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To cycle in the UK this year was a completely different but also much the same experience as last year. ππ΄The weather at the beginning was tough. It rained so much that I was thinking to myself why? - why? I had this crazy idea of cycling in such a wet country. And if rain was not enough the midges had parties around me in between.
Thank you Emma, @soulmadetotravel, @helsains, @tam1645, Tiree, @gill.houlsby, @mcginnis6227, Alison, @amateuremigrant, @2sylwek, @hannaplant, @chammonds92, @zetlandcycles, @cyclingforfood. You turned the frustration and struggle I had into joy. When I started this journey I didn't know what to expect. Would I be treated as an outcast or as a gypsy? People fearing to interact with me because of Covid? I experienced the opposite. Everybody welcomed me with great hospitality and generosity. Once more it showed me that traveling by bicycle gave me the opportunity to see the country much more from the perspective of people living here. I dipped into so many lives, heared so many stories. Everybody's story seems to be different at first but at the end we all want the same.
We all want connection and kindness. It is a challenging time. But it seems that many people used this Corona time to rethink and to restructure their lives to bring more joy into it. Many thought about what is really important and what to do with their time.
Scotland and England has so much to offer. Besides all these amazing and beautiful people living here, I dived into incredible spots of natural beauty and stunning landscapes.I understand why for so many people Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world. It has everything: dramatic and rugged mountain sceneries,breathtaking coastlines with so many sandy white beaches,green valleys, crystal clear rivers,charming little villages,interesting and magical old castles, and many many beautiful lochs.I cycled through ever-changing landscapes - one more impressive than the other and still equal in its uniqueness. Every day I was surrounded by beauty.Once more it was an amazing adventure with many moments of pure joy.It was certainly not the last time I've been to Scotland. But next time I have friends to visitβ€
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Great journey. Very jealous of all that you’ve seen. We are already planning our next trip back to Scotland, Glasgow and of course Skye.
Amazing journey. Thanks for sharing. π
Well done what a fabulous trip, weather can be rough, Midges can be deadly but the people are friendly, lol. I'll be looking out for your next adventure, good luck in all you do. ππ
Ahhhh, I miss your reports already! Thank you so much for sharing.It was soooo lovely! I am sure the two of you cannot stand it for too long and you are taking off again! Big hugs!
Lovely account of your trip and glad we played a very small part in it.
Das kann ich über Schottland nur bestätigen, wunderbarer Landstrich und wunderbare freundliche Menschen !!π€πβοΈπ
The final day of our journey had arrived. For the last time I slept under the stars without a tent. Nights which I love most πI was waking up with the sound of the ocean and a beautiful sunrise and some Zuri kisses π ππ . Its been an amazing time. We cycled 2301 km in exactly 5 weeks. We crossed the border to England on our final morning and cycled along the coast until Alnmouth, where we took a train back to Leeds and then Katie, a friend of a friend brought us back to Leicester. I was really afraid on how to manage the train ride. It was the last train of the day and the whole train station was empty. Nobody to help me to get my bike into the train π²π¬ and I read that ebikes are officially not even allowed in the train. They have 4 specially assigned places for bikes, so it's not as easy as in Germany, where you have lots of room. The train stopped in that way that the area for the bicycle was exactly where I was on the platform. πIt was not so easy to get the bike up the stairs and the trailer then got stuck there as well. I was so stressed and wanted to do it fast until the constructor came and told me to relaxπ there is no rush. He was very friendly and eventhough my bike didn't even fit in the bike area he didn't say anything against it. He just wanted to know if I and Zuri are OK. ππ @ England
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Oh gosh so glad you were able to get on the train! What an amazing adventure and I can't wait to see all your videos π. I hope we can meet sometimes again. Wishing you a safe journey back home xxx
Wonderful π
What will be the next adventure? But first you must both have a really good rest. I will miss your daily updates.
Safe journey home πππ
What's your next move.. I'm curious
Wie gehst du jetzt nach Hause, mit dem Zug? Und dass du dir einfach so draußen zuschlagen getraust, das ist wunderbar unsicher auch Zuri geschuldet. Danke fürs Teilen!,,,
Fabulous π
Vielen Dank, dass du deine Reise mit uns geteilt hast π Die Bilder wurden herrlich π
We left Edinburgh after 2 nights for our last part of the journey. @hannaplant and I had a great time and we certainly didn't see us for the last time. There is something magical about being on a cycling journey...β¨ You are arriving to a complete stranger but you are leaving a friend. πβ€οΈ
The cycling paths south of Edinburgh are beautiful and very good to cycle on. π We started late and had an easy day with lots of beautiful views of the seaside πππ΄ββοΈπ @ Edinburgh, United Kingdom
I had heared a lot of good thing about #edinburgh, so I was quite excited to feel into and see the city and I have to say I really like it here ππβ€οΈ so many beautiful old buildings, the beach is close by and visible from the two city hills, which give you a nature and hiking feeling in the middle of the city. Also the cycling paths are great! The best was that Hannas flatmate works in a hotel and I got a free cookie when passing by for my day out π quite exiting to explore a city again without the hassle of all the luggage and bicycle stuff.π΄πΌββοΈ But I do have to admit that the climbing up the hill part was not that easy after all that cycling also not the fact that Hanna is living in the 3. Floor π¬ π @ Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Hi Iris, wir haben die letzten paar Tage von unserer Scotland Reise in Edinburgh gebracht. Wir haben auch in Edinburgh gestartet und geendet. Sind für eine Woche schon zuhause aber immer auf unserer Schottland Bilder schauen. Wir natürlich hoffen das es geht dir und Zuri gut und das die Beine (für beiden) tut nicht so weh. Wir genießen deinen Bilder. Wir haben gedacht das wir haben sehr viel von Schottland gesehen, aber du hast andere Orte, Sehenswürdigkeiten und natürlich mehr freundliche Menschen getroffen. Freunde fragt uns immer wie es war und der erste Ding das wir sagen ist, “Die Leute sind so freundlich!” Wir wünschen dir noch einen schönen Reise. Kuschel Zuri tief von uns. Sie ist sooo süß. Kim
It happens so rarely that we have a third person view of our journey, so it's worth an extra post. @hannaplant who invited us to stay with her in Edinburgh took this on our way to her apartment. She is a lovely and inspirational person and a cyclist too and to spoil a little.. we're already thinking of where we could head to together on a joint trip πππ΄πΌββοΈπ΄πΌββοΈ
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Zuri is going to come first! You’ll need to pedal faster Iris! π
Go Zuri Go...
Sylwia and Julian suggested that I try the chips in a town 50 km south of Aberdeen. While I was sitting there and enjoying my chips Claudia and Frank approached me, who were hiking in the area. They invited me to their home just north of Dundee. I was very happy to not to have to sleep in a tent again and cycled the remaining 70 km to their place. It was a long day but absolutely worth it! They are a lovely couple and I felt very welcomed. They cooked a really tasty meal and I even had my first Scottish Whiskey tasting ππBecause I cycled so much that day and I could charge my batteries at their place over night I could make it from Aberdeen to Edinburgh on just 2 instead of 3 days. The day to Edinburgh was really stormy and quite hilly and I could feel my legs from all the cycling of the last days. I was really happy when I finally crossed the bridge into the Edinburgh area. My batteries not quite made it until the city center (97 km) so I stopped in a steak house and asked for a drink and if I can charge my battery. A drink was not possible because they only took people with reservations but I could charge my battery. While I was sitting outside and waiting a waitress came out and brought Zuri and me free water. Mine was even with fresh lemonππ once more Scottish hospitality as its best β€οΈπ΄πΌββοΈπ @ Dundee
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Thank you for the post Iris! We are still talking about you and Zuri, and were so glad we met and that you were able to stay with us. You are such an inspiration! Can't wait to follow your next adventures πππ€©
wofür brauchst du geladene Batterien?
Wonderful! π Not sure where your travels take you as you head south but the Northumberland coast is just beautiful. Kielder Water and Forest park is a wonderful area too and one of the darkest night-time regions in the UK for stargazing β¨ π² π³ βοΈ Happy pedalling π www.visitkielder.com/play/discover/dark-skies
After an amazing day with Sylwia and Julian, Zuri and I left to cycle further down in the direction of Edinburgh. In Aberdeen they blocked the city centers for cars and all the big roads are now only usable for pedestrians and cyclists. An amazing feeling to have so much space on the road. π They also cut down another big road on the coast side of Aberdeen into half, to give people more space to cycle and walk.π΄πΌββοΈβ€οΈ Sylwia baked some dog cookies, which Zuri totally loved. Great snacks for an all day exercising dog ππβ€οΈ On the way down we went to Dunnottar Castle. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. @ Aberdeen
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Aha, Zuri is a cannibal!
Sylwia and Julian invited us to stay with them in Aberdeen. They saw us cycling on their holiday in Skye. ππ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ They offered to show me some amazing places around Aberdeen, so I took a day off from cycling and we had an amazing dayπ We went seal watching, to the beach, to some cliffs, saw the Slains castle, who was the inspiration for Dracula's castle and ate some amazing fresh berryfarm icecream. Even Zuri got a little bit ππ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώπ Sylwia is an amazing cook as well and we had some really good conversations too. β€οΈ Many people are drawn to the Highlands when they go to Scotland and no doubt they are stunning but the East Coast has some amazing scenery to offer as well ππ @ Aberdeen
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Newburgh Beach, Bullers O Buchan, my home area , they should have taken you to Hackley Bay and Forvie
What a crazy day! βππ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώππ΄πΌββοΈπ·ββοΈ Bob invited me to his home in Sandend. He is a former adventure tour guide and told me a lot of amazing stories about India and Scandinavia. ππHe cooked an amazing tasty curry for me as well! He even bought some vegan food to take away on the next day. πMy goal was to reach Aberdeen. As soon as I left his house on the beach a bus driver stopped and asked me some questions about my journey then he gave me 40 pounds and told me I should my be some good dinner tonight. I was blown away and very surprised β€οΈ on my way I saw some happy pigs! I've never seen pigs outside with so much space in Germany. When I reached Aberdeen I just followed cycle path no 1. I let me into a construction site and then the road stopped and there was a locked gate. I searched for the exit and saw that everything was closed now. Somehow they accidentally locked me in.. Not the best thing at 5.45 pm on a Friday afternoon π¬ so what to do? At one point I just called the house building company. They office was open for another 10 min. A women came out but she didn't have a key, so she needed to call someone else, who came and freed me out of it π·ββοΈπͺ @ Aberdeen
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I have been wanting to go to Aberdeen, Scotland. I am from Aberdeen, WA. π€β€π What a great experience.
Ich freue mich jeden Tag auf deine Berichte u Bilder. Sie sind spannend u wunderschön. Alles Gute euch beiden.
It was quite late when I was cycling out of Inverness. Just outside of the city I was stopping very briefly to post the post, where I was telling you that I tried to help a guy getting ready for his around the world bike trip by answering some questions. A lovely lady called Alison came up to me and we started talking. She was asking where I was going to sleep and I just told her that I usually just wild camp and if she knows a good place. She didn't really know anything and invited me to stay with her and her husband Colin.Since I didn't even had time for dinner yet she made me some hot food as well. We had some great conversations before I went into a warm and cozy bed. I could take a shower in the morning, got well fed again as well as Zuri π ready for another long cycling day along the north coast of Eastern Scotland. The way itself was quite boring at the beginning since it was just endless farmland. An exciting point was a tip from Alison to visit the Findhorn foundation, one of the oldest ecovillages in the whole world. A lot was closed due to Covid but it was nice to just cycle around and get a climpse of what living in harmony with nature could look like. We continued further and as we reached the coast it was just stunning... @ Inverness
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I am so glad you are meeting wonderfully hospitable folk. π
Lovely having you both stay with us. Safe travels.