Up The Tyne Without A Paddle - 27th March 2009

Approximately 30 miles

Another Friday dawned, plans had been made, but it was a bit windy for some of the club. So only Ian and Dunk went out, while Jim and Chris made their excuses and retired to the sandwich shop.
Those made of tougher stuff headed to the Black Horse car park and then set off on the bikes.

Anyway, Ian's done the words again, we've added subtitles for those with a modicum of intelligence.

dont dunk look amazin in his nice red lipstik aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa mean sunblok honist no digital enhancements

(Our expert photographer couldn't digitally enhance his way out of this one. Standing on the Swing Bridge, facing into the teeth of the gale, with the mighty Tyne Bridge artfully cropped in the background)

the sign sezit all us on the road to nowear it was about now dunks nee started givin him gyp so I took the opperatuneity to fiddle wif his inside leg he was verry pleased I cud cee that sraightaway and later he thanked me saying he never expected it would hav such an efect on him

(So, we headed upstream along the Newcastle half of the Quayside, peddling like fury into the wind. Hard going. Hence the slightly dodgy knee. But we made it to Scotswood, and a chance for a photo opportunity. "The Road To Nowhere". Actually, it's the road to Newburn, but it's more or less the same thing)

nother shot of a hansum bugger at rest at a crackin yalehoose ani av to say that flagpole was leanin like that befor I got there honist

(Newburn, and Ian headed straight for the pub. As for the flagpole, it was straight when we got there. Photos don't lie. We left in a hurry, and tootled along the Old Wylam Waggonway to Ovingham and then back along the north bank of the Tyne to Wylam)

another amazeingly arty shot of dunk at the railway crossing at wylam the boathouse pub is on the other side of the train it was sposed to be in the shot wif the train in the distance (to make jimithy jealouse ) bur the shutter lag on me phone is so long that was the result

(Ian making excuses for the fact that he couldn't really work his fancy cameraphone. The train was only doing 20mph. Still, it's a picture of a railway, which should keep Jim happy. He'd probably gorged himself on bacon sarnies back in the Low Fell at this point, while we carried on back along the riverbank path towards Newcastle)

us turning back onto keelmans way at the bottom of blaydon just to demonstrate how much the shutter lag is a shot of dunk at top of hill
next time the shutter fired but the question is is it a slow shutter or did dunk roar down the hill
nothin left to do so we went home when jim ccccccccccccccs how bad me bloggin is am shure al get peddled

(Just to prove Dunk can go downhill quickly. Nothing wrong with the camera at all)

And after Blaydon it was a long slog up to the Quayside, then back up the hill to Low Fell and a well earned rest.

Probably could have taken more photos really. Oh well.

• View the route in Google Earth