Quality over Quantity

 

If you're reading this and wanting to hear about some long, epic ride, best you read one of my previous blogs or wait a few weeks for another, but I hope you stick with me here.

"Hi mate. Fancy a ride Friday evening?" I sent to Jules. He replied and was up for it. Friday came, the weather had been a bit rubbish for the last few days so I opted to take my single speed, it's got mudguards, rust and is the kinda bike you can ride through a flood and will be better than it was before. I bought the frame for a fiver a couple of years ago, an 80's Claud Butler. I stripped it, sprayed it and built it up from spares from the shed and the cheapest parts possible, all in for around £100.

Anyways, before I met up with Jules I popped round a mates house to deliver his birthday beers and presents. He asked where I was heading with Jules. I said how I wasn't sure but thought about heading to Ellingham Mill. "Blimey! That's like near Bungay!". It's always odd when a short ride for one person is epic for another. You have to stay humble or you sound arrogant.

I wished him happy birthday,  told him to not drink all his beers at once and left to meet Jules. For the next 3.5 hours I don't think that we stopped talking, laughing, putting the world to rights while admiring the beauty of this early summer evening.

I suggested to Jules about heading to Beccles, grabbing some beers, head to Ellingham Mill and enjoy the sunset, "Ah mate, beautiful!". Well he's easily pleased! I knew Jules would love my idea. We headed through Mutford, wondering what Lincoln was up to at his family BBQ, his reason for not being here tonight.

I started telling Jules about a young chap I'd met the day before, Josh Garman. He was on a round Britain, 5000 mile fundraising ride, towing a trailer to sleep in. I met him in Lowestoft on Thursday (6th May) morning and rode out of Lowestoft with him as he headed south. An inspirational bloke, so humble and laid-back. Please check him out here https://www.expeditionjosh.com/

Back to me and Jules. We arrived at Beccles Co-Op. We started talking politics. Jules was annoyed that I hadn't voted in the recent election, I stated my reasons and he stated his. It was all getting a bit serious, so I headed into the shop and looked in the reduced section for something random for Jules, a cucumber for 21p, that'll reset  out conversation  to gutter level for sure!  As well as a couple of Adnams Ghost Ships and some chocolate in hand I headed to the till, ounce I had figured out the shops one way system.

The lady infront had bought some wine "Have you got any ID?" the lady behind the counter asked. "Er, yeah. But I am 40!" the poor lady seemed embarrassed, well they both did. Only having my debit card, I was hoping she wasn't going to ask me for ID, I was looking forward to my Ghost Ship, a can of Fanta wouldn't have been the same. Placing the beer, chocolate and the rather ripe cucumber on the till, I thought I'd deter her for asking for my driving licence which was about 8 miles due east. "I won't tell you why I've bought my friend a cucumber", "oh right, is he gonna chomp on it", "Er, something like that" I replied. I left the shop laughing about the conversation,  with Jules asking me what I'd done. He was pleased with the beer, and excited at the cucumber, I knew he would be. 

With the sun setting we carried on, into Gillingham and towards Ellingham. I started talking about my annoyance of the adverts on ITV that encourages to "Get Britain Talking". When did we ever stop? Don't think that we don't talk. Don't stereotype us all into a muted species, depending on pixels for communication, although the irony of you reading this now is quite funny. Once again I was ranting, but rightly so, I think.

We pulled on to the portage point at Ellingham Mill, which is built for kayakers and paddle boarders to get in and out of the river, a waterside piece of decking which faces west, straight into the sunset. It was utterly beautiful. As soon as we arrived, two blokes were nearby and left straight away. I'm a good judge of body language and people's behaviour, "Well they're up to no good, I wonder how long they've been here smoking weed?" I said.

Sitting there with our feet dangling over the River Waveney, we laughed, drunk our ale and ate chocolate. We discussed our work, our private lives, recent rides but ultimately we talked about the view and our surroundings.

Our conversation then got deep.  We talked about the importance of us all needing at least someone to listen to us, someone to talk with, to converse and how some people lack this in their lives. Thankfully we both have these kind of people our lives, but so many people don't. Some people need direction in life, guidance, to be influenced, not by some YouTuber, but influenced by someone close or something and perhaps shown that the most simple of things can have the biggest impact. We talked about the over use of anti-depressants. If people could just see the beauty that surrounds them, then surely this will have a positive impact, medicating is not always the answer. The GP and the pharmaceutical industries won’t necessarily save you, but those close to you, hobbies, interests and nature probably will. This is a beautiful world, it’s just the minority of humans that ruin it for others, interpret that as you wish. Fundamentally, this world is fine without us humans, it would probably be better. But while we’re all here, lets enjoy it.

This place, Ellingham, I've been coming here for as long as I can remember. In my childhood I loved it and in adulthood, tonight, I love it even more.  With the sun setting, the mist rising, the water impersonating a mirror, it was simply magical. It has never lost it’s golden touch and with the sun setting, that touch just got brighter.

Now and again a fish would rise to the surface, breaking the perfectly calm, liquid mirror. The contouring  ripples travelling across the river, eventually hitting the river banks on both sides. It was a perfect evening to see a Barn Owl, I told Jules this but unfortunately we weren't visited by Barney the Barn Owl tonight. Although the Waveney Valley is the lamest excuse for a valley, it still gets cold here, especially near the river.

An old clapped out Fiesta appeared, the kind of car you would see in your nearest retail park on a Saturday evening with an empty wholesale sized baked bean bin tin as an exhaust. "They aren't gonna be fisherman or birdwatchers" I quipped. We soon realised this was the place where Bungay's cool kids came to smoke their Jamaican Woodbine.

We discussed the route back through Barsham City, into Ringsfield, Ellough, Mutford and back into Lowestoft.

I told Jules how I've always wondered why it's called Barsham City, I researched it once, well, okay I Googled it once and remembered  reading that some people were evacuated there in WWII. It was called Barsham City so people were more inclined to go, well that was the tale that I read. Jules loved my bit of historical knowledge, it made a change from a lecture about anti-tank defences!

Heading out of Ellingham, the road goes through a farm, unfortunately the cows weren't there. Quite often they are in the barns, staring at you as you pass through their home. A Pipistrelle Bat fluttered above us, a Grey Heron was in a field to our left.

We headed into Ringsfield than along the newish Beccles bypass. Looking to the left, Beccles  Church was lit up and looked quite serene with the last glimpse of light in the sky. Into Ellough, Mutford then Lowestoft. We were that busy chatting that I forgot to turn off in Oulton Broad, therefore adding about 5 miles to the ride. But I didn’t care, what was the rush?

This ride wasn’t epic in mileage (35 miles) or adventure, but epic in the sense of spending time with a great mate, laughing, ranting, telling stories and discussing future adventures. Some people spend their lives longing to visit somewhere exotic at the cost of thousands of pounds, but so many don’t realise what beauty there is in their own country, their county, their district or their town. If we all just took a bit more time to explore, to calm down, to sit in silence, listen to nature, perhaps hug a tree, go and talk to some cows, lay on a beach and look at the stars, we can all deal with life just that little better.

We’re all a bit messed up somewhere, it’s what makes us human and individual. Finding a way of dealing with our feelings and emotions is what’s important. Perhaps have a listen to this (below), and if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up dancing.