[CENTER]THE BEVERLEY FIFTEEN AND THREE QUARTERS[/CENTER]
[CENTER]26/04/2015[/CENTER]
Today’s excursion is the Beverley 20, but because the first part of the path from the Humber Bridge to North Ferriby is closed, we’ll call it the Beverley Fifteen and and Three Quarters. I had planned to park the car at the Tesco in Beverley, but upon reading the sign which foretold of impending doom to anyone who used the facility for more than three hours, I hastily purchased my Cornish Pasty, and Mars bar, and made a run for it. I would finish the walk at Beverley Minster, so I cruised that area to find a suitable parking spot, alas, the very narrow streets, and the copious use of yellow paint made it a no go area. A sign directed me to the Leisure Centre, which I though would be an excellent place to leave the car, as I was pursuing a leisure activity, but five pounds for four hours was not only beyond my means, but I’d be lucky to complete the round trip by bus in four hours. So necessity led me to an out of town location, which, if my map reading was to be relied upon, would be on my route to the Minster near the end of my walk, and if I was tired, could call it a day here.
I was soon cycling the undulating route from Beverley to North Ferriby, someone decided that today would be the day they would resurface the A164, and after filling it with bollards and heavy machinery, set about the task of ripping up the surface of the road, which made cycling difficult and dangerous. Despite this I arrived safely at the Railway Station in North Ferriby, and selected a suitable post to shackle the bike. I had decided to wear shorts, and although the weather was sunny, the wind was on the chilly side, but my legs will look nice in golden brown on the Keswick Half next week. The paths were dry and firm, except for the scramble along the foreshore of the river Humber, fortunately it’s only for a couple of hundred yards and then onto a beautiful forest track that gradually climbs up past Welton to the open farmland of the Wolds and on the the picturesque village of Skidby. A short climb out of Skidby and you get your first glimpse of Beverley Minster in the distance. I was soon stood waiting to cross the busy A164 complete with roadwork’s, traffic was still queuing, but at least it did make it easier to cross. The A1079 however is not as easy, you have to walk a good mile in the wrong direction before arriving at a footbridge, but when you see the traffic below on this main artery into Hull, you realise that it was worth the walk. The sun was beating down, as I crossed the road in Beverley, and realised it was the road where the car was parked, the Minster was in my grasp, no easy way out for me, I thought, as I ignored the comfort of the car in order to complete my pilgrimage to the Minster’s gate. With this thought on my mind, I went on to get hopelessly lost on a new housing estate. It was only by seeking assistance from some bloke cutting his grass, that I could unravel the complexities of this un-navigable brick jungle, and I came out on a road across from the gates of the Minster. I swigged back was was left of my orange juice, arrived back at the car, and took my place in the traffic queue on the A164 I had walked past earlier, It was unavoidable, as I had to recover my bike, which was still chained up to the station railings at North Ferriby.
What’s the temperature like where you are?
