Cambridge to Harwich

The original plan for this post was a quick synopsis of what I saw on my scenic ride from Cambridge to Harwich International Port. However, life doesn’t work that way. I began my 110km trek at 4:30 in the morning, now if you recall from my previous post about Cambridge first light is around 4am so it was plenty bright to start this journey. The main reason I started it at this unusual hour though is so I would be able to see the sun rising over the endless hay fields that Britain is home to. This aspect of the trip went perfectly: the sunset was stunning.

As I continued I was honestly surprised about how beautiful and at times humorous (In a morbid manner) England is. The canvas of England is painted with rich golds, vibrant greens, and ominous clouds. Riding through the country side you are surrounded by massive fields of golden hay and mini forests reminiscent of a time before the agricultural revolution. Streams are plentiful, hills are scarce, and livestock graze lazily, while the tumultuous wind blows when you least expect it (love the wind). With all of England’s beauty there is a darkness, almost humorous to be honest, that comes along with the country side. Signs that say “Drive safely, multiple casualties on this road” scatter the main roads. As a biker this is terrifying but, when looking at it in hindsight it’s quite hilariousl. Who in the world puts a sign like that up?!

The ride went swimmingly for the first two hours and then everything seemed to collapse. The first and least problematic event to happen was my light falling off. It’s almost poetic that the smallest part of my biking arsenal falls apart before the one of the most integral. I was able to recover my light and as a continued on the only thing hindering my progress was fatigue. While I can push through fatigue what I can’t push through is a broken rear rack (the thing that holds my luggage). About 5 miles outside of Sudbury my back wheel stopped moving and I thought that’s alright it’s probably a break malfunction or a flat tire, both of which I could fix, but no, the bolts of my rack had snapped off making it impossible to bike due to the luggage I still had (trust me I tried). So what laid before me was a 5 mile, hour and a half, walk to Sudbury’s local bike store. In the moment these unfortunate series of events seemed like a message from God: You are not prepared, what have you gotten yourself into?! But then something insane happened, stranger after stranger pulled over to make sure I was ok. Stranger after stranger offered their assistance. That accident exposed me to the purest form of hospitality: basic human kindness. Now to be fair most of the people who stopped were older women who were most likely reminded of their son or daughter when they saw me but, the hospitality didn’t stop there. In my stops at both Sudbury and Colchester I had the pleasure of interacting with the most friendly and welcoming wait staff I have ever encountered. It was as if I was at home, talking with an old friend, when in reality I am no where even close to my family nor my friends.

These set of events are really what this whole trip is about. I expected things to go wrong, I wanted things to go wrong, because things that seem like a curse at the time have the potential to become a great adventure.

Fun fact about Sudbury:

The flag that was put up at Fort Henry during the War of 1812 with Britain started it’s life in Sudbury. This usually wouldn’t be a big deal except for the fact that the National Anthem derives from this battle. The United States was able to hold off the British and in the morning our flag was still flying, the flag that began it’s life in Sudbury England.

P.S. If you ever find yourself in this small town check out the Prado Lounge. Good food and impeccable service.

Biking Tips:

• I guess this should be obvious but, make sure to check the maximum weight that your bike’s carriage can carry.
• When biking on a high speed road be aware that when a truck or some other large vehicle passes you, you will feel a massive gust of wind that may be startling at times.