood gets low.Once the supply in your liver is exhausted the level in your blood falls until it it becomes critical.Unfortunately your brain cant metabolise fat or store sugar so once then blood levels get low your brain starts to malfunction and this is what started to happen now.
I felt weak vaguely and nauseous with an empty feeling in my stomach. Then I started to feel dizzy and slow down.It had been a long way since the early bacon sandwich. I realised what was happening and stopped to have a drink of water and a biscuit but it wasn’t enough.My hands were shakey and vision a bit blurred.I didn’t have anything sweet on me.After a brief pause, I cycled slowly to a garage.Racing cyclists have energy gels for such occasions -they taste disgusting.I have discovered a better alternative-Jelly Babies and flat mineral water-available in garages up and down the land.
About 15 minutes and 1 bag of jelly babies later I started to feel better . I knew that I needed food and rest so I cautiously cycled to a cafe and had a late lunch and a sit down.
After lunch and recovery I was happy to find I only had a few miles through Bishop Storford to reach Stanstead Montifichet.I pulled up at he Toy Museum and discovered there was a whole castle, gardens, mock Norman village, horror show and dinosaur experience to see.Bizarre is not the word-not what you expect to find in a village near Stanstead airport.
Limited for time I only went to the Toy Museum.It was certainly packed with stuff.Shelf upon shelf of toys of all ages,bits of military stuff and rock and roll memorabilia.It was mostly behind glass cases,and though the sheer amount of stuff was impressive,it was a bit poorly presented and jumbled.After about half an hour it started to feel like the endless trays of plastic toys at car boot sale. I,m sure it is great if you are an anorak for that sort thing,but I’m not .
So I left to find a cup of tea.
I had intended to visit Saffron Walden to see the Fry Gallery which has lots of early 20th century British Art.When I googled it on my phone I found it was shut that day.I was starting to get a bit tetchy,possibly the bonk or possibly a bit disappointed.Anyway, I hauled my self back on the bike and covered the few remaining miles to Duxford in no time.
The countryside in South Cambridgeshire was a little hillier and more lush than Essex.I started feel I had escaped the London/Essex urban sprawl and the traffic wasn’t so manic on the little B roads I followed.
When I reached my travelodge for the night I collapsed in a heap for an hour or so before hunger got the better of me.
I found a nearby gastro pub on my phone and went there. There seem to be lots of gastro pubs around Cambridge .Maybe things are looking up.
After a large Barnsley Chop,chips, onion grary and several pints of beer I felt much better.
I swore to do less cycling, see more good stuff and make the trip more pleasurable.Still I had only a short day tomorrow and lots of things to see.
Best place name-Chipping Ongar
Best food- Jelly Babies
Best sight-lush Cambridgeshire countryside.
Wandering North 