rnli coastal cycle ride

Day 73 Sunday 22 May:  The best laid plans … early start? Up at 7.00, shower, clean mamil gear on (plus baggy T shirt for modesty’s sake. Don’t want to put others off their breakfast). Bags packed, route & schedule for the day checked. Downstairs to the ominously quiet breakfast room. No sign of life in the kitchen. No watch on wrist,  no clock on wall. Back up to room to check time on phone. 8.02am. Check Information for Guests. Should have checked earlier. Breakfast served, Mon – Sat 08.00 – 9.30; Sundays,  9.00 – 10.30.
Oh well … Do without? Not really an option. Can’t leave, haven’t paid for the room yet. Also very hungry,  Won’t get far on a low tank.  Double check route & plans for the day. Send two text msgs. Take bags down, wait at table. Not for too long.  Cheery whistling from the kitchen. All ok,  breakfast choice ordered, cooked & eaten in 27 mins flat. The theme for the day (flat).
I can cycle 84 miles and arrive on schedule. Today I cycled 450 yards and arrived 26 mins late. Thank you so much Richard and the rest of the Skegness crew for your patience and warm welcome. Had you really only just arrived, or were you being tactful?
A great turn out.  This is a record reception for an A/ILB Station. Many thanks to Richard (2nd Cox’n), Will and Matt (ILB Helms), Alan and Michelle (Trainee crew), Chas (tractor driver), Pippa & Max (future crew). What a great place for a Lifeboat Station.  Not only is it will placed for quick launching of a Mersey ALB or the D class ILB via a huge sandy beach, it is also at the busy end of the promenade at one of the country’s most popular seaside resorts, where the wandering crowds are already gathering, reaching into their pockets for pennies for the novelty collection boxes. There’s something special about releasing a coin in a vertical slot and watching it spiral round & round & down into a black hole. A much simpler way of fundraising. What AM I doing here?
The flatlands of Lincs & Cambs beckon. Who was it that decided to build roads the way they have in these two Fenland counties? i.e., straight ahead for one mile,  sharp right-angle turn to the left,  straight on for half a mile, sharp right angle turn to the right,  straight on …. etc.. Brilliant!
Don’t get me wrong,  this is not sarcasm. With today’s cycling conditions, I’ve worked out why it’s done this way. With no hills to relieve the monotony of the flatpan landscape, a frequent change in compass bearing not only adds interest, it also gives a regular break from the relentless headwind. Genius! (Fenland road builders,  not me). Never mind the extra few miles. I’m adding a few more today anyway, by diverting via Wisbech for an overnight visit to Claire’s East Anglian family. Thanks for everything Anne, Keith and Julia. Great to catch up. I certainly wasn’t expecting the Tour of the Town in Bluebell,  a very nippy open top vintage Austin 7!