Suffolk Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride: A Ferry Hot Day
I took my bike over to Chelmondiston from Elmsett in the car to start the bike ride from there. I met up with my old friend Pete Abbott. We cycled down to Shotley Gate (a lot of changes happening down there!) and caught the 10am ferry across to Felixstowe (which goes via Harwich). The ferry boatman told us not to miss the last ferry back which he told us was at 4.30pm. We then cycled the five or six miles across to Felixstowe Ferry calling in at one or two churches on our way (and very much enjoyed the refreshments that they provided). Quite hot and sweaty by now we picked up the small ferry over to Bawdsey.
After a quick stop for lunch at the Boathouse Ferry Café we headed for Bawdsey, Alderton and Hollesley Churches. It was a great pleasure talking to the people manning these churches about the fascinating history of these places and the present day role of the church in the various villages. Heading back we loaded our bikes onto the boat for the short hop back to Felixstowe enjoying a well deserved ice cream on the other side! Time was moving on but we arrived back on the beach near the viewing point at Felixstowe docks with about 10 minutes to spare to pick up the Ferry.
We knew the trip back involved going via Harwich. However when we got there everybody got off and they started to unload our bikes! Sorry we said to the boatman we want to go back to Shotley! Sorry but this is the last stop of the day he told us! Being a very kind-hearted man he and his assistant very graciously took us, and our bikes, back over to Shotley. It could have been a VERY long ride home! It was a most pleasant but very, very hot day. The hottest of the summer apparently. We covered about 30 miles.
John Gillies (Elmsett Methodist Church)
