Musings

Having spent a few days concentrating on the bike and details of the brake problems, I thought now would be a good time to consider more abstract ideas. Why am I riding round the coast? Why now?

The idea came to me a few years ago as you can see from early entries in the blog. I wanted a real journey, with some challenges and complications, but in an achievable context. I saw this as a retirement project which would be done at a pace that allows for engaging with the coast, not just driving fast past its wonders. 

I tried to find information about people who had done the trip, imagining that I would not be alone in having this idea, but despite some dedicated googling all I could come up with was groups who  had ridden between coastal towns by the fastest possible route, this way you can get round the UK in a week or so, but you don't follow the coast.

My plan is to follow the coast as closely as possible, driving on the road which is closest to the sea at all times. This means a lot more miles, and some winding country roads, but it does mean that I will be in touch with the sea as much as possible. I started to plot the route and for an unexplainable reason took a clockwise direction so the sea will always be on my left side. Once into the detail, it became apparent that occasionally the strict rule of "road closest to the sea" has to be tempered with some realism, usually this is when the principle road passes a housing or industrial estate built between it and the sea. The road through the estate then becomes the closest to the sea, but realistically a small detour into it bears no fruit at all. So with a few exceptions of this type, I have been able to plot my route.

Boundaries and frontiers have always fascinated me. What at distance seems like a clear line between one state and another, often in nature and usually in human behaviour and morality, turns out to be a flexible and broad transition area. When you are close to it, where exactly does the sea start and the land end? It depends on the time of day, day of the year, condition of the wind etc etc, even the apparent fixed points such as cliffs and river mouths change over time with erosion and weather. We live on a series of islands but for most of us who do not live by the coast, the sea does not feature actively and consciously in our daily life. The circuit round the coast offers something complete and pure, as close to the edge as it is possible to get with this mode of transport.

Frankly retirement is the answer to why now? Time to plan time to go and a freedom from the constraints of day to day responsibility. I am able to go now knowing that I can take the time I need.