It’s not an obvious combination I’ll grant you: Richard Milhouse Nixon and The Woodcraft Folk – but they both came through for me in my bid to cycle (at least part) of a classic trans Pennine road in traffic free conditions.
Category: Travel Page 1 of 3
It was then that the chopper dropped down out of the darkness on top of them. She heard the whump whump whump of the blades above her and to the rear and she raised her head, but she had to close her eyes and turn away because in that instant she was blinded by the white glare of a spotlight, and the end of a skid lighted by that glare that was swinging back and forth just above her head, forcing her to crouch down with her hands on Santiago’s shoulders. Under his clothes she felt his tense muscles, his back bowed over the wheel, and she saw his face illuminated in brief bursts from the spotlight swinging above them, all the bursts of spray that wet his face and hair.
At first we blamed Franco – well you would wouldn’t you? Who else would punish an impoverished region by failing to complete a railway that would have opened up the interior to trade and commerce with the cities on the coast because of the strength of republican resistance during the civil war? This apparent act of omission seemed typically cynical and nasty as the railway was nearly ready to go – the track bed was complete, along with numerous tunnels, viaducts, station buildings, platforms and goods sheds. All it needed was rails, signalling infrastructure and of course engines, trucks, carriages and staff.
I know that you will all be anxious to know how the Iberian Idlers are getting on on their travels and looking forward to some insightful commentary about historical, cultural or political matters ……….
On the front – Redcar, it’s got it all!
Redcar has a huge golden sand beach, stretching for miles from the tip of the South Gare navigation light to the north west and curling round the town and beyond to the south east.
SPOILER ALERT!! This is the last episode of 4. The first episode was uploaded on 3rd December (below).
Oh dear oh dear! How much trouble can a chap get himself into?
I thought I had figuratively put my pencil away until the new year and was embarking on a pre-Christmas clean of the surfaces in the front room when I took a call from my agent. Well! …………….
PREQUEL
How did our two intrepid travellers find themselves standing in the dark on a twisty Corsican road – in their pyjamas?
When we left our intrepid travellers at the end of episode 1 they had just been waved past the crashed car of a chap who had seemed determined to run them out of town – or at least out of The Calanche! We must catch up with the van’s progress towards a safe place to snug down for the night………….
Sue woke first and nudged me ‘Do you think there’s someone outside with a torch knocking on the van?’
‘No’ I reply, determined to stay asleep.
But then I hear it too – a clear double knock followed by a voice ‘You can not stay ere …. you must go.’
We have to make a decision, the first of a number over the ensuing hour.
