Friday, 11 March 2016

Boston TO Barton. Sixty Miles Through Lincolnshire.

Tuesday 8th March light SW sunny intervals and cold

A day of cycling as far as I can north. Two special birds are available; Richard's pipits at North Landing, Flamborough and a first winter surf scoter at Filey.

At last there is a light wind and almost behind me too. The first road is very straight and very flat.
Through Horncastle and Wragby; north to Market Rasen and I stop to buy a large Danish pastry from an independent bakers. Nearly all of the products are in plastic cases sealed in a plastic wrapper. The Danish pastries aren't and the young shop assistant is confused when I was for the bought item to just be given to me. I don't want a paper bag. I am going to devour it straight away. “I can't do that,” she says.

To Caistor and the mostly gentle falls and rises becomes a chalk hill to climb. The route along the ridge gives views for miles to the west and a steep bendy downhill stretch takes me into the village of BIGBY.

For those who don't know the term BIGBY let me explain. A few years ago there was a film with Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson called The Big Year. Based on the real adventures of three Americans, Sandy Komito, Ken Kaufman and Al Levantin, the film told how each wanted to be the birder who had the biggest 'carbon' birding list in the USA in a particular year. The book of the same name is fabulous. The film I like being more an exploration of relationships. Anyway a 'carbon' year list chase is called A Big Year.
BIGBY is for the birder who wants to avoid carbon as much as possible. A pure BIGBY is when a birder doesn't use any fossil fuel transport at all in a whole year. My personal BIGBY has the use of a few ferries to get me to Shetland and Fair Isle. This is allowed as long as I am honest and say that when placing my list on record. I wonder if one will ever have to say how Green one is in other ways as well?

Bigby, I like it! Oh sorry, it stands for Big Green Big Year.
Through more country lanes and onto a dual carriageway towards the Humber Bridge; I turn off at the past roundabout before it and go into Barton-upon-Humber. Here I find a guest house which is superb and the owners, Rachel and Simon are very friendly. I have cycled over sixty miles today and gosh, don't I feel it. My knees feel swollen and my hands feel stiff, being stuck in a grasping attitude. C'est la rue!

So the year list is 181, which is still twenty one ahead of this time last year.


61.94 Miles 1963 feet elevation up 1873 feet elevation down

1 comment:

  1. Kenn Kaufman wasn't one of the three main birders in the Big Year book. It was Greg Miller.

    ReplyDelete

60 Miles in September ACORNS CHILDREN'S HOSPICE - Green Birding and Olaf the Snowman

  60 Miles in September for Acorns Children's Hospice   OK, let's do this. Cycle, swim or walk. Have lots of fun - be Olaf the Snowm...